Kerber, a book publisher specializing in photography, art and culture, has released ‘Faces of War’, a book by Ukrainian photographer Alexander Chekmenev. The book contains two parts: a series of photos ‘Citizens of Kyiv’ created for The New York Times Magazine, and a series of 53 portraits of Ukrainian civilians who survived the occupation
‘Citizens of Kyiv’ was published in The New York Times Magazine in March 2022. These are portraits of ordinary Kyiv residents taken by Chekmenev in the subway, which then functioned solely as a shelter, and at their workplaces: some people stayed in the city to serve and protect it, and for some people it was a matter of principle or they had no place to go.
‘For me, the people always come first. The country is made up of people, and I want to make visible each and every one of them and honor them’, this is how Chekmenev explained why he concentrates primarily on portraiture.
According to the book publisher, with this project, the photographer showed ‘the fortitude, desperation and resolve in a city under attack’.
‘Faces of War’ also contains photographs that document russia’s war crimes.
The photographer worked on the book for two years.
In December 2022, the portrait of Volodymyr Zelenskyi, made by Chekmenev, was sold at a charity auction for six million UAH.
Chekmenev photographed the Ukrainian president for the cover of Time in May 2022. The magazine also contained an article titled ‘Inside Zelensky’s World’ by journalist Simon Shuster, who spent two weeks at the President’s Office on Bankova Street in April 2022 talking to Zelenskyi and his entourage.
The auction took place during Chekmenev’s charity exhibition at the ‘Forbes Entrepreneur of the Year’ award ceremony. The photo was purchased by Aleksandr Konotopskyi, CEO of Ajax Systems. The money was donated to buy generators for schools in the Kyiv region.
