Dinners During the War (2022)Dinners During the War explore Humilevskyi’s family life following Russia’s 2022
invasion of Ukraine. The projects continue his exploration of the nuclear family, using
photography as a collaborative tool.
In 2022, with shelling a daily occurrence and Russian troops kilometers away from his
hometown of Mykolaiv, Humilevskiy formed a two-car caravan and departed for a village in the
Odesa region of Ukraine. Artem, his wife, nine-year old son, a dog, two cats and his niece and
two nephews travelled 400 kilometers over the course of two days. Artem continued to travel
back and forth, bringing others out of the war zone. At the end of his sojourns, a new family of
18 members found themselves in traditional Ukrainian village home without indoor plumbing or
a modern kitchen. This would change over the coming months and these challenges would
pale against their life in Mykolaiv.
In Dinners During the War, Humilevskiy explores this new family’s life around a kitchen table.
Gathered for simple meals of traditional Ukrainian dishes they are together - safe. The colorful
images resonate with feelings of community, hospitality, safely and love.