Skip To Content
Princeton University Library
Princeton University Library
Digital Collections
    • English
    • Español
    • Português
    • Log in

Something went wrong!

Hang in there while we get back on track

Photographs

Refugees

2022

main image display
Look closer
Download PDF
Similar
In Copyright

Files

1 of 1 images
image 0
Description provided by artist:
"September 11. “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” Victor Frankl
Millions of Ukrainians fled the war. But most of them have never found peace. It seems to be safe and there are pleasures as usual, but their hearts are filled with emptiness and pain. It's not that there are loved ones, homes, work, or favorite things left in Ukraine. It is meaning that is left behind. The very meaning that transforms any hardship and suffering into life tests. And the paradox is that those who stay and look into the eyes of death every day, risking their lives on the battlefield or in cities under bombardment, feel more alive and happy than ever! Because they have a purpose. The lack of purpose and meaning in life forces people into monstrous wars in the name of delusional ideas. For many Russians, "Russian World" is an escape from emptiness and a sense of the meaninglessness of existence. Destructive and absolutely artificial meaning. Neither war nor epidemic can take it away or confer it. They can only push us to find it ourselves where it has always been. Art, business, politics, any achievements are just tools. The true thing worth living and enduring deprivation for is the way to ourselves. This path is changeable and never final. Life guides us along it through the events and situations in which it places us at every new moment. Through our decisions and the actions that follow them. Wherever we go, our fear always follows our steps. We can't escape it, we have to overcome it and, as a rule, beyond it lies our true destiny. It's not safety and pleasures that make us happy but true meaning. Finding it is our primary task, wherever we are!"
Photography, digital art, mixed technique.
Collection
Part of Ukrainian Art in Times of War: 2014-
Discover the art of resilience from modern Ukraine, featuring creative works that capture both the unflinching horror of invasion and the enduring beauty of the human spirit.
Similar
In Copyright

Metadata

Creator of work
Ray, Mikhail
Language
English
Geographic Origin
Ukraine
Geographic Subject
Ukraine
Subject
Arts and culture
Artists
Arts
Politics and government
War
View all metadata for this item

Share this item

https://digital-collections.princeton.edu/i/refugees/item/479176ef-fbcf-4952-818d-6a27a7cc2f43

Similar Items in this Collection

  • Kherson TV

    Date
    2022
    Origin
    Ukraine
    Save
  • V

    Date
    2022
    Origin
    Ukraine
    Save
  • Game over

    Date
    2023
    Origin
    Ukraine
    Save
  • The Potato Room

    Date
    2022
    Origin
    Ukraine
    Save
  • 24 серпня. 24 годин.

    Date
    2022
    Origin
    Ukraine
    Save

Similar Items outside this Collection

  • Charter of peace

    Date
    2023
    Origin
    Pakistan
    238 Files
    Save
  • افادة الخبر بنصه في زيادة العمر ونقصه / لحافظ جلال الدين عبد الرحمن ال...

    Date
    1600-1699
    24 Files
    Save
  • J. R. සොයන සර්පයන් වමේ අපි වෙමු!

    Date
    1987
    Origin
    Sri Lanka
    5 Files
    Save
  • The rising plant-based sector in India : insights and opportunities

    Date
    2023
    Origin
    India
    56 Files
    Save
  • Cultural significance of Indian Wetlands

    Date
    2023
    Origin
    India
    82 Files
    Save

Suggest a correction

Please use this area to report errors, omissions, or problematic language that appear in the description of this collection. Corrections may include misspellings, incorrect or missing dates, misidentified individuals, places, or events, mislabeled folders, misfiled papers, etc.

Sorry, something went wrong. Either the message was blank or there was an error with the form submission. Please try again or email the library directly.

Viewer

Share this image

https://digital-collections.princeton.edu/i/refugees/item/479176ef-fbcf-4952-818d-6a27a7cc2f43/viewer/1

  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Help
© 2025 The Trustees of Princeton University
Princeton University