Each of his photographs has a poignant backstory. In one, there is a collection of glass pickle jars in the corner of the garden. Usually stored in the basement, they were no doubt brought out to make room for sheltering the family during air raids. Known as the ‘breadbasket’ of Europe for its fertile, black soil, Ukraine has a strong tradition of growing food locally and most gardens have food crops that will be saved for winter use. Another photograph shows a pile of pumpkins on the road, placed by neighbors to share. ‘People still think about the Great Famine of the 1930s so you don’t waste food here,’ says Sergi. ‘People are resourceful. They think about their communities.’
Showing these beautiful and moving pictures for the first time, Sergi will be in conversation with Claire Foster at the Garden Museum on 26th MayJoined by garden designer Camellia Taylor, whose essay explores how gardening and relationships with the land work in times of conflict. Sergi says: ‘In my project, these places transform from a noiseless background into the main subject. It is a collective picture of Ukrainian society, which bears the visible scars of past traumas such as the Great Ukrainian Famine or centuries of deprivation of the right to private property. The aftermath of these experiences now echoes in the way Ukrainians share food with strangers in their destroyed villages, start destroying fields before the dust of war settles, or refuse to leave their homes and gardens.’
His photographs tell the story of a resilient nation and hope for a new life. In Ukraine, where the words land, soil, country and place are expressed by a single word – the earth – These gardens can offer a new lens through which to view – and perhaps better understand – the ongoing war.
Ukrainian Gardens in Wartime, an illustrated talk, takes place at the Garden Museum on May 26 at 7pm and will also be live-streamed. Book tickets here.
