The compassion of animal rescue volunteers during war in Ukraine
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Documentary photographer Thomas Machowicz opens the doors to his most recent exhibition, “Sanctuary: Animal Rescue During the Russian Invasion of Ukraine,” on Monday, Oct. 10.
This is one chapter of a long-term photo and film project that documents animals and the people who rescue them from the major challenges humans and non-human animals face today.
“The project is meant to shine a light on the issues that we face, not just as a species, but as a global community of living beings, and ask, ‘How can I make it better?” asked creator Thomas Machowicz. “My hope in seeing these photographs is that people are inspired to look at their own lives and see where they could be a hero for animals or anyone else in need.”
Phoenix exhibition focuses on Ukraine
The exhibition is on display through Oct. 27 at the Eric Fischl Gallery at Phoenix College, 1202 W. Thomas Road in Phoenix.
This chapter focuses on animal rescue efforts during the first month of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, which was a serious time of conflict. As supplies and volunteers arrive from Western Europe and people and animals flee Eastern Ukraine in search of safety, the documentary follows the “animal rescue pipeline” from Medyka, Poland, to Kyiv, Ukraine, and back.
Mr. Machowicz describes the exhibit as a series of images about love — highlighting compassion in a period of intense strife, according to a press release.
The Sanctuary project began as an opportunity to capture the beauty of wild animals. However, as he began observing the life of animals at the sanctuary he’d frequented, it developed into a passion project.
“After getting beautiful images of animals it really started to sink in why these animals were there in the first place. Deforestation, climate change, animal farming, tourism and labor, war, and much more,” said Mr. Machowicz in the release.
Mr. Machowicz says he was captivated by the degree of benevolence displayed toward the animals by those who saved them. In Sanctuary, the brave volunteers who crossed from Poland to Lviv, Ukraine, to transport supplies and animals are shown, along with the situation in Kyiv, Ukraine, which at the time was still subject to Russian airstrikes and ground assaults near Bucha and Irpin.
In addition to highlighting the visual journey, Mr. Machowicz is embracing Sanctuary as a platform to give back. The images from the exhibition were donated to We Animals Media, which makes them freely accessible to organizations that promote animal welfare for use in their campaigns.
