War in Ukraine: York conflict photographer documents life in invaded country

A photographer's new exhibition on life in Ukraine is aimed at moving the focus away from the "graphic" side of conflict.

Ed Matthews spent two years picturing the ordinary civilians living under Russian attack and invasion.

Subjects include everything from a man held captive in a basement for 28 days to the monotony of public transport.

The exhibition, marking the second anniversary of the war, takes place at Spark York this weekend.

Mr Matthews told BBC Radio York that he previously made a living in nightclub industry before he opting for a career change.

"I wanted to create something meaningful and use photography for positive change," he said.

"A friend of mine put me in touch with a conflict documentary photographer from the Czech Republic and 13 days later, I was flying out to Poland to join him in documenting the refugee crisis at the border."

Mr Matthews described seeing a "mass exodus of people from all walks of life", which deeply affected him and encouraged him to volunteer with charities.

"I didn't want to just focus on war and graphic stuff, I wanted to introduce some more things about Ukrainian culture," he said.

"I've got images of family life or an ordinary day on the metro in Kharkiv, where there's a war raging above.

"But if you notice in the image, it's a carriage full of people but most people are elderly.

"There's one child and one fighting-age male. It's an ordinary day, but you know there's something not right because of the demographic of people."

He also went to a village in Kherson Oblast, where he saw flood damage caused by the Kakhovka Dam breach in June 2023.

Residents were photographed with their clothes on rows of washing lines and queues of people were snapped waiting for humanitarian aid to arrive.

The York photographer also spoke to a man who had survived 28 days held captive in a basement with 300 people in Yahidne.

"Once you experience the hardships of people in the world, you can't go back to normal living without doing something to help," he said.

"So the main thing is raising awareness and education, telling the truth, and giving people the opportunity to do something themselves as well."

The exhibition is due to open at 12:00 GMT and run until 21:00 on Saturday and Sunday.

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