Anastasia Taylor-Lind

When Anastasia Taylor-Lind arrived in central Kiev on 1 February 2014, Independence Square was under siege, surrounded by police loyal to the government. Rising tensions culminated in the worst day of violence on 20 February and the following day President Yanokovych fled Ukraine. During the protests, Taylor-Lind began shooting portraits against the black backdrop of her improvised studio, just a few feet away from the barricades in the square. The “fighters” are identified by their homemade body armour, and the “mourners” by the bunches of flowers they have brought to pay their respects to the dead. In this talk, Taylor-Lind shares these stark, arresting images, revealing the intimate faces of those involved in, and impacted by, the unrest. It’s a powerful reflection on war, art, and humankind.