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The Arts Intel Report

Who Holds Up the Sky?

Kostiantyn Polishchuk, Ukrainian Soldiers, 2022.

Jan 21 – May 21, 2023
465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA

A soldier photographs his comrades on the frontlines, capturing their bulky, gear-laden silhouettes against the night sky. A war correspondent films the scorch mark of a missile on an active grain field. A photographer documents the warped metal of structures gutted beyond recognition. All are part of a searing collection of photographs depicting the everyday reality of Ukrainian citizens amid the ongoing Russian invasion. Accompanying the professional pieces in the exhibition are images provided by Behind Blue Eyes, a charitable project that donates disposable cameras to children and teenagers in the formerly occupied town of Lukashivka. Their photos, a patchwork of grief and hope, may answer the exhibition’s question: Who holds up the sky? Not an all-powerful titan, but the ordinary citizens faced with preserving their country. —Paulina Prosnitz

Photo: © Polishchuk Kostiantyn/courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston