The 31st International Conference of Europeanists will feature an exhibition of photographs taken by Ukrainian artist and photographer Iva Sidash. The exhibition is entitled “Traces of Tender Lives” and documents destroyed and damaged walls throughout Ukraine.
Traces of Tender Lives
by Iva Sidash
This is an ongoing project that I have been working on since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022. It serves as visual evidence of Russian war crimes targeting civilians. The photographs were taken all across Ukraine.
“Our senses come alive where memories of what was lost still linger. This project reflects on the connection between past and present — how memories continue to shape our lives.
It is an attempt to feel the pain of losing a home, to imagine the scent of burned memories, and to hear the echoes in the empty spaces left behind by war.
The homes featured in this project belonged to civilians — ordinary people across Ukraine whose lives were shattered by Russian missile and artillery strikes.
Alongside documenting the impact of these war crimes, this project is also an act of remembrance — a way to hold on to what was lost and to reclaim what has become part of our history and shared identity.
Burned, broken, and damaged walls — like fragile bodies — still bear traces of past love and tenderness. Though destroyed, these homes speak of the life that once filled them. This project focuses on what remains as a symbol of our strength and resilience. Despite the scale of destruction caused by ongoing Russian attacks, these traces stand as proof: we endure, and we remember.”
All photographs are copyright Iva Sidash. EuropeNow shares these photographs with permission from the photographer.
The project has been exhibited in solo shows:
- April 2025 – With Love, Home, Lviv Art Palace, Ukraine
- March 2025 – Traces of Tender Lives, Notre Dame, Indiana, US
- April 2024 – The Wall: Witness to the War in Ukraine, Luxe Gallery, San Diego, US
- October 2023 – The Wall: Witness to the War in Ukraine, Roberta’s Art Gallery, Whitewater, US
Iva Sidash (b. 1995, Ukraine) is an independent photographer and visual storyteller. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has focused on documenting the war in her home country, exploring personal and intimate narratives.
Sidash is a graduate of the International Center of Photography in New York and holds memberships in the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers and Women Photographers. Her recent honors include the 2024 Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant, a Women Photograph fellowship, and the Chris Hondros Award at the Eddie Adams Workshop.
Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Magazine, INSIDER, The Financial Times, Der Spiegel, Forbes and more.
Check out her website to learn more about her inspiring work.
