A Decade of Ukrainian Resilience: Robin Hinsch's Photographic Portrait
Photographer Robin Hinsch insists that his book Lonely Are All the Bridges is not merely a war document. Instead, it serves as a profound portrait of a society being torn apart and the human threads striving to hold it together. The images, captured over more than a decade from 2010 to 2023, present a melancholic vision of Ukraine, a country suspended between histories and pulled in opposite directions.
Capturing the Slow, Grinding Forces
Hinsch first visited Ukraine in 2010, drawn by an article in Der Spiegel that labeled Viktor Yanukovych as the "new dictator between east and west." His sustained interest in this complex nation compelled him to return repeatedly, photographing landscapes and people with a focus on the slow, grinding forces that tear societies apart. The photographs, unlike typical news imagery, depict a contested past, a brutal present, and an uncertain future, avoiding simplistic narratives of heroes and villains.
Symbols of Resilience and Destruction
The book includes powerful images that symbolise both destruction and hope. For instance, a destroyed bridge near Izum in Donetsk Oblast from 2023 highlights the physical and societal fractures. In contrast, Serhii Chernyshov's story from Irpin in 2022 shows resilience: after fleeing the Russian invasion, he returned to find his cherished pigeons still in their loft, with new ones having joined, representing endurance amid adversity.
Historical and Cultural Contexts
Hinsch's work delves into Ukraine's rich history and cultural identity. Images like the Malanka celebration in Krasnoilsk from 2018 showcase a Ukrainian folk holiday that marks a fresh start in the old Julian calendar, symbolising the enduring quest for independence. Other photos, such as the wild horses near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from 2023, remind viewers of the 1986 disaster that expedited the Soviet Union's downfall, illustrating the intersection of human error and flawed technology.
Urban and Rural Landscapes
The photographs span various settings, from urban centres to rural areas. The bombed Retroville shopping centre in Kyiv from 2022, where at least eight people were killed, contrasts with abandoned housing in Odesa from 2012. Hinsch carefully positions subjects within their environments, including Soviet ruins, historical monuments, and misty landscapes, using both monochrome and subdued colour palettes to create an era-untethered aesthetic.
Human Stories Amid Conflict
Personal narratives emerge throughout the book, such as an unknown elderly woman in Sverdlovsk (renamed Dovzhansk in 2016) from 2015, reflecting Ukraine's decommunisation laws. The siege of Mariupol is hinted at through an image of an unknown girl from 2015, with reports of up to 87,000 documented deaths, underscoring the human cost of conflict without providing verified numbers due to numerous backyard burials.
A Portrait Beyond War
Ultimately, Lonely Are All the Bridges is a portrait of a place and its people where systems have collapsed and borders have been redrawn repeatedly. Available for purchase from GOST Books, it offers a unique perspective on Ukraine's ongoing struggles and the fragile threads of humanity that persist. Hinsch's stylistic choices, with grey skies and timeless scenes, reinforce the idea that these images belong to a different yet indistinct era, capturing the essence of a nation in flux.
