Exhibition

War Stories. Ukraine up close

The exhibition War Stories. Ukraine up close shows the human side of a war, by bringing together the images of photographer Eddy van Wessel with video portraits of Ukrainians and collection items.

This exhibition contains violent imagery. If you feel the need to talk about wat you have seen, please ask one of our volunteers to put you in touch with our staff. They will be happy to help. 

  • Images by Eddy van Wessel
  • Video portraits of Ukrainians
  • Collection pieces with a story

On display until August 31, 2025.

About the exhibition

War Stories. Ukraine up close

In the Netherlands, we are increasingly concerned with peace and security. What does it mean to live in a war zone? To be fighting on the frontline? With War Stories. Ukraine up close, the National Military Museum aims to hearten Ukrainians – both the refugees in the Netherlands and those who have remained in Ukraine. Through photos by Eddy van Wessel and video portraits produced specifically for this project, the exhibition will showcase the lives of servicemen and civilians who, on account of the war, are forced to live apart. Pivotal in this is not the ubiquitous war, suffering and destruction, but rather Ukrainian hope, connection and resilience. This also applies to the related exhibition ‘War Diaries’ by Khrystyna Khranovska, which shows war stories, diaries, paintings and drawings by Ukrainian children.

Information about audio tour

For the exhibition War Stories. Ukraine up close there is an audio tour available via QR codes, which can be used on your own phone. Tip: Bring your own headphones or earbuds for an even better experience.

In addition, gallery catalogs are available; we kindly request that you return them after use so other visitors can enjoy them as well.

War stories of Ukrainian children

WAR DIARIES

War Diaries is a traveling exhibition by the Ukrainian Khrystyna Khranovska with personal war stories of children and teenagers from Ukraine. War Diaries has previously been shown in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Berlin, Strasbourg and the United States. The National Military Museum translated the stories into Dutch.

Ukrainian children talk about what it is like to live in a war. Some of them lost a parent, others were injured, lost their homes and had to flee. Each story is accompanied by a personal object of the children: a diary, a drawing or painting, a video diary, a photo, a cuddly toy. Things that gave the children something to hold on to during a difficult time.

War Diaries highlights the deep trauma experienced by Ukraine’s young generation. The exhibition offers a platform to unheard voices who experienced the devastating consequences of the war.

The recommended age for this exhibition is 9+.

I hope people will travel to Ukraine inside their mind and for them to think: what the hell is going on there? And for them to understand how war affects people. I’d be thrilled if this is what happens. Especially as today's visitors may well be tomorrow’s policymakers. Ofcourse I also hope that people will enjoy the photos and find them fascinating. Well, I may think all sorts of things about these images, but at the end of the day they need to tell their own story. And if this message lands in visitors’ hearts I’ll be happy. Eddy van Wessel, war photographer and four times winner of the Silver Camera (Zilveren Camera). Photocredit: Hans de Kort

With War Stories, Ukraine up close, the National Military Museum supports the Ukrainian population, both the group of refugees in the Netherlands and those who still live in Ukraine. But this exhibition is more. We show the emotional consequences of war to get the conversation started. The exhibition is about the Russian-Ukrainian war, but the emotions in this conflict are universal. Emotions that became palpable on a large scale in the Netherlands when MH17 was shot down. The exhibition also reflects on this: this war did not start in 2022, but already in 2014.

Films in the exhibition

In the exhibition War Diaries. Ukraine up close, four small cinema rooms have also been set up. Filmmakers Lesya Kharchenko (UA) and Thomas Roebers (NL) each made two films for this exhibition. Each film focuses on Ukrainians, one of whom is always a soldier, a hero, as the Ukrainians themselves say, or someone who was captured by the Russians and survived. The films are made with material that one filmmaker has filmed for another and vice versa. They are connected stories, about sadness, fear and war, but also about connection, love and hope.

Thanks go to Maryna Bohdanova, Oleksandr Tulinov and Valentyn Bohdanov, whose music we were allowed to use in the films.

This exhibition is made possible with the support of Vfonds, Mondriaan Fonds, VSBfonds, het Cultuurfonds, K.F. Hein Fonds and Geef 8. 

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