ROOTS
AWARDS
2025 | Winner, Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award, GE
2025 | Winner, Rovinj Photodays Award, HR
2025 | Finalist, Circulation(s) Festival, Paris, FR
2025 | Short-List, SATYRYKON International Exhibition, PL
2024 | Finalist, Wschodni Festiwal Fotografii, PL
2023 | Finalist, Photometria Awards “Emerging Roots”, GR
2023 | Second Place, Rovinj Photo Days Award, HR
2023 | Second Place, EU-funded photo contest on Family Connections, EUROPE
2023 | Short-List, Photometria Awards, GR
2023 | BarTur Photo Award, London, UK
2023 | Short-List, Vincent Van Gogh Award, NL
2023 | Second Place, Nida OFF, LT
2022 | Nominee, PinchukArtCentre Prize, UADESCRIPTION
ROOTS (2022-2025)
I began developing a new series, