With Fire and Rage by Artists on the Frontline

Co-created by Artists on the Frontline and Parade-Fest, “With fire and rage” follows the stories of artists on the frontline of the Ukraine war. Take that in for a moment. Artists on the frontline. Not doctors or soldiers, but artists. One of the most powerful aspects of Eurovision being in Liverpool is that its brought a lot of stories, lived experiences, of the Ukraine war to light in ways that I have not seen in traditional media. Art isn’t just about looking at water lilies. It can be a way for someone to deal with life and pass that on to others.

“At the same time, we understood that homophobia and misogyny are still present in our society, and we wanted to show what women and the LGBT+ community are doing for our victory.”
Anna Sharyhina. Love Locks Cafe audio point.

That’s what these stories by Artists on the Frontline are about. As you wander the city of Liverpool, going from point to point, you listen to audio stories and take in photography and images. While the project was only meant to run through Eurovision, many of the posters and QR codes are still up around the city. You can still listen to the entire project via their website. I highly recommend it.

I was commissioned to document the trail and produce a series of portraits of Veronika Skliarova, project creator from Parade-Fest.