About two years ago, VICE France were the first to publish the work of Ukrainian photographer Sasha Kurmaz. Since then, we've fallen in love with Sasha’s obsession with naked girls, marble statues, impressive Soviet buildings, penises and pretty much everything that differentiates a great picture from a shitty picture. Today, Sasha’s pictures have been acclaimed internationally, and have been published in magazines such as Tissue, Pig, Rolling Stone, Fruit Salad and the photo book Nudity Today.
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This winter, Sascha tried his hand at photojournalism for the first time, photographing the insurgency in his hometown, Kiev, and the people who took part in it. I called him up to ask a few questions about the future of his country.VICE : What do you think about all the pro-Russian media calling the new Ukrainian government "fascist"?
Sasha Kurmaz: To be honest, there is no alternative information sources in Russia today. Almost everything that comes from official Russian media is a lie. It's a fucking propaganda machine. Joseph Goebbels once said: "Give me the media, and I will make every nation a herd of pigs" – in a way, the people who live in Russia today have been transformed into a herd of pigs. But the problem is that many Ukrainians, especially those who live in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, also fell under this hypnosis. I can already hear them going "oink-oink". But I wouldn’t be honest if I told you that a nationalist rhetoric wasn’t present during the Kiev protests.Can you tell me more about that?
The Svoboda party have offered us nationalist slogans like: "Glory to the nation – Death to the enemy", "Ukraine above all", etc but most of the liberal-minded people supported them. I would say that 5-10 percent of all people who participated in the revolution were far-right wingers – but for the Russian media, that was enough to create mountains out of molehills and to scare people by calling Ukrainians "fascists".
Sasha Kurmaz: To be honest, there is no alternative information sources in Russia today. Almost everything that comes from official Russian media is a lie. It's a fucking propaganda machine. Joseph Goebbels once said: "Give me the media, and I will make every nation a herd of pigs" – in a way, the people who live in Russia today have been transformed into a herd of pigs. But the problem is that many Ukrainians, especially those who live in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, also fell under this hypnosis. I can already hear them going "oink-oink". But I wouldn’t be honest if I told you that a nationalist rhetoric wasn’t present during the Kiev protests.Can you tell me more about that?
The Svoboda party have offered us nationalist slogans like: "Glory to the nation – Death to the enemy", "Ukraine above all", etc but most of the liberal-minded people supported them. I would say that 5-10 percent of all people who participated in the revolution were far-right wingers – but for the Russian media, that was enough to create mountains out of molehills and to scare people by calling Ukrainians "fascists".
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What do you think about the situation in Crimea?
It's a complicated situation. On one hand, the Russians, who had conceded the region to Ukraine in 1954, under Khrushchev, already occupied Crimea. Then last month, the Russian army blocked the Ukrainian military bases. That's when things stopped making sense – in some cases, Ukrainian soldiers were forced to take Russian citizenship and to defend Russia. Tatars are now strangers on their own land. Some pro-Russian Crimeans set fire to the houses of people who claimed to be Ukrainians. That kind of stuff happens every day now.Where were you before Yanukovych's ousting?
I think that the revolution in Kiev began four months before the ousting of Yanukovych. During that time, I did not take part in the clashes but I documented the protests as much as I could. I was in the middle of the turmoil, I took pictures and did some protest graffiti.Is there anything you witnessed during the riots that particularly struck you?
It happened during the first weeks of the revolution. I was taking pictures on the street, when this guy stopped me and asked me to photograph the Armenian flag he was carrying. He told me he was an Armenian himself, that the world should know that Armenians and Ukrainians were brothers and that we should stick together. He was very friendly. A few days later, I learned that the Ukrainian police had killed him. I was devastated. An Armenian man had lost his life in Kiev, so that Ukrainians could be free. His name was Sergei Nigoyan.
It's a complicated situation. On one hand, the Russians, who had conceded the region to Ukraine in 1954, under Khrushchev, already occupied Crimea. Then last month, the Russian army blocked the Ukrainian military bases. That's when things stopped making sense – in some cases, Ukrainian soldiers were forced to take Russian citizenship and to defend Russia. Tatars are now strangers on their own land. Some pro-Russian Crimeans set fire to the houses of people who claimed to be Ukrainians. That kind of stuff happens every day now.Where were you before Yanukovych's ousting?
I think that the revolution in Kiev began four months before the ousting of Yanukovych. During that time, I did not take part in the clashes but I documented the protests as much as I could. I was in the middle of the turmoil, I took pictures and did some protest graffiti.Is there anything you witnessed during the riots that particularly struck you?
It happened during the first weeks of the revolution. I was taking pictures on the street, when this guy stopped me and asked me to photograph the Armenian flag he was carrying. He told me he was an Armenian himself, that the world should know that Armenians and Ukrainians were brothers and that we should stick together. He was very friendly. A few days later, I learned that the Ukrainian police had killed him. I was devastated. An Armenian man had lost his life in Kiev, so that Ukrainians could be free. His name was Sergei Nigoyan.
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Would you say most of Ukrainian young people want to join the EU?
I think that most of the Ukrainian youth are fighting for Europe, but also for a clear conscience and a free future. They want to live in a free country that isn't corrupt.Young people want to talk freely about what they think and the right to travel. Other Europeans might not even know what a Visa is anymore – but for young Ukrainians, it is always very difficult to cross borders. Ukrainians have to go through long hours of humiliation by the police just so they can travel somewhere in Europe, even if it's for a few weeks.What's the situation in Ukraine now?
Life continues in Maidan. Kiev's central square is still occupied, but there are no gunshots, no deaths and I think I can say that Kiev is safe. But Kiev is only one city. Now the problems have moved to the East; in Kharkov, Donetsk, Luhansk and in Crimea.How do you see the near future of Ukraine?
It’s difficult to make any predictions. It's all changing constantly. I do not know how the EU can help us, but all that I see is that the EU does not want to cross Putin. I don't think the rest of Europe wants to help Ukraine. Only Ukrainian people can help Ukraine today.Thanks a lot, Sasha.See more of Sasha’s work on his website. And his Tumblr. And his Facebook.More on Ukraine:While Kiev Was Burning, Odessa Went BathingThe Art of the Ukrainian Revolution
I think that most of the Ukrainian youth are fighting for Europe, but also for a clear conscience and a free future. They want to live in a free country that isn't corrupt.Young people want to talk freely about what they think and the right to travel. Other Europeans might not even know what a Visa is anymore – but for young Ukrainians, it is always very difficult to cross borders. Ukrainians have to go through long hours of humiliation by the police just so they can travel somewhere in Europe, even if it's for a few weeks.What's the situation in Ukraine now?
Life continues in Maidan. Kiev's central square is still occupied, but there are no gunshots, no deaths and I think I can say that Kiev is safe. But Kiev is only one city. Now the problems have moved to the East; in Kharkov, Donetsk, Luhansk and in Crimea.How do you see the near future of Ukraine?
It’s difficult to make any predictions. It's all changing constantly. I do not know how the EU can help us, but all that I see is that the EU does not want to cross Putin. I don't think the rest of Europe wants to help Ukraine. Only Ukrainian people can help Ukraine today.Thanks a lot, Sasha.See more of Sasha’s work on his website. And his Tumblr. And his Facebook.More on Ukraine:While Kiev Was Burning, Odessa Went BathingThe Art of the Ukrainian Revolution
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WATCH – Ukraine Burning
