British-Iranian artist Aria Shahrokhshahi has published a new photo book, Wet Ground, capturing life near the frontline in Ukraine. The project, developed through repeated stays living and volunteering in the country since 2019, offers an intimate view of daily existence under prolonged violence.
From Discos to Hospital Wards
Shahrokhshahi's work spans teenage discos, hospital wards rattled by rockets, and moments of joy and sorrow. The stark black and white images move beyond typical war imagery, presenting scenes that are domestic, absurd, performative, or oblique. A recurring focus on youth and subculture reflects the improvised paths life takes in the present moment.
Surviving a Rocket Strike
The title Wet Ground links Shahrokhshahi's survival of a rocket strike during a medical evacuation to the unstable terrain of a country in rapid transformation. Safety and danger exist in close proximity, forming an embodied account of a country resisting erasure while life continues under pressure.
Reclaiming Ukrainian Identity
Shahrokhshahi explores the slippery terrain of Ukrainian identity through an engaged, embedded, and poetic approach to social documentary. Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, she has witnessed a real reclamation of Ukrainian tradition across all spheres, from pagan summer solstice celebrations to beauty pageants.
Notable Photographs
- Welcome baby Theo (2023): Captures a newborn amid an unprecedented ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Shahrokhshahi notes the stress of giving birth while rockets hit the city, focusing on a new beginning amid destruction.
- Bus Station (2022): The first photograph after the invasion, showing a Lviv bus station converted into a makeshift shelter for internally displaced people.
- The First Kiss (2024): Taken at an under-18s nightclub 30km from the frontline, it captures the awkwardness and excitement of a first kiss, highlighting humanity and innocence.
- Alex (2024): Portrays a former school teacher with a collection of over 100 succulents, each with individual care instructions, representing the duality of identity shift during war.
- Backstage at the Beauty Pageant (2024): Documents the Little Miss Ukraine pageant in Odessa, leaving viewers to decide if it is beautiful and resilient or bizarre during the largest land war in Europe since WWII.
About the Artist
Aria Shahrokhshahi (born 1996) is a British-Iranian multi-disciplinary artist whose practice is shaped by a deep fascination with diverse communities and the complexities of the human condition. Her work serves as a critical exploration of relationships and power dynamics that inform everyday life.
Wet Ground is published by Loose Joints.
