French Lyceum Students Present Alternative Vision of Wartime Kyiv in “My Kyiv” Exhibition

Students of the French Lyceum Anne of Kyiv have launched a photography project titled My Kyiv—The Way I Want You to See It, offering a personal and alternative portrayal of the Ukrainian capital amid the ongoing war.

The exhibition is taking place from May 14 to May 31 with the support of the French Institute in Ukraine.

According to the project description, the initiative was created in response to the way Ukraine has largely been represented internationally since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. While global audiences have become familiar with Ukraine through wartime reporting, the organizers questioned whether media images alone fully reflect life in the country.

As an alternative to the dominant visual narrative of war, students of the French Lyceum Anne of Kyiv were invited to present their own view of their city. Equipped with disposable cameras, they photographed places, moments, and scenes they wished to share with the world.

“The idea came from the contrast between what I read online every day and the moments of joy I experience here on a regular basis,” said Eric Mendez, a history and geography teacher at the school. “I suggested to my students—who are far more qualified than I am to do this—that they photograph their living spaces as they’d like them to be seen.”

Mendez explained that the use of disposable cameras was intended to preserve the project’s authenticity and simplicity.

“The disposable cameras were meant to ‘frame’ the project and keep it raw—no filters, no cropping, no one phone being better than another,” he said.

Ukrainian photographers continue to present visual narratives of the war abroad. For instance, on February 24, marking the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Home: Perspectives Ukrainian photography exhibition opened at the Preus Museum, Norway’s National Museum of Photography.

The exhibition gathers the work of photographers from different generations, each offering a distinct interpretation of the idea of “home.”

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Curators say Home: Perspectives spans key chapters of Ukraine’s modern history, including the miners’ strikes of the 1990s, the 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of Crimea, and the ongoing war against Russia.

Using a wide range of visual approaches—from traditional black-and-white documentary photography to experimental and staged imagery—the exhibition goes beyond documenting historical milestones to also explore deeply personal narratives. These include experiences of displacement, grief, military service, everyday life during wartime, and attempts to preserve a sense of belonging and “home.”

Additionally, exhibition Museum of Ukraine has opened in Berlin to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Launched at one of the German capital’s most visited museum sites, the project is presented by its organizers as the first museum outside Ukraine dedicated entirely to Russia’s war against the country.

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