“I had tried several times to photograph the circus in Donetsk, a city of a million people in eastern Ukraine that had become the de facto capital of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Several times, fighting had caused performances to be canceled, but in what would eventually be my last visit to Donetsk, the circus was operating – offering a distraction from war and a reminder that signs of ordinary life persist even in the heart of conflict. The director was giving me a tour backstage before the show began, and I spotted these huge wings in the corner of one of the dressing rooms. Immediately, I knew that they would be the basis of a whimsical, magical picture, and in the darkness behind the curtains, just outside the ring, I snapped this picture.

Interestingly, the act that featured this horse was put on by members of a local riding club who were recruited to the circus after the outbreak of war drove away most of the circus’s original performers. After several years of practice, they were accidental stars, proud to be receiving invitations to perform in Russia and elsewhere.”

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