Paolo Ciregia on Ukraine War, Photography, and Propaganda

Italian photographer Paolo Ciregia (born 1987, Viareggio) lived in Ukraine from 2011 to 2015, documenting the 2014 Donbas conflict. His practice combines photography, video, and installation to explore geopolitics, power systems, and the resurgence of 20th-century ideologies. In his series "Perestrojka" (2016), he physically altered war photographs by cutting, abrading, and scratching them to move beyond objective photojournalism. The series "125" (2018) includes "Shield I" and "Shield II," created from a riot shield used by both police and protesters in Ukraine. The shield's scratches and graffiti were scanned and printed large-scale; the title refers to 125 people killed in those clashes. Ciregia's series "Exeresi" manipulates images from Nazi, Fascist, and Communist propaganda magazines like Pravda, isolating disturbing details to reveal hidden messages. He condemns the 2022 Russian invasion but warns against media-driven hatred, emphasizing the need to understand history. He remains in contact with friends in Ukraine, none of whom have enlisted. Ciregia sees his work as an implicit warning about power, propaganda, and totalitarianism, believing art offers a freer space than controlled media. The interview is partly drawn from the book "Stati di tensione. Conversazioni su immagine, società e politica" edited by Carlo Sala (Silvana Editoriale, 2021), promoted by Mu.Fo.Co. – Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea.