The Optics of Battle: Roman Chornomaz Exhibition
On 15 February, The Optics of Battle, an exhibition of Roman Chornomaz's photographs, opened at the INDEX office in Lviv.
The exhibition is open to visitors every Wednesday and Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., through 28 March.
Address: 33 Ivan Franko St., 3rd floor.
Registration: Visitors are kindly asked to register via the form: https://forms.gle/r4EcjDeYZY2Se1948
About the Artist
The exhibition features 36 photographs by Roman Chornomaz, a photographer, activist, participant in the Revolution of Dignity and volunteer soldier with the call sign 'Korsar' serving as a sniper. For many years he worked in Kyiv as a journalist and photojournalist. His photographs of the events of 20 February 2014 on Instytutska Street were later included in the evidence base documenting the crimes committed by the then Ukrainian government against their own citizens.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he joined the military, becoming one of the most effective snipers. He was killed in action on the night of 12–13 June 2023 in the Donetsk region. You can read the full story of Roman, a man with both a camera and a rifle, by following this link.
Curatorial Vision
The exhibition, organised by INDEX in cooperation with PEN Ukraine, is initiated and curated by writer, translator and cultural figure Kateryna Mikhalitsyna.
It is therefore no surprise that the lens, as a way of observing the world, became an inseparable part of Roman’s life. For many years it was the lens of a camera. And eventually the scope of a sniper rifle. This was his conscious choice. There is a terrible symbolic logic in this action: I am where I must be, doing what I do best — looking through the sight. And thanks to Roman’s act of looking, we too are able to see. Images that reflect the continuity of our resistance and our struggle.
Kateryna Mikhalitsyna
Reflections from the Opening
The opening on 15 February took the form of a deeply personal exchange of memories and reflections. Speakers included Sofiia Chornomaz (Roman’s sister), Kateryna Mikhalitsyna (exhibition curator), Sasha Dovzhyk (head of INDEX), Otar Dovzhenko (journalist and creative director of Lviv Media Forum), and Olena Chebeliuk (historian at Lviv's Museum of Dignity).
This exhibition brings together Roman’s thoughts: his truth, pain and strength. He always stood out for seeing more than others and for noticing what mattered in the details. Through these photographs, Roman told us a story of struggle. A struggle for freedom, without which he could not imagine life. He called himself a very unpretentious guy. But he made the choice to fight because he simply could not do otherwise.|
Sofiia Chornomaz