Alexander Chekmenev
Alexander Chekmenev (Oleksandr Chekmenov)  | |
|---|---|
Олександр Володимирович Чекменьов  | |
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| Born | April 1, 1969 Luhansk, Ukraine  | 
| Occupation(s) | Documentary photographer and photojournalist | 
| Years active | 1988–present | 
| Website | www | 
Alexander Chekmenev (Oleksandr Chekmenov) (Ukrainian: Олександр Володимирович Чекменьов, Russian: Александр Владимирович Чекменёв, born April 1, 1969)[1] is a Ukrainian documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Kyiv.
Career
Chekmenev made his first photo while in school, attended a photoclub[2] and later got a professional certificate from a licensed photo studio in Luhansk in 1988.[3]
He worked for a studio in Luhansk and did small time jobs taking pictures of weddings, birthdays and other occasions. He also occasionally volunteered as a forensic photographer for an ambulance brigade in the city.[3]
In 1997 he was invited to a Kiyv-based daily newspaper as a photojournalist and moved to Kyiv. In 1998 the newspaper ceased operation, Chekmenev became a freelancer and has been working as an independent photojournalist ever since.[4] Today he works as a photojournalist
His first book was called simply Black and White Photographs and was published in 2008 in Kyiv as a part of series on Ukrainian photography. In 2011 Alexander made a private print of his book Donbass in Germany. Chekmenev created a series of portraits of protestors, called Warriors, as they emerged from the street battles of Euromaidan.[5] His next book Passport was based on his work of 1994/95 and was published in the UK in 2017.[6][7]
Publications
Publications by Chekmenev
- Black and White Photographs. Kyiv: Artbook, 2008. ISBN 978-966-96916-4-4. Ukrainian/English. Edition of 1000 copies.
 - Donbass. Heidelberg: Kehrer, 2011. Edited by Andrej Krementschouk. ISBN 978-3-86828-185-9. German/English/Russian.
 - Passport. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2017. ISBN 978-1-911306-06-1. Edition of 1000 copies.
 - Lilies. Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography, 2020. Photography and text by Chekmenev. Edited by Sergiy Lebedynskyy. ISBN 978-3-947922-04-8. Ukrainian/English. Edition of 550 copies.[8]
 - Pharmakon: Ambulance in Luhansk 1994–1995. Palermo: 89books, 2021. ISBN 978-88-944092-8-4. With an essay by Donald Weber.
 
Publications with others
- Insight. Ukrainian black and white photography in the XXI century. 2008.
 
Collections
- Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography, Kharkiv, Ukraine (245 prints from various series)
 - Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany (15 prints from the Passport series)
 - Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum Complex, Kyiv, Ukraine (prints from the Passport series)
 - Märkisches Museum, Witten, Germany (2 prints from the Donbass series)
 
Solo exhibitions
- Ukrainian Passport, Lilac series, City art gallery in Poprad, Slovakia, 2000
 - Ukrainian Passport, Lilac, The Blind, Easter, Portraits, The Miners, City art gallery in Olsztyn, Poland, 2001
 - Donbass, Perm Museum of Contemporary Art, Perm, Russia, 2010
 - Donbass, Märkisches Museum (Witten), Witten, Germany, 2013
 - Donbass, Pálffy Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2015
 - Donbass, Passport, Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR, 2016
 - Donbass, Märkisches Museum, Witten, Germany, 2018
 
See also
References
- ^ "The other side of Europe". The other side of Europe. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
 - ^ Шумейко 2011.
 - ^ a b Сафонов 2015.
 - ^ Segodnya.UA 2011.
 - ^ Macdonald, Fiona. "Art in Ukraine: Bullets and barricades". BBC. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
 - ^ "Passport to eternity: photographing the forgotten elderly of Ukraine". The Guardian. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
 - ^ "Strong Arm of the State: Alexander Chekmenev's Post-Independence Ukraine Passport Photos". Time. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
 - ^ "Anstalt der Lilien". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
 
Works cited
- Шумейко, Валентина (2011-10-05). "Фотомастер Александр Чекменев: "Я пишу историю человеческими портретами"" (in Russian). ArgumentUA.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
 - "Украина в 1998 году: убийство Гетьмана и наводнение в Закарпатье" (in Russian). Segodnya.UA. 2011-05-17. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
 - Сафонов, Евгений (2015-09-09). "Александр Чекменёв: "Мне интересно собирать осколки прошлого"" (in Russian). Bird In Flight. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
 
External links
- Official website
 - "Ukrainian Servicemen", The New Yorker, 2014
 
