Series Award Edition IX — 2nd Prize:
LAETITIA VANÇON
THE OTHER BATTLEFIELDS
PHOTOGRAPHY : LAETITIA VANÇON
EDITORIAL : LIFE FRAMER, PICTURA GALLERY & LAETITIA VANÇON
Odesa I Ukraine I 15.06.2022 | In June 2022, due to the restrictions imposed by the war, young Ukrainian graduates could not participate in the traditional celebration of their academic diploma ceremonies. Deprived of the joyful festivities that typically accompany such achievements, they ingeniously channelled their unfulfilled desire for recognition into an artistic performance.
“In this story, shattered lives and fading dreams unfold, along with hopes that resist the surrounding darkness.”
Having announced Charles Xelot as the winner of our Edition IX Series Award with his series White Water, we’re delighted to announce Laetitia Vançon as second prize. In a closely-fought contest, her work stood out to judges Lisa Woodward and Mia Dalglish, co-curators at Pictura Gallery in Bloomington, IN.
Vançon’s photographs provide an alternative to the typical war coverage. Rather than showing violent imagery of active combat, she focuses on the youth whose everyday lives have become infused with military conflict. They take us beyond the artillery, directly to the intimate personhood of individuals. In doing so, they remind us that for all but a very few decision makers, a war is something thrust upon us – an unfortunate fate in which we have no say. And that even as life goes on as it must, the reverberations of war can be felt in even the smallest details of daily existence.
A spirited group of young men has come together, proudly dubbing themselves the “bullet-proof gang.” They prepare plates for bullet-proof armor in the dimly lit underground premises of a once chic designer clothing shop, knowing that their craftsmanship may shield lives on the frontlines.
Kyiv I Ukraine I 26.06.2022 | Oleksandr Budko, known as Teren, was inspired by heroic tales of Ukrainian fighters, fostering a deep patriotism that led him to enlist in the military in February 2022. But, the trajectory of his life took an unforeseen turn in an instant as a shell landed near him, severing his lower legs. His initial response was marked by a mix of emotions — pain, panic, fear, and a surreal disbelief.
Odesa I Ukraine I 03.09.2023 | Under the moon and the embrace of the empty sea, a navy soldier in Odesa spends time with his girlfriend before returning on a mission. Two worlds are now living side by side: military life and everyday life, with a semblance of normality in between.
Chernihiv I Ukraine I 03.09.2023 | Maryna Bodnar, 22, she spent her adolescence seeking thrills and adventure. She met Vitalik and fell in love for the first time. Two children followed before the war took him away. Her emotions swing between grief and faith that one day might offer a brighter future. “I don’t feel strong,” she said. “But I am looking for strength to continue.”
The Other Battlefields shows the lasting impact of the war on Ukrainian youth, providing a glimpse into their realities almost two years into the conflict. While coming of age is usually synonymous with broadening horizons, friendships, and adventures, it is a different story for many. The war with Russia shattered these expectations, replacing them with danger, death, depression, and uprooting.
In this story, shattered lives and fading dreams unfold, along with hopes that resist the surrounding darkness. Each image is a fragment in a larger mosaic, reflecting the realities and scars of this wounded nation.
Among these stories, the visible scars serve as obvious reminders, but beneath the surface, hidden struggles, both physical and mental, are also revealed. Although they do not occur on traditional battlefields, these battles embody the ongoing daily fights for regaining freedom, dignity, and recognition of their identity, as well as the search for new-found normality and a belief in a better future.
– Laetitia Vançon
Bucha I Ukraine I 31.03.2022 | On March 31, 2023, Bucha commemorated the first anniversary of its liberation, a day marked by grief. During the “Candle of Memory and Peace” ceremony at Taras Shevchenko Square, participants gathered to pay homage to the soldiers of the Bucha community who sacrificed their lives in battle. The participants lit candles arranged in the shape of Ukraine, a symbolic gesture of remembrance and unity. Among them were Michaela and Oleksander. They came specifically from Kyiv to honor the fallen.
Kyiv I Ukraine I 24.04.2023 | In the relentless face of the destruction of its people, sovereignty, and culture in Ukraine, the Virsky Company, a national Ukrainian folk dance ensemble, launched an audacious national and international charity tour. This tour preserves and defiantly promotes Ukrainian culture, using traditional dance and music as an unyielding banner of its identity. Through every dance step and note of music, the undeniable reality of its nationhood and the enduring strength of its cultural heritage are declared.
We were struck by Laetitia Vançon’s project on the lives of Ukrainian youth, as they grow up in the middle of the war. The topic is crucial, and the pictures themselves are extremely good.
Her intentional use of flat light and a limited tonal range convey the prolonged loss and grief in their lives. She offers what would be a normal portrait, but keys into small details that show normal has been turned on its head. While there is strength and resolve, anxiety flickers in the eyes of these young people; they are carrying an emotional burden well beyond their years. The magnitude of loss amassed in war is impossible to articulate and the sadness of it is hard to hold. Vançon’s power as a photographer lies in her ability to communicate about these complex experiences with honesty and intimacy.
The presiding jury
Truskavets I Ukraine I 19.09.2023 | Portrait of Kateryna and her husband Oleh in a rehabilitation center. Upon his release, their reunion falls short of the romantic expectations as both struggle to reconnect, each mentally imprisoned in their traumas.
