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.

Alexander Chekmenev (Oleksandr Chekmenov)
Олександр Володимирович Чекменьов
Born (1969-04-01) April 1, 1969 (age 55)
Luhansk, Ukraine
Occupation(s)Documentary photographer and photojournalist
Years active1988–present
Websitewww.alexanderchekmenev.com

Career

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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

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Publications by Chekmenev

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  • 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

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  • Insight. Ukrainian black and white photography in the XXI century. 2008.

Collections

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Solo exhibitions

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The other side of Europe". The other side of Europe. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  2. ^ Шумейко 2011.
  3. ^ a b Сафонов 2015.
  4. ^ Segodnya.UA 2011.
  5. ^ Macdonald, Fiona. "Art in Ukraine: Bullets and barricades". BBC. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  6. ^ "Passport to eternity: photographing the forgotten elderly of Ukraine". The Guardian. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  7. ^ "Strong Arm of the State: Alexander Chekmenev's Post-Independence Ukraine Passport Photos". Time. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  8. ^ "Anstalt der Lilien". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-10.

Works cited

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