Beyond the Silence: big exhibition opening in Lviv
On 21 March, the exhibition ‘Beyond the Silence‘ by Odesa Photo Days Festival and Magnum Photos agency will open at the Jam Factory Art Center, Lviv, Ukraine. Launched by Magnum Photos and Open Society Foundations after the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, ‘Beyond the Silence’ aims to explore the connections between Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nigeria and Myanmar by creating a dialogue between photographers and visualising their stories, experiences and reflections on common problems.
Twelve stories from twelve photographers will showcase the global connection between critical issues, presenting a variety of visual narratives and perspectives. The exhibition will feature printed images, videos and installations. The photographers explore themes such as ‘Territory’, ‘Fight and/or Adaptation’, ‘Kidnapping’ and ‘Censorship’. These issues exist across all countries differing only in context and the ways that they are resolved.
Since November 2024, the exhibition has been presented in various formats, in whole or in part, in Kazakhstan (Almaty), Mexico (Oaxaca and Mexico City) and Cambodia (Angkor). An opening in Nigeria (Lagos) is also planned for this year.
At Jam Factory Art Center we present the whole project featuring 12 artists — open call winners from 5 countries and Magnum photographers.
- Sasha Kurmaz (Ukraine) – Daniel Orlando Lara Garcia (Mexico) – Rafal Milach (Poland, Magnum Photos),
- Ira Lupu (Ukraine) – Fawaz Oyediji (Nigeria) – Newsha Tavakolian (Iran, Magnum Photos),
- Daria Svertilova (Ukraine) – Sai ▇▇▇ (Myanmar) – Antoine d’Agata (France, Magnum Photos),
- Mykhaylo Palinchak (Ukraine) – Yadykar Ibraimov (Kazakhstan) – Thomas Dworzak (Germany, Magnum Photos).
Beyond the Silence – is a collaborative project organised by Magnum Photos in partnership with Odesa Photo Days Festival (Ukraine), Centro de las Artes San Agustín (Mexico), Africa Artists’ Foundation (Nigeria), Vlast (Kazakhstan) and the Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops (Cambodia), with the support of Open Society Foundations and the Ukrainian Institute.
Project curator — Kateryna Radchenko, founder of Odesa Photo Days. Director — Giulietta Palumbo, Editorial Director at Magnum Photos. Exhibition partners in Ukraine — Jam Factory Art Center.
The poster uses a fragment of Mykhailo Palinchak’s photograph from the project “Occupation Diaries,” 2024.
About
Odesa Photo Days Festival is an international contemporary photography festival founded in 2015 as a response to the war in eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea. Since 24 February 2022, Odesa Photo Days has changed its focus: the festival in Odesa has been canceled, and now the team is working with Ukrainian photographers and the international community to build a cross-cultural dialogue and represent Ukrainian culture in the world.
Jam Factory Art Center, a contemporary art institution opened in November 2023, is housed in a revitalized neo-Gothic building that once served as a jam-producing factory. Through exhibitions, theatrical performances, musical events, educational programs, and community-oriented projects, the center engages visitors in creative dialogue and strives to enrich their experience and knowledge.
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, and London. Founded in 1947, Magnum represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers, maintaining its founding ideals and idiosyncratic mix of journalists, artists, and storytellers.