Horko

Horko means "bitter." It is the traditional cry that echoes through the room at Ukrainian weddings, urging the newlyweds to kiss in order to symbolically sweeten the bitter wine of life.

My work tells the story of this search for sweetness in a time of upheaval. In the late summer of 2016, my journey took me once again to western Ukraine, to the village of Bronytsia in the Drohobych district. Near the Polish border, time in the rural vastness of the Lviv oblast seems to pass in its own, decelerated way. Friends had invited me there to a Vesillya, a traditional wedding.

Amidst the political tensions that had held the country in suspense since 2014, these photographs document the unwavering resilience of the private sphere. My analog shots capture the fleeting moments between the loud celebrations and the quiet village idyll. They show people holding onto their culture and a world that radiates a deep, human warmth despite the uncertainty.