CHICAGO – An exceptional photo exhibit opened here at the Ukrainian National Museum on January 16. The photographs of Viktor Gurniak, a photojournalist and volunteer fighter of the Aidar Battalion, offered a glimpse into the realities of war in Ukraine.
Mr. Gurniak, 27, was killed in October 2014 during an attack in the ATO (anti-terrorist operation) zone of the Luhansk region while he was evacuating wounded soldiers. An excellent news photographer with a sharp mind who produced compelling photos, he was among the best practitioners of photojournalism.
Mr. Gurniak was a co-founder of the LUFA photo agency in Lviv, and a frequent contributor to Reuters, UNIAN and Insider. He devoted many years of his life to Plast National Scouting Organization of Ukraine, where he was a beloved leader and role model. He is survived by his wife, Ira, and a young daughter, Yustynka.
Galyna Ugryna
Guest speaker Nolan Peterson of blueforcetracker.com.
The exhibit was introduced by the museum’s president, Lydia Tkaczuk. A large group of Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians, young and old, recent and not-so-recent immigrants, as well as members of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization, was in attendance.
In her very moving remarks, Mylana Semeniuk, a Plast leader originally from Lviv and an active member of the Ukrainian community in Chicago, gave her personal insights into Mr. Gurniak’s life and many achievements. She had come to know Mr. Gurniak through their Plast activity in Ukraine.
The evening’s guest speaker was Nolan Peterson, a freelance war correspondent, former U.S. Air Force Special Operations pilot, and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a co-founder of BlueForceTracker.com, a news site dedicated to giving unbiased analyses of foreign affairs and the military by writers with on-the-ground experience.
Mr. Peterson spent six months in the ATO zone with Ukrainian soldiers. He spoke of his experiences there and the challenges for journalists in covering the war in Ukraine.
A biographical video compiled by Natalia Figel and a Bach violin interlude performed by Maria Storm were also featured. Ms. Semeniuk then introduced an exclusive video of one of Mr. Gurniak’s friends currently serving on the front lines in the east of Ukraine, who offered a glimpse into the emotional experiences of soldiers in the ATO.
Concluding remarks were made by Maria Klimchak, museum curator.
Galyna Ugryna
Maria Klimchak, curator of the museum, delivers closing remarks.
In the two weeks the photographs were exhibited at the museum, they were viewed by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, Vahtang Kipiani, activist historian from Ukraine, as well as many Ukrainian schoolchildren, younger Plast members and the interested public. Of particular interest was the visit of Audrey Campbell, a relative of Mr. Gurniak from Alberta.
The photographs will now travel to Cleveland and other Plast centers in the United States. This exhibit was organized in partnership with the great team in Ukraine, namely Mr. Gurniak’s wife, his sister Olka Gurniak, and his photojournalist friends at LUFA, Petro Zadorozhny and Markiian Lyseiko.
The photographs of Viktor Gurniak transport viewers to the battles on the Maidan and in the ensuing war. These images are his legacy, and the legacy of his generation fighting for freedom and democracy in Ukraine.