Mykhaylo Palinchak is a Ukrainian street and documentary photographer residing and working in Kyiv, Ukraine. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Ukrainian Photographic Alternative (UPHA) and since 2014 has been a member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF).  From 2014-2019, Mykhaylo was the official photographer of the President of Ukraine. He is also the founder of "Untitled Magazine" and the co-founder of the Ukrainian Street Photography group. Mykhaylo is the writer of the photo book "Anamnesis" (2020) and art-book "Maidan Faces" (2020). His photographs are stored in private collections and permanent collections of photography museums.

IVLP Impact Award Project: War-Torn

Oral and photographic testimonials were collected from across Ukraine, from the de-occupied areas of Kharkiv to the frontlines of Donetsk, to showcase and preserve the impact of the Russian invasion. The photographs and testimonies collected were published in Ukrainian and foreign media outlets and presented in a photography exhibition in Kyiv. The stories featured a child  hiding in a basement because of an air alert, volunteers helping to make food for soldiers, journalists who are separated from their families, and others.  A photo exhibition at the Mala Gallery of Art Arsenal in Kyiv garnered 1000 viewers. The gallery representative stated it was the most popular event they had hosted since the full-scale Russian invasion. Mykhaylo also gave a lecture to 50 journalism students from Uzhhorod National University and an artistic talk to 15 local journalists in Uzhhorod.

Mykhaylo was also a panelist for the IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series panel on “Community Support for Ukraine,” which you can read more about here.

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Mykhaylo participated in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time - Photojournalists Document the Challenges and Opportunities in the COVID Era, organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning, in partnership with WorldOregon and World Partnerships Inc.

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; St. Petersburg, FL; Portland, OR

Country: Ukraine

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