Marking five years of programming at ATELIERTHEATER Wien, the interdisciplinary project INNENLAND explores the realities of life for civilians and soldiers in Ukraine’s frontline regions.

Theatre can offer a glimpse into people’s inner worlds and serve as a mirror of society. Building on this idea, INNENLAND brings together film, documentary photography and literature to provide a personal perspective on Russia’s war against Ukraine — beyond the everyday cycle of news reporting.

Three artistic formats

The INNENLAND programme brings together three interconnected artistic formats: an exhibition of documentary photography by Borys Maliuha, a screening of his documentary short film “THE FELLAS” (Ukr. PATSYKY), and a bilingual Ukrainian-German reading of documentary texts in collaboration with Austrian writer and war correspondent Robert Prosser.

The documentary “THE FELLAS” follows six Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern front. The camera observes their everyday lives, conversations and reflections, as well as the distinctive humour that helps them preserve their humanity even under the conditions of war.

The photography exhibition presents works created by Borys Maliuha between 2023 and 2026 in Ukraine’s frontline regions. His photographs document the everyday realities of war while bringing individual stories and experiences into focus.

By combining different artistic media, INNENLAND offers Viennese audiences, Ukrainians living in Austria and everyone interested in the consequences of the war an opportunity to encounter it through individual perspectives and to reflect on its personal and societal impact.

Artists

Borys Maliuha (*2002, Ternopil) is a Ukrainian director, war journalist and poet. His documentary film PATSYKY received awards at several Ukrainian and international film festivals in 2025. As a war journalist, he reports on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine for the Austrian newspaper Die Presse. He lives and works in Kyiv.

Robert Prosser (*1983, Alpbach) is an Austrian writer, performance artist and curator. His work combines literature, reportage and performance and engages, among other subjects, with conflict and war zones. His works include Phantome, Gemma Habibi, Verschwinden in Lawinen and Das geplünderte Nest. In 2017, Phantome was nominated for the German Book Prize.

Stasia Garus (*1997 in Ukraine) is a poet, performer and curator working at the intersections of poetry, short prose, spoken performance and visual art. Her work focuses on multilingualism and linguistic experimentation. She writes in Ukrainian and English, translates into German and Polish, and is currently studying Sprachkunst in Vienna.

INNENLAND creates a space where Ukrainian and Austrian artistic perspectives can meet, opening a conversation about war through personal stories, documentary testimony and art.