Mitra - Pólo de Inovação Social / Pavilhão D

Beco da Mitra, 1950-051 Lisboa

10 . 10 . 2026 → 15 . 11 . 2026

thursday - sunday → 02:30 pm – 06:30 pm

Artist

Viktoria Sorochinski

Viktoria Sorochinski is an artist-photographer with Ukrainian roots and a multicultural background. She is currently based in Berlin, Germany. Since completing her MFA degree at New York University in 2008, Sorochinski had over 90 exhibitions in 25 countries throughout Europe, North and South America and Asia. Her work is published in nearly 100 international publications. She is also a winner, finalist and a nominee of over 50 international competitions, fellowships and awards, among which are, Arnold Newman Prize, Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Lucie Award (Discovery of the Year), LensCulture Exposure Award, Critics Choice Award and Magenta Flash Forward.

“POLTAVALAND: Ukraine’s Place of Power”(2019-2021), is a long-term project containing over 100 images.

Poltava region is one of the most unique and historically interesting places in Ukraine, with its own universe and mythology. It is known for its mysterious atmosphere and unusual concentration of talented people—according to rumors many Ukrainian talents come from there. Poltava’s culture, mythology, architecture, and religious or mystical beliefs originate in a peculiar blend of Eastern European and Asian (Mongolian, Turkish, Caucasus) influences, as well as Paganism, Orthodox Christianity, and even Islam. Many famous writers and poets have written about Poltava, often having lived there or held a personal connection to it.

If one looks at Poltava from above, they see a vast territory of wild nature blending with people’s homes in an organic way. The place is charged with a powerful energy that comes from the land itself. Local people deeply cherish Poltava, and even when better opportunities arise in other Ukrainian cities or abroad, they often choose to stay or return. My maternal grandmother, who often comes to me in dreams since she passed, was born there. Although I have never lived in Poltava, since my first visit I have felt a strong connection and attachment to this place and its people.

This project portrays the peaceful Ukraine, the authentic and yet not typically portrayed lifestyle which will most likely change forever due to the long lasting ongoing Russian invasion. This magical microcosm, where people lived in harmony with nature and in connection to spiritual and mystical elements, is now undergoing transformation. Poltava has become a shelter for thousands of displaced people from nearby cities destroyed during the attacks. These changes, along with other factors, are playing a transformational role. Therefore, I see this project as a commemoration of authentic Poltava and a tribute to Ukrainian cultural heritage.