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On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Mémorial de Caen exhibits some thirty photos by Patrick Chauvel. A great reporter, he has covered the conflict since its inception.
On February 24, 2022, Russia declared war on Ukraine. Patrick Chauvel, who has followed nearly thirty armed conflicts around the world, immediately went there. For a year, he has been immortalizing with his lens or his camera the daily life of the war. In crowded trains, he followed the exodus of populations, then he joined the front line. A woman hugging a Ukrainian with a bloody face, a man in front of ruined houses: Patrick Chauvel’s photographs freeze the horror experienced by Ukrainians, families and soldiers.
Life goes on under the bombs
But after a year of fighting, “the morale of the Ukrainians is very high” reports the great reporter. “They can clearly see that the Russians are currently taking six months to take a small town that they have completely destroyed. How can they then take Kiev, which is six times the size of Paris? The capital is now ready to fightt,” he adds.
His photos also show that life goes on under the bombs. A photo by Patrick Chauvel shows a young girl, in a skirt and tights, who consults her mobile phone sitting on the barrel of a Russian tank. “On the Place Saint-Michel, near the Ministry of Defence, they display all the destroyed tanks. On Sundays, people come to photograph themselves in front of the tanks”, explains the reporter. “The Ukrainians are very resilient. It’s a way for them to resist,” he concludes.
From Vietnam to Ukraine
These 33 photos enrich the permanent exhibition already devoted to Patrick Chauvel at the Mémorial de Caen. In 50 years of career, this great reporter, also documentarian and writer, is the author of nearly 380,000 images, 1000 hours filmed, four books. His work, his reports have been published in the biggest magazines in the world (Newsweek, Time magazine, Life, Paris Match…). The Mémorial de Caen presents around a hundred of them, from the Vietnam War to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the Battle of Mosul in Iraq. An exceptional photographic testimony of past and current wars.
Permanent exhibition of the Patrick Chauvel Fund, Caen Memorial, Esplanade Général Eisenhower
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