Old Khata Book is a photo book about houses and people in Ukraine. Between 2020 and 2023 photographer Anna Ilchenko and journalist Svitlana Oslavska traveled across nearly one hundreds villages in Ukraine, spanning from regions of Zakarpattia to Luhansk and from Chernihiv to Kherson. Due to the full scale invasion, some of these villages are now under Russian occupation. The book includes selected photos and interview fragments conducted during three years of expeditions.
It is not an encyclopedia of architectural styles, although readers will notice the assorted traditions of house construction in different regions. The book documents a vanishing layer of Ukrainian culture eroded by time and war. It is a documentary essay at the intersection of photography and literature, blending reportage and visual storytelling. Therefore, this book goes beyond the scope of architecture and ethnography, delving into broader topics such as how Ukrainians perceive home, beauty, life, and death.
About the authors Anna Ilchenko is a Ukrainian documentary photographer, videographer, and documentary filmmaker. Svitlana Oslavska is a Ukrainian reporter and writer. Anna and Svitlana are sisters, who were born and raised in Sievierodonetsk, which is now occupied by Russia. since 2020,they have been working together as a creative collective Old Khata Project.
English translations of the texts can be found at the end of the book. This book was printed and shipped from Ukraine.
size: 12" x 9" Hardcover, Fully color illustrated Bilingual : Ukrainian and English
published by Old Khata Book Project Anna Ilchenko 2024