Mykhaylo Palinchak – Phantom Pain

#1 min Kateryna Radchenko, Mykhaylo Palinchak

1. 12. 2025

Mykhailo Palinchak, Tattoo with the outline of Ukraine on the woman’s hand, Kyjev, Ukrajina, 12.3.2022
Mykhailo Palinchak, Tattoo with the outline of Ukraine on the woman’s hand, Kyjev, Ukrajina, 12.3.2022

In 2024, Ukrainian photographer Mykhailo Palinchak began working on Phantom Pain, a photo series that remains in progress. His reflections on systematic loss—both personal and social—date back to 2015, but Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine made this theme even more urgent.

#49 Talk TogetherProfileWar

Phantom Pain is a visual exploration of pain caused by the trauma of loss and the process of coming to terms with a changed body, both individually and collectively. It examines how people and societies adapt to profound transformation. Palinchak studies these changes on three levels: the national—how the country copes with the occupation of its territories; the collective—how people co-exist with the constant presence of war and the fear of losing their own lives or loved ones; and the personal—when a person loses a part of their body and must adapt to the altered contours of their physical self. These physical and psychological changes transform one’s understanding of identity and expand the boundaries of self-awareness. Adaptation and acceptance soften the fear.

#49 Talk TogetherProfileWarIdentityNarrative Talk Together

Kateryna Radchenko

works as curator, photographer, photography researcher. Lives and works in Ukraine. She´s founder and director of the international festival Odessa Photo Days. As an author, she has published articles in several international magazines and online platforms, such as Fotograf, Magenta, EIKON, FOAM Magazines. Curated exhibitions in Ukraine, South Korea, Sweden, Georgia, France, Germany, Belarus and Latvia. 

Mykhaylo Palinchak

Mykhaylo Palinchak is an independent Ukrainian documentary photographer, residing and working in Kyiv, Ukraine. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Ukrainian Photographic Alternative and since 2014, a member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. He is the founder of the 'Untitled' magazine and co-founder of the Ukrainian Street Photography group.

#49 Talk Together

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#49 Talk TogetherReviewArt Fair

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#49 Talk TogetherEssaySocial Media

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#44 EmpathyProfileSociety

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