The History War

"The History War is a book of photographs, collages and ephemera which begins with a timeline tracing Ukraine's evolution from the 5th century and its long struggle for independence. The book is divided into six narratives documenting the events and people Larry Towell encountered in his many journeys to Ukraine. Towell first visited Ukraine at the time of the Maidan uprising in 2014, witnessing the final days of the violent clashes between the protestors and police in Kyiv. His photographs show the civilians behind makeshift barricades with home-made weapons, the heavily shielded police and the aftermath of the dead in a half-destroyed Maidan Square. It was this event which led to Towell's long-term commitment to Ukraine and compelled him to return over the years. The second chapter focuses on Towell's time in the wastelands of Chernobyl, site of history's worst nuclear disaster in 1986 which resulted in many Soviets losing faith in the system.