Sander Possner (b. 1964) began working as a freelance news photographer while still in secondary school and was later mentored by Swedish press photographer Tommy Mardell, recipient of the World Press Photo Award (wpp 1975).

His early freelance assignments funded independent projects, leading to successful participation in the nationwide photography competition “Unga fotografer” [Young Photographers] as well as a string of school-holiday journeys across the Middle East. These travels soon developed a predictable pattern, invariably leading to his repeated detention and questioning by local security forces as a result of his photography.

After entering university, Possner stopped photographing altogether, though his engagement with the Middle East continued. He moved to the region shortly after completing his studies and lived there for more than two decades, experiencing several of its conflicts and wars. He later also spent five years living and working in Russia and Ukraine, prior to the invasion in February 2022.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted him to undertake numerous independent journeys to Ukraine to witness the war first-hand. During these travels, he returned to documentary photography as a means of recording and processing his experiences.