Tuesday, 2 May 2023

 Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:49): Recently I attended the launch of the Ukraine exhibition The Consequence of War at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM) photographed by Walkley Award winning photojournalist Gary Ramage. The exhibition impactfully illustrates the devastating impacts of the war in Ukraine through the lens and lived experience of Gary Ramage. Gary is known for documenting conflicts all over the world, putting himself into the middle of the ensuing violence to detail the important stories that need to be told. Gary travelled to Ukraine in 2022 to capture the devastating scale of the war, spending time on the front line with fighting Ukrainians and in the cities and towns with ordinary Ukrainians just going about their day-to-day lives in the middle of an armed invasion. Through his lens Gary captured confronting images that vividly portray the struggle of the people of Ukraine and the devastating human impact and personal pain resulting from this senseless and unjust war.

The exhibition is curated by Tanya Johnson, who gracefully balances the stark reality of the impact of war and the human story behind it. The exhibition also includes artwork by Ukrainian war veterans previously displayed at the Sydney Invictus Games in 2018. The exhibition serves as a powerful reminder of the destructive consequences of war, and I urge everyone to see the exhibition for themselves. The Ukrainian people are facing a humanitarian crisis as they are forced to flee their homes and seek shelter in inadequate conditions, the long-term effects of which will be intergenerational trauma.

I want to thank Gary for his powerful exhibition, which is a reminder that this war is far from over and we must do all we can to support the Ukrainian people in any way that we can. I also thank ANVAM for supporting the exhibition and their ongoing work to promote the arts across the veteran community, to enhance veterans’ wellbeing through the arts and for sharing stories of our serving members, veterans and their families.