Royal Danish Embassy presents the artistic project “This Is Why I Stay” curated and implemented by online magazine about visual culture “Bird in Flight”. The project includes a series of photographs, video reels and interviews that reveal the human factor behind the heroic resistance that the city Mykolaiv exercised during the first months of the full-scale Russian invasion.
The project owes its origins to Mykolaiv-Denmark Partnership, a multi-faceted and vibrant alliance that was concluded at the request of President Zelensky in spring 2022, and now covers many areas: physical and social infrastructure, energy supply, private sector development, water and agriculture, as well as culture, youth, civil society and human rehabilitation. The heroes who generously share their stories for the project, are the residents of Mykolaiv representing various professions, ages and genders. All of them are asked to provide their answers about why they stayed in Mykolaiv at times when the enemy was at the city gate.
All the photos and interviews were recorded in Mykolaiv in December 2023.
The project was publicly premiered in the form of an open-air exhibition at Mykolaiv’s Soborna square on January 26th, 2024. It will be on display until February 25th, 2024.
