Ukrainian Refugees

• Photographer
  Elli Asker
• Agency / Studio
  Elli Asker Photography
• Technical Info
  Nikon Z50
• Photo Date
  19.02-25.03.2022

This project was made during a trip to Poland and Ukraine where I volunteered at the Ukraine-Poland border for seven days, and will never forget what I saw. The faces of hundreds of Ukrainian refugees, lined up at the Polish railway stations in Warsaw and Lublin, haunt me in my sleep. I met them when traveling to Poland to document the events that was unfolding. There is no way to remain detached when confronted with so much pain, confusion, suffering, and trauma.

Born in Baku, in the former Soviet Union, and now based in the Stockholm area, Sweden. My creative practice is shaped by the intersection of my cultural heritage, my identity as a homosexual, and the influence of art and cinema, particularly the works of Tarkovsky and Bergman. Through a metaphysical lens, I explore themes of identity, time, and human emotion. These experiences shape my artistic voice, allowing me to merge the personal with the universal, positioning my work as both a reflection of and a critique on contemporary life.