Ukrainian artist and documentary photographer Alena Grom was born in Donetsk. In April 2014 she was forced to leave her hometown due to military events in Eastern Ukraine. Since 2017 she has lived in Bucha, a town outside of Kyiv.
As a result of the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022, Grom and her family became refugees for the second time, but returned after the de-occupation of Bucha.
These events largely affected her artistic practice. Photography became a salvation for Alena and a way to deal with the traumatic reality of war.
Since 2016 Alena Grom’s work focuses on places affected by military aggression. Her lens captures victims of the war, migrants and refugees, and war-torn Ukraine in large.
Alena Grom works at the junction of social reporting and conceptual photography. She works on her topics on the front line. The artist sees her “mission” in covering the lives of people who find themselves in a “gray zone” or a zone close to military action. With her photographs, Ms. Grom tries to inform the world community about the complexities of military everyday life, tragedy of war and faith in the world.
However, her photographs are not illustrations of pity or grief. Life in spite of everything is one of the main themes of the artist.
The author was a laureate and winner of international photo contests:
2023 PO PRVI PUT / Belgrade. Serbia / Behind the Screen / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Ministry of Health of Ukraine.Abramovych Art Agency / Kyiv. Ukraine/ People live here / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Centro de la Imagen / Ciudad de Mexico /International Women In Photo Association/ Exhibition; >>>
2023 Municipal Аrt Center in Lviv / Gareley neotodresh/ Lviv. Ukraine. /Triangle and straight line/ Exhibition; >>>
2023 UBIENNALE: AWAKENING / Museum of the History of the City / Kyiv. Ukraine. / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan /Tokyo. Japan. / Exhibition of the 7th Edition of the International Women in Photo Award /Exhibition; >>>
2023 Warchive и CFF – Centrum för fotografi / Sweden / Under attack with the Ukrainian Archive/ Exhibition; >>>
2023 Head On Portrait Awards 2023 / Sydney. Australia/Short list / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Silver Street Studios/Houston/ Fighting: Ukrainian War Photographers /Exhibition; >>>
2023 — INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN PHOTO AWARD / Finalist >>>
2023 World Photo Annual by reFocus Awards / Bronze >>>
2023 University Museum of Fine Artsс/ State Florida / Women at War/ Exhibition; >>>
2023 Verwalter Haus/ Berlin / TruthTrustTrees / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Farm Cultural Park / You know that you are a person / Mazzarino.Italy / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Biennial Photo Festival ‘Lens On The Peaple’ /Belgium / «They fight for us too» / Exhibition; >>>
2023 VASA/Writings On the Wall and Inscriptions/ Exhibition >>>
2023 Photometria Awards. Judged by Martin Parr/1st place/ Finalist/Greece /Exhibition; >>>
2023 Mattatoio di Roma. Contemporary art museum /Berlin /Odesa Photo Days. “Contra Spem Spero. Stories from Ukraine” / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Galerie Eigenheim Weimar/ Germany / You know that you are a person / Exhibition; >>>
2023 LensCulture Portrait Awards United Kingdom / Finalist / Publication. Exhibition; >>>
2023 Sweden / Rikstolvan Gallery/ It’s a Mad, Mad World / Personal exhibition; >>>
2023 Stanford, Washington. / Women at War / Washington Gallery / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Berlin / You know that you are a person / MOMENTUM.Berlin / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Cheb, Czech Republic / Galerie 4 — galerie fotografie / They fight for us too / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Paris / VISIBLES MMXXIII / Gallery Labo/ Exhibition
2023 Moldova. Kishinev / Culture Square / Exhibition; >>>
2023 Leipzig. Germany / «INDEPENDENCE! Photographs of Ukraine 1991-2022» / Museums of Modern History / Exhibition; >>>
2022 London International Creative Competition / Finalist >>>
2022 GOMMA PHOTOGRAPHY Grant / Finalist >>>
2022 Tokyo International Foto Awards / Prize Gold >>>
2022 Tokyo International Foto Awards / Prize Silver >>>
2022 Berlin Zionskirche / «You Know That You Are Human» / Exhibition; >>>
