FUTURESPECTIVE at Saatchi Gallery is a beautiful ode to Ukrainian optimism and endurance

Fitting a generation’s artistic perspective on their home country into a single room is no easy feat. But in FUTURESPECTIVE at Saatchi Gallery, beauty and strength come together in a touching celebration of Ukraine — yes, as a beautifully rich country, but more importantly, as the sum of its people, its industry and the many natural wonders within its borders. Led by Vogue Ukraine’s editor-in-chief Venya Brykalin and curator Marta Bertman, the exhibition seeks to bring more international attention to Ukrainian photographers, from introspective cityscapes to a triptych of surrealist sunflowers. 

I arrive half an hour ahead of the opening party, just in time for a loop or two of the space before cocktails and cameras charge the room with electricity. An expectant quiet lets each of the thirty-four photographs breathe. The pale walls, pale floors and bright lights of press evenings often test even the best of works, but fortunately, the strength of FUTURESPECTIVE’s photographs draws you out of the fluorescence into an almost meditative trance. The effect is something Brykalin observes in even the simplest images — debris, apples and sunflowers. “It’s stopping in your tracks and taking a moment, appreciating being alive,” he tells me. “I don’t want to sound pompous, but a lot of [the] immediacy comes from that.”

The editor-in-chief and I have grabbed a second away from the bustle of the main room — where the cocktails have certainly had their intended effect — to a quiet corner of the hallway where Brykalin deftly moves from the arms of friends and family into a rumination on Ukrainian strength and its new generation. “It’s a collective portrait of a certain generation — these people are probably starting from their twenties to their forties,” he explains. “I’m hoping this exhibition helps to delve both into the themes and topics they find relevant and important.” 

Through this generational perspective, hope, war, memory and coming of age are all touched upon. While war is present, Brykalin explains that they didn’t want to make it the focus of the exhibit, instead focusing on what he calls an “anthropological study” into people’s lives, experiences and personal stories. When I ask how they balanced these more brutal themes of loss with lighter ones, the editor-in-chief explains that this is a culturally typical approach. “I think this is a very Ukrainian way of looking at life,” he says. “Yes, we are tough in that we can handle a lot of things, but there’s a lot of lightness, irony and optimism that sometimes might be unpredictable and unexplainable — especially to the Western gaze and Western understanding.”

Some of the most striking pieces remain faceless, including one Brykalin cites as his current standout. Pulled from a series by Elena Subach entitled Grandmothers on the Edge of Heaven, it sees a one-shoed woman stand on the edge of a large drop, her wrinkled hand blending into the copper railing at her side, while a delicious blue shade picks out her dress, a yellow plastic bag at her side incorporating the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Complete with a white bonnet, the lady looks something of a Mother Mary. The editor-in-chief explains that Subach simply took the pictures, unsure at the time of what they meant. “[Subach] was shooting these older ladies in the Western Ukrainian villages going to church and she didn’t know why she was doing that,” he explains. “Then her grandmother passed away, and she started putting these collages [together].” 

This is only one example showcasing the richness of works at FUTURESPECTIVE. Indeed, Vic Bakin’s triplet of sunflowers, which close the exhibition, look like the stuff of early photographic experiments. The first leans darker, the second lighter, the third overlays the two. This final image, where darkness and light seamlessly collide, is a fitting summary for the exhibit as a whole. 

Then, finally, Brykalin and Bertman announce the exhibition officially open over a rumble of chatter. Both hosts hold themselves with grace, even as the emotion of the evening comes through, their shared introductory speech emphasising a shared admiration for the strength of Ukrainian artistry. As Bertman puts it, “The most important part is people. It’s very important for me to bring artists here today.” Like the gathered artists and collected photographs, it seems a uniquely Ukrainian lightness, endurance and beauty have made their home in these four walls.

FUTURESPECTIVE runs at Saatchi Gallery from 23 October until 16 November 2025. Entry is free.