On August 24, on Ukraine’s Independence Day and the National Day of the Ukrainian Community in Brazil, the documentary and multimedia exhibition “Dali: I will get my life back, I promise,” dedicated to the Ukrainian poet, photographer, and serviceman Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov, opened in Salvador. The exposition introduces the Brazilian audience to the creative work of one of the most prominent voices of contemporary Ukrainian wartime poetry.
The exhibition opened at the Goethe-Institut Salvador-Bahia, where it will be open to visitors until September 18.
Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov (1990–2024) was a poet, photographer, and serviceman—a machine gunner who died on January 7, 2024, defending Ukraine against Russian aggression. Posthumously, he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
The exposition brings together 24 photographs taken by Maksym Kryvtsov at the frontline, excerpts of his poetry, short documentary films based on his works, as well as video recordings of the poet reading his own poems. Photography, literature, and personal testimony create an integral narrative about a person who continued to create even under the extremely harsh conditions of war.
The title of the exhibition refers to the poet’s call sign “Dali” and to a line from his poem, handwritten by the author on the wall of a Kyiv coffee shop: “I will get my life back, I promise.”
The photographs presented in Salvador were selected from Maksym Kryvtsov’s personal archive. Less than a month before his death, the author himself prepared and handed them over for display at the Squat 17b cultural space in Kyiv, curated by Daria Kryzh. It was there that the exhibition was first presented to the public, after which it embarked on a journey across Ukraine and abroad.
Maksym personally complemented some of the photographs with his own poems, creating a direct dialogue between the image and the poetic text.
In his photographs, war appears not merely as a documentary reality. It becomes material for artistic reflection, a conversation about humanity, memory, life, and hope. A significant portion of the works is in black and white, while sporadic bursts of color take on a special symbolic meaning.
Captured in the frame are military personnel, people, landscapes, objects, and everyday moments of frontline life. It is precisely this attention to the mundane that allows one to see, behind the image of war, primarily the human being—their fears, losses, friendship, the ability to notice beauty, and the preservation of humanity amidst violence.
An exhibition traveling across Brazil
Prior to Salvador, the exposition had already been presented in other Brazilian cities. In particular, it was shown in Mallet and Guarapuava in the state of Paraná—a region with a significant Ukrainian community whose history dates back to the waves of Ukrainian immigration to Brazil at the end of the 19th century.
Recently, the exhibition was also presented at the Institute of Literature of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). Now it continues its journey in Salvador, revealing Maksym Kryvtsov’s personal story and creative world to the Brazilian public.
The organization of the exhibition in Salvador and all stages of its preparation were carried out by the translators of Kryvtsov’s poetry, Volia Yermalayeva Franco and Paterson Franco Costa, as well as the Ukrainian artist and designer Anastasiia Syvash, who lives and works in Salvador. It was she who created the spatial design of the exposition at the Goethe-Institut Salvador-Bahia.
Matthias Makowski, Director of the Goethe-Institut Salvador-Bahia, spoke at the opening. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s struggle and its significance for Europe and the entire world, highlighting the importance of cultural dialogue and preserving the memory of the Ukrainian wartime experience.
Maksym Kryvtsov’s work has already become accessible to Brazilian readers as well. In 2025, the Brazilian publishing house Rua do Sabão published his only poetry collection, “Poems from the Loophole,” in Portuguese under the title “Poemas da Seteira.”
The book was published with the support of the Ukrainian Book Institute’s Translate Ukraine program. The translation directly from Ukrainian was carried out by Volia Yermalayeva Franco and Paterson Franco Costa.
The Brazilian edition includes texts from the collection published in Ukraine in 2023, as well as selected poems the poet shared on social media. Among them is his final, profoundly moving text containing the prophetic words: “If only spring would come sooner, so I could finally bloom as a violet.”
In 2023, the Ukrainian edition of “Poems from the Loophole” was included in PEN Ukraine’s list of the best books of the year. The Portuguese translation of the book was also longlisted for the Drahomán Prize.
The opening of the exhibition specifically on August 24 holds special significance.
On this day, Ukraine marks Independence Day—the anniversary of the restoration of state independence in 1991. At the same time, August 24 is officially celebrated in Brazil as the National Day of the Ukrainian Community—Dia Nacional da Comunidade Ucraniana.
This date was established by Federal Law No. 12.209 on January 19, 2010, in recognition of the presence and contribution of the Ukrainian community to Brazil’s cultural life.
Therefore, opening Maksym Kryvtsov’s exhibition on this very day became a cultural bridge between Ukraine and Brazil—between Ukrainian memory, contemporary art, and the Brazilian audience.
Maksym “Dali” Kryvtsov left behind not only photographs and a book. He left behind a distinct way of speaking about war—honestly, without excessive pathos, yet with extraordinary attention to the individual.
His poetry was born near the frontline, yet it spoke not only of war. It was about life, love, fear, friendship, nature, memory, and hope. That is why his creative work continues to find readers far beyond Ukraine today.
The exhibition “Dali: I will get my life back, I promise” in Salvador becomes more than just an artistic event. It is a space of memory and dialogue, where photography, poetry, and documentary materials allow Brazilian viewers to feel the story of contemporary Ukraine more closely through the personal journey of one of its defenders and artists.
Maksym Kryvtsov died defending his life, his country, and Ukraine’s right to be free. But his voice continues to resonate—in poems, photographs, books, and exhibitions seen by people across various countries of the world today.
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Author: Olena Zhukova
Photo: event organisers