Hanna Hrabarska
Portfolio // 2024
Hanna Hrabarska (1986) is a Ukrainian photographer, visual artist, and photojournalist.
Over the last decade she has established herself as a freelance photographer, photojournalist and documentary artist — with both commissioned and autonomous work.
Before the war, Hanna was running a portrait studio in
Kyiv and toured with bands and techno DJs around the world as a music photographer.
She holds a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv (2010).
In the course of her now thirteen-year career in photography, Hanna's work was published in numerous media outlets and exhibited in many countries.
Her photography has been part of a group show at 2022's Venice Biennale ("This is Ukraine; Defending Freedom").
In 2024 Hanna's first photography book "My Mom Wants to Go Back Home" was released in the Netherlands by Jap Sam Books, designed by Mainstudio.
Over the last decade she has established herself as a freelance photographer, photojournalist and documentary artist — with both commissioned and autonomous work.
Before the war, Hanna was running a portrait studio in
Kyiv and toured with bands and techno DJs around the world as a music photographer.
She holds a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv (2010).
In the course of her now thirteen-year career in photography, Hanna's work was published in numerous media outlets and exhibited in many countries.
Her photography has been part of a group show at 2022's Venice Biennale ("This is Ukraine; Defending Freedom").
In 2024 Hanna's first photography book "My Mom Wants to Go Back Home" was released in the Netherlands by Jap Sam Books, designed by Mainstudio.
My Mom Wants to Go Back Home is a documentary diary by photographer Hanna Hrabarska. Together with her mother Iryna, she fled the war in Ukraine, to find a temporary home in the Netherlands.
After being showcased in numerous galleries and museums around the world, this quiet and intimate personal story of becoming a war refugee now will reach even a bigger audience in a shape of a photo book.
'My Mom Wants To Go Back Home is a moving documentary diary that charts the journey through the lens of her mother's experience. The images born of this year of uncertainty — sometimes somber, sometimes humorous, always tender —grapple with uprooting and rerooting, focusing not only on leaving one's home but also on what happens when we arrive somewhere else' — Sophie Wright, LensCulture
After being showcased in numerous galleries and museums around the world, this quiet and intimate personal story of becoming a war refugee now will reach even a bigger audience in a shape of a photo book.
'My Mom Wants To Go Back Home is a moving documentary diary that charts the journey through the lens of her mother's experience. The images born of this year of uncertainty — sometimes somber, sometimes humorous, always tender —grapple with uprooting and rerooting, focusing not only on leaving one's home but also on what happens when we arrive somewhere else' — Sophie Wright, LensCulture
'ONGOING'
2014-2022
In summer 2014 I was standing in the middle of the main street of Kyiv – Khreshchatyk – witnessing a big fire.
When the Revolution of Dignity prevailed, and the appalled president Yanukovych was gone, people from the camp didn’t go back home. They stayed in the center of Ukraine’s capital, creating problems for cars and local administration.
The Kyiv’s Mayor Volodymyr Klitschko ordered to remove the tents forcefully, and when the first bulldozers arrived to Khreschatyk, the inhabitants of the tents set the camp city on fire.
I was mesmerized by the view, and for the next (almost) decade was capturing this strange time in Ukraine’s modern history – from the end of Revolution up until the beginning of the full scale Russian invasion, when I fled the war to another country.
2014-2022
In summer 2014 I was standing in the middle of the main street of Kyiv – Khreshchatyk – witnessing a big fire.
When the Revolution of Dignity prevailed, and the appalled president Yanukovych was gone, people from the camp didn’t go back home. They stayed in the center of Ukraine’s capital, creating problems for cars and local administration.
The Kyiv’s Mayor Volodymyr Klitschko ordered to remove the tents forcefully, and when the first bulldozers arrived to Khreschatyk, the inhabitants of the tents set the camp city on fire.
I was mesmerized by the view, and for the next (almost) decade was capturing this strange time in Ukraine’s modern history – from the end of Revolution up until the beginning of the full scale Russian invasion, when I fled the war to another country.
na chuzhiy zemli ('on a foreign land')
2023 – ongoing
is a story about young Ukrainian refugees, who were supposed to become a future generation of their own country, but have been spread around the world after the brutal Russian invasion.
on a foreign land
what will we build
and to whom shall belong
what we will build
on a foreign land
"Zemlia" is a unique word in Ukrainian language, that can be translated as "land", but also "ground", "soil", "Earth" and even "world" itself.
Zemlia was always a central figure of Ukrainian culture, mythology and philosophy, because the battle for our lands never stopped throughout history.
For this new photography project, I portray young Ukrainians in their new places of temporary (?) residence, and conduct interviews about their new sense of self and identity.
2023 – ongoing
is a story about young Ukrainian refugees, who were supposed to become a future generation of their own country, but have been spread around the world after the brutal Russian invasion.
on a foreign land
what will we build
and to whom shall belong
what we will build
on a foreign land
"Zemlia" is a unique word in Ukrainian language, that can be translated as "land", but also "ground", "soil", "Earth" and even "world" itself.
Zemlia was always a central figure of Ukrainian culture, mythology and philosophy, because the battle for our lands never stopped throughout history.
For this new photography project, I portray young Ukrainians in their new places of temporary (?) residence, and conduct interviews about their new sense of self and identity.
Five Thousands Chemical Reactions
(working title)
2018 – ongoing
In 2018, I was living in a constant jet lag, spending every week in a different time zones — from Europe to India, from India to USA, from USA to Japan and back in Europe.
Very often I could find myself awake at 4 o’clock in the morning; I was leaving room and walking into a sunrise with my camera, searching for flowers that are as awake as I am — this is how this project was born.
These photos of the flowers that are gone long time ago, mixed with people's body parts, are speaking to the viewer about something elusive and magical.
I call it "intimacy" — fragile moments that appear in times and situations we often don't expect them to show up; and their nature is such that you can't grasp and hold on it.
(working title)
2018 – ongoing
In 2018, I was living in a constant jet lag, spending every week in a different time zones — from Europe to India, from India to USA, from USA to Japan and back in Europe.
Very often I could find myself awake at 4 o’clock in the morning; I was leaving room and walking into a sunrise with my camera, searching for flowers that are as awake as I am — this is how this project was born.
These photos of the flowers that are gone long time ago, mixed with people's body parts, are speaking to the viewer about something elusive and magical.
I call it "intimacy" — fragile moments that appear in times and situations we often don't expect them to show up; and their nature is such that you can't grasp and hold on it.
Portrait Photography
Portraying people has been one of my main passions from the start.
I was lucky enough to meet many amazing souls and faces and to come close enough to make intimate photos.
Lately my style becomes more and more simple and minimalistic, focusing only on the face itself, rather than trying to picture the person in front of me in a complex and truthful manner.
I prefer capturing moment rather than a character in its' whole complexity, because one moment at a time is enough to tell the story.
I also love to use longer exposure, because there is something poetic in preserving longer fraction of life in one frame.
You can see more of my work on my main website.
Portraying people has been one of my main passions from the start.
I was lucky enough to meet many amazing souls and faces and to come close enough to make intimate photos.
Lately my style becomes more and more simple and minimalistic, focusing only on the face itself, rather than trying to picture the person in front of me in a complex and truthful manner.
I prefer capturing moment rather than a character in its' whole complexity, because one moment at a time is enough to tell the story.
I also love to use longer exposure, because there is something poetic in preserving longer fraction of life in one frame.
You can see more of my work on my main website.
These were some of my projects that keep me busy now.
Please don't hesitate to ask me for more examples of my work, if you'd like to see it.
I publish updates on Instagram frequently, if you also want to get to know me better as a person and make sure I fit into study program.
Please don't hesitate to ask me for more examples of my work, if you'd like to see it.
I publish updates on Instagram frequently, if you also want to get to know me better as a person and make sure I fit into study program.