Between the Sirens (pictures from Odesa)

Photos and stories of everyday life in Odessa during Russia’s war of aggression—a documentary photographer reports.

Marishka Oliver(photographer and author)
Moderated by Martin Jankowski

From an interview in the Andorran Daily:
>>Can life go on, even if a state of war is declared?

I experienced this on the first day I arrived in Odessa. I had gone out onto a terrace to smoke a cigarette when suddenly the siren began wailing, warning of a possible attack. I thought that would be my last cigarette, but then a young man came over and lit one for me: “Don’t worry, don’t be afraid—we’re not going to die today.”

He spoke to you as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And that’s how “Between Sirens” came to be. A photo essay in which I want to talk about exactly that: about life that goes on despite the air raid sirens. <<

Marishka Oliva’s images do not aim to sensationalize, but rather to bear witness—by creating visual documents that pay tribute to the complexity of human suffering and resilience. Her project “The Mirrors of the Storm” consists of three distinct yet interconnected photographic series, united by a central question: How does violence shape the spaces in which we live, and how do we inhabit spaces that have been shaped by violence? 

The event will be held in English!