For her, the war from Ukraine is personal, and that's exactly how she tells people about it, with her pictures. On the day that Russia invaded her country, photojournalist Julia Kochetova woke up with a camera by her bed and wanted to be as close as possible to everything that was happening. For almost 2 years, she shot many war images. Just a month before the deadline for projects’ submission for the World Press Photo Contest from 2024, she decided to present herself with a piece that combines photojournalism with documentary, poetry and music.
Through her multidisciplinary presentation, Julia Kochetova told the jury and the public about her personal experience with the war in Ukraine, also using a poetic diary, audio recordings and music.
"I wanted to bring the war as close as possible, to allow not just seeing, but also hearing, smelling, and feeling the war. To transfer it to your phone. To make it a conversation you can't avoid", says Julia.
Julia Kochetova is from Kiev, she is 31 years old, she is a photojournalist and documentary maker. Her work focuses on direct storytelling as a method, researching topics related to war, post-traumatic stress disorder and feminism. Kochetova studied journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University and Mohyla School of Journalism, also participating in IDFAcademy (NL).
This year, Julia won Open Format Price at World Press Photo with „War is personal”.
Your background
I’m Ukrainian, born and raised in Ukraine, and now – reporting from the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. I’ve got my bachelor's and master's degree in journalism, right in between my studies the Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014), the annexation of Crimea, and the Russian invasion started.
The passion for photography
My dad always has been photographing family events on film - birthdays, travels to the seaside, the first day at school. This created a certain magical aura around the photograph for me - as if it captures only special moments, those that will never happen again. During my school years, I attended an art school, and in the spring, we often painted landscapes en plein air. One time, I didn't manage to finish my painting because the sun quickly set below the horizon, changing all the colors. I came home terribly upset and told my father that I had failed. He then asked me, "Why didn't you take a photograph?" This opened up a whole new world for me, another medium, the ability to pause the sun in the sky, to frame the world as I see it and as I want to remember it.
The learning process
I think that I learned from both the people and reality. My photography and artistic expression are based on a cocktail of cinema (I directed and filmed documentaries), poetry, gonzo journalism, war (I don't photograph it, I live in it), watercolors (in color and in the boldness to choose colors), and of course, photography.
„War is Personal”
"War Is Personal" is not a project or a series, not a website or a story. It's an experience, told from the first person, lived from the first person. These are photos that cover 2022-2023 - the bloodiest years of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On the day of the invasion - February 24, 2022 - I woke up with a camera next to my bed and knew exactly that I would be taking pictures. I didn't know the scale of pain and violence, but I knew I wanted to be as close as possible.
What did you want to show the world through your photos?
I wanted to bring the war as close as possible, to allow not just seeing, but also hearing, smelling, and feeling the war. To transfer it to your phone. To make it a conversation you can't avoid. The idea came about a month and a half before the deadline, I brought in a friend and DJ - Daria Kolomiec - and an artist and soldier - Oleksandr Komyakhov - to work with me. It was important for me to create a cohesive and immersive story. It was important for me to have a special sound.
The reactions
I saw people crying and saw people standing still in front of the photographs. I read that it was a 'chat with war, which is very close.' And also - that it's nothing like everything you see about war in mainstream media. The jury shared with me that War Is Personal touched and crashed their hearts. That's already a lot for me.
What do the photos selected this year say about the human species?
The world continues to revolve between Eros and Thanatos, between love and death. Sometimes I looked at the photos of this year's exhibition in Amsterdam and felt "like it’s mine," and sometimes - very lonely.
Back in time. Your first photographs
I don't remember the first photo, and probably, that's for the best. The main photo - always ahead. But I remember all the people from my portraits - the living and those who died in the war.
How has the perspective on photography changed for you?
I understand that photography is just one melody and one instrument, but for complete music, I want to gather a whole orchestra.
Important for you to surprise in your art
I stopped being interested in the news, but I started to be more interested in people. I want to give this war a name and a face with my work. The amount of death and pain that my camera and I encounter has grown exponentially. Just like the amount of light that continues to live in contrast. Right now, it's important for me to do my art, as Marina Abramović wrote - from the gut. Not with the eyes, but with the heart and gut.
The mission of your work
My photography is a document. The most horrific war crime and the most dignified resistance. I aim my camera when something clicks in my heart. The main shutter - it has to click in the heart.
The role of photography in 2024
To witness, to be a loud witness, and to give voice - to heroes and victims.
