The exhibition is divided into three parts: Struggle, Hope, and Aftermath. Each of them speaks about the new reality and adaptation to life during the war, about the struggle for the existence of the country, about the traumatic experiences and the hope that motivates them to keep on living.
The title of the exhibition references the text by classic Ukrainian poet Lesia Ukrainka wriiten in 1890. The poem is a monologue by the author who proclaims the spirit of hope and opposition to all troubles even in the hardest circumstances. The exhibition is divided into three parts: Struggle, Hope and Aftermath. Each of them speaks about the new reality and adaptation to life during the war, about the struggle for the existence of the country, about the traumatic experiences and the hope that motivates them to keep on living.
“Contra Spem Spero. Stories from Ukraine” is organised by the international festival of contemporary photography Odesa Photo Days (Ukraine) and the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, an operational entity answering to the City of Rome in collaboration with the Representations of the European Parliament (Parlamento europeo in Italia) and the European Commission (Commissione europea – Rappresentanza in Italia), the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany (Ambasciata di Germania Roma), the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain (Embajada de España en Italia — Ambasciata di Spagna in Italia), the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden (Ambasciata di Svezia in Italia — Embassy of Sweden in Italy), and the Embassy of Ukraine in Italy.

The exhibition curated by Kateryna Radchenko.