“What Would You Take?”

Photo: Jamie Smith

Current Exhibition: "What Would you take?" exhibition on Ukrainian refugees”

Home. Your home. Your place. Your memories. Your belongings. In the blink of eye, it’s gone. ‘WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE?’ is an exhibition of photographic and narrative portraits from the Ukraine diaspora, the largest displacement of people in Europe since the Second World War.

The portraits pictures in the exhibition tell the stories of twelve people from Ukraine who suddenly had to leave their home, taking only the bare essentials and a cherished belonging that speaks to their life.The What Would You Take? documentary tracks the same path as the exhibition and gives the viewer the opportunity to delve even deeper into their stories. The portraits taken by photographer Kaupo Kikkas come to life through animation; people's destinies unfold through close-up shots by director Heilika Pikkov.

The public opening event of the What Would You Take? exhibition brought together the authors of the exhibition and the documentary, Estonians Kaupo Kikkas and Heilika Pikkov, along with award-winning Ukrainian author, Kateryna Babkina. The event started with the screening of the documentary followed by a panel discussion moderated by Maria Montague, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute London.

The photographs and interviews of the exhibition were taken in December 2022 in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine by the authors, Kaupo Kikkas, photographer and Frances Stonor Saunders, curator.

The film was directed by Heilika Pikkov and produced by Ülo Pikkov / Silmviburlane in Estonia 2023.

Read the Guardian’s and the Evening Standard’s article about the ‘What Would You Take?, our newest exhibition showing intimate portrays of Ukrainian war refugees taken by Kaupo Kikkas, photographer and interviewed by Frances Stonor Saunders, curator, in December 2022 in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. Open until 20 October.