The PLUS 1 exhibit tells the stories of 22 Ukrainian soldiers who perished in the Russo-Ukrainian war through portrait photography and original texts written by eminent Ukrainians. In iconic and powerful moments captured by a photographer’s camera – Youry Bilak, a Frenchman of Ukrainian descent – Ukrainian families tell the stories of their loved ones – Ukrainian soldiers who perished in the war. Each narrative, each individual is but one small grain, one tiny unit of a module in a living organism. By telling his story, we bring him back to life.

Each family chose an object that most reminds them of their departed: a father’s jacket, a guitar, a suit of medieval armor, a book. These family artifacts reflect a living continuation of the departed loved one. Ukrainian artists, intellectuals, and journalists were invited to create original texts about each soldier.

Why PLUS 1? Plus 1 Ukrainian, plus 1 fighter, plus 1 daughter, plus 1 sister, plus 1 answer to Russian propaganda, plus 1 democratic state… Plus 1, plus 1, plus 1. The individual is one small grain, a plus 1 unit in a strong, united, and democratic state.

This traveling photo exhibition will tour the world. Euromaidan Press helped create its English-language translation, and so we decided to give it an online life, as well.