2022 Ukraine. Kyiv / «War through the lens: photos from Ukraine» / Exhibition; >>>
2022 USA Atlanta / «Ukraine on my mind» / Exhibition; >>>
2022 Southern Utah Museum of Art / «Reclaiming Agency: Ukrainian Women Photographers Today»/ Exhibition; >>>
2022 Ukrainian House / Kyiv / «Flash. Ukrainian photography today»/ Exhibition; >>>
2022 International Photography Awards “Best of Show 2022” by this year’s curator, Dr Mark Sealy / New York / Exhibition; >>>
2022 Philadelphia/ Gallery Print Center/ Ukrainian Photography Today / Exhibition; >>>
2022 International Photography Awards / 1st Place / Editorial / Press/ Contemporary issues; >>>
2022 Kranj Foto Fest / Slovenia / Exhibition «How Are You, Living In a War-Torn Country?»; >>>
2022 Eastern Connecticut State / Art Gallery of the Univeristy/ Exhibition «Women at War»;>>>
2022 Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Studio Program. New York/ Video art show >>>
2022 Prix de la Photographie, Paris (PX3) / Gold in Portraiture/ Family, Gold in Portraiture/Children, 1st Place winner in Portraiture / Exhibition;>>>
2022 Państwowa Galeria Sztuki in Sopot / Poland / Stan wyjątkowy / Exhibition; >>>
2022 Fridman Gallery New York / Women at War / Exhibition; >>>
2022 House of Lucie Budapest Gallery / Ukraine Moments/ Exhibition;>>>
2022 Academy of Fine Arts / «Today dreams smell like heat»/Warsaw/Czapski Palace/ Exhibition; >>>
2022 PALESTINE — UKRAINE / eastFOTO gallery.Gruenewald / Germany / Exhibition; >>>
2022 Moments among the ruins. Documentary photos from Ukraine /Graz Austria / Exhibition;>>>
2022 Biennale of the photography section ULUPUH «vizura // reboot». Zagreb. / Exhibition; >>>
2021 Mystetskyi Arsenal / Sensitivity. Modern Ukrainian photography / Group exhibition >>>
2020 PHOTO KYIV 2020 / Gallery 5.6 >>>
2020 VASA Exhibition Film/Video >>>
2020 VASA Exhibition >>>
2020 Kolga Tbilisi Photo /Сonceptual category / Shortlist >>>
2020 COCA2020. Center on Contemporary Art / Finalist >>>
2019/20 UPHA In Da Office in StarLightMedia / Ukraine / Group exhibition >>>
2019 Zamosc Festival Poland / Exhibition; >>>
2019 UPHA Made in Ukraine / Group exhibition >>>
2019 Alchemy of motivation / Institute of Problem Contemporary Art/Kiev.Ukraine / Group exhibition >>>
2019 Media addiction. Ukrainian version / National Center «Ukrainian House»/ Group exhibition >>>
2018 YICCA International Contest of Contemporary Art / Finalist / Exhibition; >>>
2018 The Tokyo International Foto Awards / Silver >>>
2018 International Photographer Of The Year USA /Second place; >>>
2018 Kaunas Photo Star Lithuania / Finalist / Exhibition; >>>
2018 LensCulture Portrait Awards United Kingdom / Finalist / Publication. Exhibition; >>>
2018 Slovak Press Photo / Finalistс; >>>
2018 International Photography Awards USA / Honorary Award; >>>
2018 Gallery Black Box Portland USA / Publication. Online exhibition; >>>
2018 Bronx Documentary Center USA / Publication. Exhibition; >>>
2018 PhotogrVphy Grant USA / Short list; >>>
2017 10 NBPC SALON OF PHOTOGRAPHY India / Short list / Exhibition;
2017 Fairmount Ave Art Philadelphia, USA / Exhibition by Iryna Glik;
2017 Kolga Tbilisi Photo Georgia / Short list/ Publication, Exhibition; >>>
2017 PhotOn Festival International Festival of Photojournalism Spain/ Short list / Exhibition; >>>
2017 ANIMA MUNDI festival Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi Venice / Publication, Exhibition; >>>
2017 Bogotà, at Jorge Jurado Gallery Colombia/ Exhibition; >>>
2016 PHOTOGRAPHY SALOON «STROM» / Silver medal The Royal Photographic Society / Exhibition; >>>
2016 Lion City International Salon Singapore /2nd place / Exhibition; >>>
2016 LivePressPhoto Ukraine / Bronze medal / Exhibition; >>>
2016 93th Scottish International Salon of Photography / Short list / Publication. Exhibition;
2016 Grand Photo Salon 2016 Ukraine/ Short list / Exhibition;
2016 Pavlovka Gallery / Personal exhibition; >>>
2016 «Оpplev Ukraina!» /Norway/ Varatun Gård / “Experience Ukraine!” Exhibition;
2016 «Pottery Country Visions» Ukraine / Exhibition;
2015 «My best photo Ukraine» / 2nd place/ Exhibition;
2014 «#EuroMaidan: Rising for Freedom and Democracy in Ukraine» Canada / participation in the project/Book;
2012 V International Photo Contest «PhotoVintage» /2nd place Ukraine / Publication. Exhibition;
Now the author is working on her own photo book.