On May 18th 2026, my phone vibrated at 2 a.m. It was my mother calling from Odesa, where she now lives. No one likes those middle-of-the-night calls, especially from family members, and especially if those family members are in a war zone where their city is a primary target. Since 2022, Odesa has been hit daily, without a break, by drones, ballistic missiles, and bombs, you name it. The school I graduated from is destroyed, and the maternity ward where I was born no longer exists…
And last night, a house exploded on the very street where my parents live. Luckily, no one died in that particular house, though it is now a pile of dust. But my parents’ home, the place where I did all those photoshoots with my mom, lost seven windows due to the blast wave. That is not to mention the destroyed doors, damage to parts of the roof, and other destruction across the premises. It was luck, pure luck, that my parents’ house is still standing and that they are alive.
Yet, the profound shock from the explosion and the severe damage, which is incredibly difficult to cover financially, remains. I often feel that nothing I do will ever be enough to change the reality that every Ukrainian citizen is facing right now. But I also know that even the little I can do can be a great help. I can certainly help my parents raise funds to fix their house, which is also their only source of income since they rent out a part of it during the summer. To support this, I have chosen four images that are deeply personal to me from two different projects about Odesa. I am offering these as a limited-edition print sale to crowdfund the urgent repairs my parents’ home needs today.
The money raised from this sale will go directly to my parents in Odesa to help them replace the damaged parts and, with this, secure their lives for the coming months.
Thank you for your support!
Alex
