I live in Bucha and work in Irpin. After the Russian occupation, these cities were left in ruins. The military landscape has become my reality and routine.
Every day, I see people rebuilding their cities, restoring their personal lives from the wreckage, and looking toward the future.
I created a series of photographs in historical dialogue with images by Polish photographer Michał Nash, who documented how a decorative backdrop was used to mask the ruins of Warsaw during World War II in 1945-1946. The subjects of my photographs are women who became victims of Russian aggression.
The occupation lasted through the spring. Those who survived this tragic period hardly noticed how the season passed—how chestnuts and lilies of the valley bloomed, how birds returned. They were deprived not only of their homes, loved ones, jobs, and health, but also of a part of their lives. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Donbas and Crimea are enduring a second tragic spring. A stolen spring is a stolen life. Each photograph captures a personal tragedy, yet it is also a life-affirming story of survival—a testament to hope that Ukraine will rise from the ruins.
About Alena Grom
Alena Grom is a Ukrainian artist and documentary photographer originally from Donetsk. In April 2014, the onset of military conflict in Eastern Ukraine forced her to relocate. Since 2017, she has lived in Bucha, a town near Kyiv. The full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 once again displaced her and her family, making them refugees for a second time. They returned to Bucha following its de-occupation.
These profound experiences have significantly shaped her artistic practice. Photography has become an essential tool, enabling her to confront and process the traumatic realities of war. Since 2016, her work has focused on regions affected by military aggression, documenting the lives of war victims, migrants, and refugees. Her approach blends social reportage with conceptual photography, often conducting projects from frontline locations. A central theme in her work is the resilience of life in the face of adversity. [Official Website]
