“Ich fühle mich manchmal wie ein Charakter in einem Film; das alles passiert uns nicht und ich beobachte alles nur.”

Liliia Lytvynenko

Russia's war on Ukraine is displacing many women and children. They have to rebuild everything from scratch in a foreign country without their spouses. How do they feel in Germany and how can they integrate into life here?  

My photo project introduces Liliia and her daughter Alex. They have been living in Germany since the spring of 2022. Since autumn of the same year they have their own rented flat. Liliia learns german intensively and her child is in 8th grade. Her husband has to stay in Ukraine as a reserve. For Liliia it is important to develop her German language skills, to discover the country and to meet new people. She wants to build a life for herself and her child, and not constantly think about the war and the pain in her homeland

Alex focuses on painting. Art works as a valve for her emotions. Both, Lilia and Alex, try to concentrate on the here and now. Their curiosity and determination broaden their horizons and help them to keep going until they can return home.

My photographic project is based on Liliia's sentence cited above. Is this a movie, is this a dream?