A moving new photography and art exhibition at The Atkinson in Southport shines a light on the heartbroken yet resilient Ukrainian families who have moved to the UK while war wages in Ukraine.
‘Where I Should Be’ features photography by Nina Karetska and is on display at The Atkinson from now until Saturday 21st February 2026. Admission is free.
This exhibition tells the story of Ukrainians who live in the UK, yet remain emotionally rooted in their homeland.
The photographs do not show faces – only the spaces they now inhabit and the spaces they still carry within.
There are backdrops that many visitors to the exhibition will recognise – with landmarks such as Southport Pier, the Marine Lake, the Promenade, Lord Street, The Atkinson.
Nina says: “l invite you not only to see, but to feel: where does a person belong when their home no longer exists?”
In her feature on her installation, she said: “These photographs were taken in England, in places that are safe, quiet, intact.
“And yet, the people in them are not here. Their bodies are here – walking streets, waiting for trains, standing by the sea.
“But their thoughts, their memory, their sense of belonging remain elsewhere.
“At home.
“This exhibition exists because displacement is not only about movement. It is about separation – between the body and the life it once contained.
“For many Ukrainians living in England, safety did not bring arrival. Their homes were not simply left behind. Some were destroyed. Some disappeared. Some no longer exist as places they can return to.
“What remains is a constant internal distance . A kitchen remembered by touch,. A morning coffee that still happens somewhere else. A road the body knows without thinking. Keys that open nothing. A home that lives on – only inside.
“That is why the people in these photographs are absent. Their silhouettes remain, holding fragments of a life that did not cross the border.
“Each empty figure contains something personal and ordinary- because what was lost was not abstract, but everyday,
“‘Where I Should Be’ is not a question about geography. It is a state of being. It is the experience of living in safety while your thoughts and your heart remain at home. Of surviving, but not fully arriving. Of being here – while everything that made you whole is still there.”
On the final day of the exhibition, 11am-4pm on Saturday 21st February 2026, people are invited to head to The Atkinson for this year’s Ukrainian Day, for a full day celebrating the richness and vibrancy of Ukrainian culture.
Visitors will be wowed by a vibrant display of Ukrainian art, food and culture with the superb Ukrainian choir; workshops; dumpling making; and a children’s art exhibition.
Nina Karetska won the Sefton Diversity and Inclusion Awards at the 2025 Grand Pride Of Sefton Awards for her impressive determination to champion Ukrainian culture and bring together the Ukrainian community in the borough.
‘Where is Where I Should Be? Was produced during a New Faces, New Focus Residency commissioned by Open Eye Gallery and the Atkinson for Going Places, an Art Fund programme made possible with generous support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Julia Rausing Trust, with additional support from a generous group of trusts, foundations and individuals.
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