I WOULD HAVE NEVER BELIEVED IT
Immediately after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Oxana Guryanova was unable to establish contact with people directly in Russia. Personal meetings were also impossible without significant risk. Thus, she was left with only one option to photographically accompany Russian citizens — through remote photography. Using the Shutterapp application, she was able to remotely control the cameras on the protagonists' smartphones. This allowed her to remotely portray Russian citizens within the country and interview them about the Russian invasion of Ukraine from March to July 2022.
The project was turned into a book in 2023, designed as a photobook and produced in April 2024. This work is a form of reflection and confrontation with the war in Ukraine — a topic that deeply affects Oxana Guryanova, who is of Russian descent with Ukrainian roots. It continues to bring her immense pain, despair, and hopelessness.
The project was nominated for the 2024 German Photobook Award (Deutscher Fotobuchpreis) and received the Bronze Medal.
