Aleksandra Kossowska

A documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Warsaw. Her work focuses on the everyday experiences of individuals and communities affected by migration, displacement, social crises and exclusion. She documents, among others, refugee communities, people with disabilities and humanitarian efforts. She is a graduate of the Institute of Creative Photography in Opava, where she is currently pursuing a master’s degree. She works with the East News agency and is a member of Women Photograph.

Ukrycie | Yкриття | SHELTER

Shelter is the most basic form of refuge: a basement, a cellar or an underground car park.

In Ukraine, these cleared-out spaces have become part of a new wartime reality. Photographs from this series were brought together in a book printed on polypropylene sacks, the very same kind used, when filled with sand, to protect buildings from shrapnel. (Created between 2022 and 2026.)

Once it became clear that Russian attacks were targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, the Ukrainian government decided that a return to in-person education would only be possible in schools equipped with suitable shelters. Across most of the country, these remain improvised, dark basements. However, the system of protection extends beyond schools. Shelters are also being established in hospitals for patients and staff who cannot be evacuated quickly. Underground spaces are no longer just places to hide; they are becoming fully functioning medical facilities.