Kyiv - We will meet again, Hasan Yıkıcı (Signed)

"As I step off the train, I see people embracing. The sky is grey, and a light drizzle hangs in the air. I quickly raise my camera to eye level, trying to photograph a couple hugging and kissing. The image comes out blurry and out of focus, but that's okay. There's a story in it. We're living through a time when both the present and the future have become blurred, shrouded in uncertainty.

When I arrived at Kyiv's train station, I still couldn't believe I was actually in Ukraine. It would take some time for that to sink in. If someone had told me years ago that I would one day travel to Kyiv especially during wartime I probably wouldn't have believed them. But life changes. This is a glimpse of how mine has changed: here I am, in Kyiv. I spent a full week there—more than ten days if you count the journey. Seeing a city as beautiful as
Kyiv, meeting its people, and witnessing everyday life in the midst of war was an experience unlike any other.

At times, the rhythm of daily life almost makes you forget that the country is at war. Everything seems "normal": people go to work, shop for groceries, meet friends, and enjoy themselves. Then, without warning, the air raid sirens begin to sound. They are both a warning and a reminder. A warning because an attack may be underway and you need to find shelter. A reminder because occupation and war should never become normal.

The more time I spent walking through Kyiv, the more I realised how deeply people had been affected by trauma. Everyday life continues, but it unfolds alongside the weight of occupation, loss, and the psychological scars left by war.

Throughout my time in Kyiv, I chose not to focus my camera on destruction. Instead, I was drawn to ordinary people and the quiet flow of everyday life. Photographing Kyiv was nothing like photographing the streets of Western Europe. Every time I lifted my camera, I was conscious of the trauma, grief, and loss people had endured. That awareness pushed me to photograph more carefully-and more ethically.

Ukraine is an independent nation with its own identity, culture, and history. It is a country defending its future and its democratic will against a far larger imperial power. I know I will return to this remarkable country one day, in more peaceful times." (Words by Hasan Yıkıcı)