ICP Alumni Interview: Uliana Storoshchuk

Since before she attended the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at ICP, Uliana Storoschuk, a Ukrainian born photojournalist, had at least ten potential topics for her final project. Where We Stand is a culmination of her journey from working as a journalist in Ukraine to becoming an activist in New York, raising awareness about conflict in the Ukraine-Russia region. This work continued through to her studies at ICP. Her mission has remained clear: to raise awareness around the continuing atrocities carried out in her country and to visually document, the intangible, immeasurable feelings of Ukrainians in the city.   

Below is a brief interview with Uli where she details her inspirations, choices, and hopes for how the project will live beyond ICP’s walls:  

ICP: Why did you start working on Where We Stand? 

US: My project is titled Where We Stand and it aims to be an emotional tool of the Ukraine war, something psychological that you can see. As a Ukrainian in America, I want to show to people how we are feeling here as Ukrainians. It’s something that is difficult to visualize.  

I want people to see my work, learn more, and take action about the war and what it’s really doing to my country.  

This is also my mission in New York. I came here three-and-a-half years ago and didn’t realize I will stay here during this time. I became an activist and then I was accepted to ICP on scholarship, for which I’m really grateful.  

My pictures in the show are all black and white. One of my favorites looks like an X-ray, and it is a behind-the-scenes shot of a wheat field, taken during an event for the 3rd anniversary of the war. The event had actors reading letters by fallen soldiers. It was heartbreaking.  

ICP: How did you explore some of these intangible themes around feelings and your transformation through the work?  

US: The project became deeply personal over the course of the year. It’s not only about my friends—I see myself in those images, in those light leaks, in those landscapes.  

And it’s about feelings, it’s about how I’m always worried about my family and friends, or my cousin on the frontlines. My body is here, but my mind is not here. 

At the same time, I’m also very proud of these people, who are raising money through events, rallies, and performances. They’re raising their voice and want to be heard—and that’s exactly what I hope to do here. 

ICP: In what ways will Where We Stand live outside ICP? 

US: I wish I can have my first solo exhibition!   

I also want to work with more mixed media, maybe invert negatives and experiment with different processes. I would like to apply for grants too and see where else I might display this project.

I feel like I have to go back to Ukraine eventually, and use my photography as a weapon, to tell unseen stories.  

ICP: Why did you choose rice paper to print your work?  

US: It’s so thin and when you touch the paper, you immediately get a sense of how delicate it is. And this is consistent with the themes of my project. I want to show the fragility of Ukrainians—and the situation—during this time.

ICP: What are some of the skills you learned at ICP that you will take with you?   

US: I learnt so much about sequencing, which is so important in our work. I also learnt to work with strobes, analogue film, and darkroom (that’s amazing!). And at the same time, I learnt how to build our voice and make certain decisions.   

Ten months felt like five years! A lot of experience, a lot of struggle, pain, but at the same time love and support—something I don’t think I would have gotten somewhere else.  

Images: Uliana Storoshchuk