Veterans: Faces of World War II

NEW YORK – Art at the Institute is proud to announce Veterans: Faces of World War II, an exhibition of portraits by New York-based photographer Sasha Maslov, opening on June 9, 2017 at The Ukrainian Institute of America in New York. It will remain on view through June 30. The exhibition coincides with the release of Mr. Maslov’s book, Veterans: Faces of World War II, published by Princeton Architectural Press (New York: 2017). Curated by Walter Hoydysh, PhD, director of Art at the Institute, the exhibition is Sasha Maslov’s first with the UIA. An opening reception and book signing will take place on Friday June 9, 2017 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.

Veterans is a series of portraits of people who actively participated in the Second World War. Maslov began the four-year project travelling distant continents, photographing and interviewing people who lived through the war. His sitters include not only soldiers but medics, engineers, partisans, members of various resistance movements, prisoners of war, Holocaust survivors, and civilians caught in the turmoil.

This documentary project looks behind the emotional drapery of each individual photographed. Seventy years after the war that claimed millions of lives, the photographer studies and compares the lives of those who survived and are still living today. Each subject has his or her own personal story to tell of the war, how it affected them, and the years thereafter. The resulting photographs, interviews and published book assemble a recorded mosaic of people who in one moment of history were all engaged in this incredible tragedy, and in the other, living their separate lives in different corners of the world.

Maslov captures his subjects in their most immediate respective environments, as they stare frankly into the camera. The where of the photo shoot becomes secondary to who these individuals are. As Mr. Maslov states, these are persons “who experienced the war in a dramatic way, in their own skin.” Part of what led to Veterans was a deep desire to photograph a passing generation—people near “the finish line of their lives.”

The photographer also wanted to reflect on the differences between people’s experiences in different countries. “The geography aspect is one of the most interesting parts of the project,” states Maslov. “You can visually compare where people are from and draw the lines between them. Living rooms, bedrooms, even kitchens can tell you what someone went through in their life. The quality of life is reflected in their environment—what’s on their shelves, what kind of clothing they wear, and the history reflected in their faces.”

Sasha Maslov is a Ukrainian-born portrait photographer who lives and works in New York. His works have been exhibited in photo galleries and art spaces throughout Europe and the United States, and his editorial assignments appear regularly in major global magazines and newspapers. Mr. Maslov is represented by Artists by Timothy Priano creative agency. For more information about Sasha Maslov, please visit www.sashamaslov.com.

At a parallel event, Mr. Maslov gave a book talk and signing at the 92 Street Y on May 17.

About Art at the Institute

Celebrating its sixty-third year, Art at the Institute is the the visual arts programming division of The Ukrainian Institute of America. Since its establishment in 1955, Art at the Institute organizes projects and exhibitions with the aim of providing post-war and contemporary Ukrainian artists a platform for their creative output, presenting it to the broader public on New York’s Museum Mile. These heritage projects have included numerous exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art and topical stagings that have become well-received landmark events.

The Ukrainian Institute of America, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the art, music and literature of Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora. It serves both as a center for the Ukrainian- American community and as America’s “Window on Ukraine,” hosting art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, poetry readings, literary evenings, children’s programs, lectures, symposia, and full educational programs, all open to the public. Founded in 1948 by William Dzus, inventor, industrialist, and philanthropist, The Ukrainian Institute is permanently housed in the Fletcher-Sinclair mansion at 2 East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue. The building is designated as a National Historic Landmark and protected as a contributing element of the New York Metropolitan Museum Historic District. 

Exhibition hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00-6:00 PM, or by appointment.

For further information: Please contact Olena Sidlovych, executive director, at (212) 288-8660, or mail@ukrainianinstitute.org.