Finissage – Reading and discussion ‘Letters from Russian Prison’

As part of the exhibition ‘Zone of Inhumanity’, we invite you to a special reading at the nEUROPA gallery on 23 January 2026 at 7 pm. Letters from political prisoners in Russian prison camps will be read by Micha Arsenij Tatkowski Zschech. Katrin Skrzypietz will present a musical contribution with jew’s harp and hang.

These are the voices of people who are resisting – Russian citizens who protested against Putin’s regime, as well as Ukrainian civilians and military personnel who were abducted by occupying forces and are being held in Russian prisons.

Their words provide insights into everyday life behind bars, into hope, fear and unbroken humanity.

Zone of Inhumanity

The exhibition focuses on the increasing political repression in Russia since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, where people are punished with cynical harshness for their criticism of the war or even for comments on social media. Russia is setting up filtration camps and prisons for captured civilians in the occupied Ukrainian territories. In over a hundred locations, the regime is holding more than 25,000 military and civilian hostages, including around 20,000 children, in illegal detention.

The photographs by Wolodymyr Ogloblin and Sergiy Zholonko, as well as the illustrations from the graphic novel by artist Sergiy Zakharov from Donetsk, illustrate how today’s regime in Russia has used brutal means to establish a system of political repression reminiscent of the darkest times of the Soviet Union. Ogloblin’s photos, taken in the remote regions of Kolyma and Yakutia in the Far East, deal in a depressing way with the legacy of the gulags and the inhumane living conditions of millions of people. His personal diary entries show how the horrors of the past are being revived by the war of 2022.

Since 2022, Sergiy Zholonko has been documenting solidarity actions in Mykolaiv by relatives and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war and prisoners in Russian detention centres.

Sergiy Zakharov’s haunting illustrations from his graphic novel ‘The Hole’ (‘Dumpster’) express the torment and oppression of political prisoners in the DNR (Donetsk People’s Republic). Zakharov’s works focus on his biography and his artistic resistance to the occupation of Donetsk since 2014, which led to his own imprisonment and torture. Since his release, he has been working in Kyiv to rehabilitate former prisoners and soldiers through art.

The exhibition is complemented by original letters and drawings by seven political prisoners in Russia who are in custody for criticising the war. Their personal testimonies, provided by Marina Timofeeva from Göttingen, reveal the cruelty of the regime and appeal for attention and compassion.

The exhibition connects the dark past of Stalinist repression with the oppressive present and urges us not to remain silent in the fight for freedom and truth. It invites us to confront the oppressive realities and reflect on the importance of remembrance and resistance.

Photographs / Drawings: Wolodymyr Ogloblin (Kharkiv / Göttingen), Sergiy Zholonko (Kropyvnytskyi / Mykolaiv), Sergiy Zakharov (Donetsk / Kyiv)
Curated by Elena Pagel & Iryna Guziy

Exhibition: 7 November 2025 – 8 February 2026

Vernissage: 7 November 2025, 19:00
Music: Varvara Nikolaienko (Mariupol / Simferopol)

Finissage: 23 January 2026, 19:00
Reading and discussion ‘Letters from Russian Prison’

Diese Ausstellung wird gefördert von der Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

Das Projekt wird gefördert durch das Staatsministerium für Soziales und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert mit Steuermitteln auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes im Rahmen des Förderprogramms »Wir für Sachsen«.