Evgenii Garkusha
Born in Ukraine, he lives in Spain. He is a photographer and author specializing in documentary photography and photobooks. He received his education in journalism and economic security, and has completed educational programs in contemporary and documentary photography. He has participated in international residencies, including the Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), Cal Gras (Spain), and the "In the Province of the Sea" program. His work has been presented at festivals and group exhibitions in Europe and Russia, and has also been published in international publications and photobook projects. His practice focuses on documentary photography, exploring experience, memory, and personal stories in the context of contemporary social and geographical movements. the author's Instagram
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Since 2014, Russia has steadily expanded its occupation of Ukrainian territories — from Crimea and parts of Donbas to the full-scale invasion of 2022 and the seizure of new territories in the south and east of Ukraine. This occupation has affected not only territory — it has also functioned as a system that rewrites the identities of those who lived there.
This project explores the disintegration of the subject under the pressure of external structures. For me, born in Crimea and having spent most of my life there, this process begins when annexation affects not only territory but also Ukrainian identity. Under occupation and legal uncertainty, a person loses coherence: status becomes conditional, belonging is questioned, and life becomes dependent on an external regime.
The project is structured through several interconnected layers: the relationship with my mother, the annexation of Crimea, forced adaptation, repeated loss of home, and the impossibility of return. These layers emerge through a family archive, images of personal belongings, and photographs that reflect the transformation and gradual destruction of identity. Fragmentation here is closely linked to the erosion of memory: some events have been erased, others can no longer be recalled, and some survive only through objects and images.
The disintegration becomes irreversible with my mother’s death in Crimea in 2025.
In the end, a person can no longer remain the same. The system gradually ceases to recognize them.
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