The Suitecase of Abandonment
The last day of peace, the first night of war
How was life in the intimate family albums on our phones the day before the chaos of war set in?
The Last Day of Peace, First Night of War digital installation was built from photos donated to the museum by Ukrainians and Romanians alike, along with stories of the last days of peace before our lives were turned upside down and irreversible changed by the war in Ukraine.
“My name is Natalia Nesterenko; I come from the Donetsk region. In June of 2013 we moved out of that...
February 20, 2022, afternoon. I had recently moved into one of these 1960s Khrusciovska blocks of flats....
My name is Alyona Lazareva, I am 33 years old and a refugee from Ukraine. I’ve been living in Bucharest...
The memory of the last day of peace in my phone. The Brâncuși Day, at the Cesianu-Racoviță Palace. I...
“Before the war, we had such wonderful and perfect lives. The photo is taken before the war, in a park...
I knew the war would start. Just before, my little daughter Ester and I had COVID. I was fine, Ester,...
The last picture from my phone before the Russian invasion of Ukraine was taken on Sunday, 20 February....
I ended the last day of peace dancing. Before and late after midnight. I was tired after a good long...
My only photo from February (sadly, 2 February) is related to the arrival of Pricop the puppy in our...
I have on my phone a photo of my little daughter Vera from the 24th in the morning. I used to take her...
Wednesday, 23 February 2022, 9:44 AM. Drumul Taberei, from my short walk from home to the bus stop that...
This is the last photo from our previous life. For some reason, just like that, on 23 February 2022,...
23 February 2022 was an ordinary day at Seneca Anticafe, we were preparing for the launch of the book...
I spent the week before the war started with the kids on holiday. We went to the mountains, visited loved...
“I miss home, I miss Vinnytsia, my hometown, the place where I raised my children and where I have...
On 24 February, I was out with my dog in our quiet neighbourhood in Brussels, after a day when I couldn’t...
This is Obama the bear, my flatmate. I hate taking selfies, so I photograph him or our other flatmate,...
”On February 21, 2022, I went on a vacation to Dubai with a large group of doctors, my hospital colleagues....
I have on my phone a photo of my little daughter Vera from the 24th in the morning. I used to take her...
