A new Ballarat exhibition is highlighting the plight of the war-torn Ukrainian people.

Slava Ukraini features 20 photographs from the award-winning series The Face of Donbas and Life on the Line, alongside written accounts from some of the subjects.

Australian-Austrian photojournalist Samuel Eder worked in the Ukraine war zone for the past three years.

For The Face of Donbas, Samuel spent several months photographing life on the frontlines of Ukraine’s war in 2019/20 alongside Ukrainian national Diana Chipak.

Visiting both sides of the conflict, he was embedded with troops and worked closely with local aid groups as he photographed the grim conflict.

Today, Samuel is studying paramedicine at ACU Ballarat, having left Europe four days before the current invasion.

The exhibition’s name – Слава Україні (Slava Ukraini) – translates to “glory to Ukraine” and “long live Ukraine”.

This phrase was adopted by the Ukrainian military as their official motto and is widely used in Ukraine as a saying to celebrate their independence and sovereignty.

Slava Ukraini is on show at Ballarat’s Mitchell Harris Wines, 38 Doveton Street North, every Wednesday-Sunday until 28 May.

Entry is free, with visitors encouraged to make a donation to the aid organisations Samuel worked with in the Ukraine – Vostok SOS and Halo Trust.

Donations can be made via Samuel’s My Cause page.

Facilitated by the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, the exhibition is supported by ACU Ballarat, Mitchell Harris Wines, Sovereign Press, Spicers and the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund.

Main image: Samuel Eder, Life on the Line, 2020