More than 900,000 people from Ukraine fled to Germany before the war in their homeland.

The exhibition “Faces of Ukraine” draws attention to the individual fates of the refugees. It shows a selection of portrayed Ukrainians who have found refuge in Germany.

The pictures were taken when the refugees first arrived in Wolfenbüttel and were processed in the refugee accommodation facility Okeraue. They are portraits of people from all walks of life: construction workers, doctors, sales assistants, IT experts, athletes, scientists. These were some of their professions in Ukraine – until the war exiled them.

It was a conscious decision to choose the neutral form of passport pictures. The poses are not inherently elegant or trendy. This kind of picture takes on a special, symbolic meaning for the refugees. It’s associated with the first steps of a new beginning after they have been uprooted by the war. The newly arrived refugees need a passport picture on many occasions: for the foreigners’ registration office, for the social services department, for registering with a health insurance company – it’s always this picture that references their identity very matter-of-factly.

15 of the refugees have told us their stories. Most of them reported what they experienced on their escape routes only days after they arrived. We certainly don’t get the whole story but we at least learn about the part they were willing to share publicly. More often than not, they were still emotionally impacted by their escape. They told their stories in Russian or Ukrainian – in some cases in English. The interviews were conducted with the help of interpreters.

This project is first exhibited in shop windows in Wolfenbüttel’s pedestrian shopping streets. But why an exhibition? And why show it in the pedestrian shopping area? “The idea is to make people aware of the fact that refugees are people like you and me”, photographer Henning Kramer explains, who came up with the idea and is responsible for the realisation of the project. He sees the people who fled the war in Ukraine as an example for all other refugees. “It’s about showing that refugees had their every-day lives just like us – until war or a different disaster robbed them of their livelihood.”

In many cases, people become victims of war activities regardless of who they are. Ukrainians and foreigners living in Ukraine alike are forced to leave their homes in a rush to save their lives. Often, they can only take basic necessities. Reading the stories of their escape, you can’t help but notice that every fate is unique. No two stories are the same but they all share elements of fear, hardship, and not knowing what the next day will be like.