We cordially invite you to the opening of the exhibition "Zone of Inhumanity" on 07 November at 7 pm at the nEUROPA gallery. The artist Volodymyr Ogloblin will be present at the opening.

The exhibition addresses the increasing political repression in Russia since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, in which people are punished with cynical severity for criticising the war or even for making statements on social media. Russia is setting up filtration camps and prisons for captured civilians in the occupied Ukrainian territories. The regime is holding more than 25,000 military and civilian hostages, including around 20,000 children, in illegal detention in over a hundred locations.

The photographs by Volodymyr Ogloblin and Sergiy Zholonko and the illustrations from the graphic novel by artist Sergiy Zakharov from Donetsk illustrate how the current regime in Russia has used the most brutal means to establish a system of political repression reminiscent of the darkest days of the Soviet Union. Ogloblin's photos, which were taken in the remote regions of Kolyma and Yakutia in the Far East, depressingly thematise the legacy of the gulags and the inhumane living conditions of millions of people. His personal diary entries show how the horrors of the past are being brought back to life by the war of 2022.

Sergiy Zholonko has been documenting the solidarity actions of relatives and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war and prisoners in Russian detention centres in Mykolaiv since 2022.
The haunting illustrations by Sergiy Zakharov from his graphic novel "The Hole" ("Dumpster") express the agony and oppression of the political prisoners of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR). His work centres on Zakharov's biography and his artistic resistance against the occupation of Donetsk since 2014, which earned him imprisonment and torture. Following his release, he has been campaigning in Kiev for the rehabilitation of former prisoners and soldiers through art.

The exhibition is complemented by original letters and drawings by seven political prisoners in Russia who are being held in custody for criticising the war. Their personal testimonies, provided by Marina Timofeeva from Göttingen, make the cruelty of the regime visible and appeal for attention and compassion.

The exhibition links the dark past of Stalinist repression with the oppressive present and is an urgent reminder not to remain silent in the fight for freedom and truth. It invites visitors to come to terms with the oppressive realities and reflect on the importance of remembrance and resistance.

Photographs / drawings: Volodymyr Ogloblin (Kharkiv / Göttingen), Sergiy Zholonko (Kropyvnytskyi / Mykolaiv), Sergiy Zakharov (Donetsk / Kyiv)
Music: Varvara Nikolaienko (Mariupol/Simferopol)
Curation: Elena Pagel & Iryna Guziy

This exhibition is funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The project "Galerie nEUROPA" is funded by the State Ministry for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion. This measure is co-financed with tax funds on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament as part of the "We for Saxony" funding programme.