Sasha Maslov's solo exhibition Saints is on view at The Naked Room starting 26 April. The exposition is the world premiere of the project. The works presented are part of the photographer's book of the same name, dedicated to those who are fighting or have fought for the freedom of Ukraine.
War doesn’t knock on your door asking if it can come in; it’s not cautioning you of what will happen to your life, family, or community. It won’t tell you what your future will look like. It knocks everything out, takes everything away without warning, and gives one thing in return—a chance to fight back.
Ukrainians chose to fight back. Starting on 24 February 2022, millions of people in Ukraine have resisted the invasion of their country by russia. Some streamed towards new front lines that stretched hundreds of kilometres on sea, land, and air. And some have chosen to dedicate their skills, whatever they might be, to help the country resist. Like the book of the same name by Sasha Maslov, this exhibition tells the story of people who are resisting the brutal invasion that is happening in Europe in the 21st century, as the whole world keeps watching.
"Giving a title like Saints I accepted a responsibility, possibly a burden, because I don’t believe there are living saints. I don’t think there is a human being walking on this earth who is without sin or flaw. And there are no saints in this book. But each person in these pages is a saint to someone. People portrayed in this book have made sacrifices, some willingly, some unwillingly. Many photographed for this book have killed. Many have saved lives. And the ones who killed saved lives by killing, too. Because this is how war works. War is not something to be celebrated. It’s not beautiful, or graceful. I don’t want to glorify war with this book, but I do want to pay tribute to the people who have put their lives on the line in order to give others a fighting chance at life.
This is a portrait project. It will not show the pain and cruelty of war. This series is a quiet tribute to Ukrainians. Covering this war makes me want to scream. So this book is my scream—a scream that became a hymn. In honor of lives lost and to celebrate lives saved. To express gratitude. To the saints who save Ukraine", comments Sasha Maslov.
Opening and vernissage: 26 April at 19:00
