Aleksandr Chekmenev is one of the leading contemporary photographers in Ukraine. His works have frequently been published in Time, The Guardian, Vice, Libération, and many other international news outlets. But Chekmenev is not a traditional photojournalist. His photographs have often been included in exhibitions of contemporary Ukrainian art and purchased by international art museums.
His chosen genre is the portrait. The Ukrainian photographer prefers to produce images, distinct from but akin to each other, of people photographed in the same context (dwellings of the poor, hospitals, war zones). As a result of this, his repetitive catalogs of human types convey the story of a population suffering economic deprivation or the anguish of victims of war. Chekmenev has created a striking and disturbing collective portrait of contemporary Ukrainian society.
This exhibition includes photo series produced by the photographer over the past 17 years.
Curated by Konstantin Akinsha and Alisa Lozhkina.
Further informations: www.iwm.at/news
Project financed by the Temerty Fund at KBF Canada.
