Valeri Tserkovna, 8 years old, is from Novi Sanzhary, Poltava region in Central Ukraine, fled to Denmark in May 2022.
It was a difficult decision for Valeri's mother, Oksana, to flee, leaving behind Valeri's older sister, who was pregnant at the time, and two disabled grandparents in Ukraine. Their hometown of Novi Sanzhary is located between three cities, which were subjected to Russian bombardments. Valeri's mother finally decided to leave Ukraine; she packed clothes, medicine, schoolbooks, important documents and a computer and fled to Denmark. Valeri now lives in the town of Struer.
Kirstine Fryd is a documentary photographer and visual storyteller based in Denmark. Kirstine holds a MA degree in Photojournalism & Documentary Photography from London College of Communication, University of the Arts London and a MA degree in visual anthropology and journalism from Concordia University, Montreal.
Apart from doing commissioned work Kirstine is engaged in long-term projects with a special interest in portraiture. Her main field of interest to explore the feminine human landscape and the power of photographic storytelling from a female perspective to advocate and illuminate.
Awards 2024: Winner British Journal of Photography - Portrait of Humanity Vol. 6
2023: Danish Picture of the Year - Portrait series
