FREEDOM / LIBERTATE / свобода in Manchester

February 24 marks two years since the Russian Federation's unprecedented military invasion of Ukraine, which triggered Europe's worst security and humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War. In this context, Romania continues to express, through positions and deeds, its full compassion and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Romania will continue to stand by Ukraine and its citizens.

Consulate General of Romania in Manchester is launching FREEDOM / LIBERTATE / свобода a photojournalism exhibition dedicated to all the men and women who have lost their lives since the Russian Federation launched its unprovoked and illegal war against our neighboring country Ukraine.

These two challenging years, marked by pain, avoidable loss of life and destruction, dig deep into the collective Ukrainian, European and international psyche. The exhibition will showcase photographs have been taken by 2 renowned photojournalists from Romania: Vadim Ghirda and Andreea Alexandru.

The exhibition will be hosted at the Consulate from February 26 to March 8, 2024, between 10AM to 5PM. 

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, the Consulate General of Romania in Manchester and Timisoara 2023 – European Capital of Culture.

Andreea Alexandru’s photography focuses on the humanity and kindness shown by the millions of refugees who arrived in Romania, which has the longest border with Ukraine. Over six million crossings have taken place so far. Andreea started photojournalism in 2008 for Mediafax. In 2011, Andreea joined the Associated Press for which she has covered extensively the exodus of Ukrainian refugees and their integration into Romanian society. More recently she reported on the coronation of HM King Charles III and the state funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Vadim Ghirdă chronicled through his photography the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Working for the Associated Press, Vadim photographed some of the defining moments in Ukraine’s fight for freedom. He is part of a group of photographers who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for war photography. Vadim started his career in 1990, working for AP and has since covered the defining political moments of Romania as well as the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. More recently, he covered the bombardments of the United States against the Islamic State in Syria and the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia.