Past event
Energised Ukraine: Art in Precarious Times Byre World event: free but please book
What is energy? Is it something that we remember only at moments when we think it might disappear completely?
During this talk, hosted by Viktoriia Grivina, Byre World invites you to look at the way Ukrainian artists have reflected across time on the country's vast energy landscapes and asks what it means to make art when the infrastructure of the city you live in is crumbling and blackouts are changing daily routines and habits. The panel will also consider where creative energy comes from in precarious times.
Viktoriia will be joined by photographer Igor Chekachkov, who will speak about his path as a photographer in Ukraine, the role of the environment, the specificity of looking at war through the camera lens, and where one finds energy in challenging times. He will also share information about his ongoing project of photographing Ukrainians outside of Ukraine.
Igor started working as a photojournalist for Ukrainian and international outlets in his hometown, Kharkiv. Before the war, his photographic work focused on the boundaries between public and intimate spaces, as well as the influence of modern digital algorithms on the nature of images. However, after the full-scale war started, he shifted his focus to exploring Ukrainian identity and the notion of home.
His work has been published in Forbes, National Geographic, The Guardian (UK), Le Monde (France), WirtschaftsWoche (Germany), Forbes (Ukraine) and others. He also continues to exhibit his prints internationally in both solo and group exhibitions, including work in the Quatrième Image, Paris (2014), Galerie Claude Samuel, Paris (2015), Ukrainian Museum, New York (2015), Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles (2015), Odesa// Batumi festival (2017) and many others.
The event will conclude a series of online seminars, Ukraine: Energy in the Spotlight 2, held in coordination with the St Andrews Centre for Energy Ethics.