"Lullaby. In the Embrace of War” is a photographic project exploring motherhood during the wartime as a physical experience, an emotional frontline, and a symbolic code of modern Ukraine. This is visual narrative of the women strength during a very difficult periods in Ukraine - strenght to give life, preserve it, and defend it, even with a weapon in hand. At the heart lies the eternal bond between mother and child, one that survives pain, distance, even death.
10 women in this project are the mothers of Ukrainian soldiers and servicewomen themselves. Their stories reflect captivity and waiting, wounds and losses, service and birth. Each portrait is shaped by war, yet speaks of something deeper than war alone: of memory, love, and human dignity.
The visual language draws inspiration from Renaissance painting, especially Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro and Leonardo’s harmony. Soft light, white shirts, open faces, and symmetrical framing echo timeless tenderness. Into this serenity break symbols of war—camouflage, body armor, weapons, tired hands, silent tears. These details reveal the strength within fragility.
A unifying of the project is a motif of an ancient Ukrainian lullaby “Oi, Khodyt’ Son” (see video below), which melody becomes a thread connecting past and present, mothers and children, war and peace. It holds memory, love, and hope - an invisible shield stronger than fear.
This is more than a documentary series. It is a space of presence and recovery, where private grief becomes collective memory, and silence speaks louder than words.
