Photos of Ukraine's war-torn trees on display

A woman wearing a floral dress stands in front of a wall. Pictures of trees are behind her.Image source, Arboricultural Association
Image caption,

The photo gallery was curated by filmmaker Valentyna Okhlopkova

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Photos of Ukraine's war-torn trees have gone on display in a new exhibition in Coventry.

The event at the University of Warwick - entitled Wounded. Alive - was a dedication to trees in the country that had become "silent witnesses of war" but continued to "live and blossom", organisers said.

The images were captured by Ukrainian documentary photographer and filmmaker Valentyna Okhlopkova, and depict trees that have been damaged by fire or shrapnel, or torn by explosions.

Ms Okhlopkova said: "I love nature very much, and it hurt to see what wounds war causes to our environment. [War] hurts not only people in the country."

A photograph of a tree with what looks like a missile in the middle.Image source, Arboricultural Association
Image caption,

The exhibition features trees that have been damaged by fire or explosions

The images cover different regions of Ukraine where the trees had become symbols of "resilience, memory, and hope", an event spokesperson said.

Reflecting on one of her favourite photographs, Ms Okhlopkova, who was a combat photographer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, explained the image was one of the "most evocative" works.

"This tree is located in a completely bombed-out yard, burned. This tree is charred, part of the branches have fallen off, but it has released young leaves," she said.

"When I took pictures of him, my soul resonated strongly."

The exhibition is on display until 16 September as part of this year's Arboricultural Association Conference.

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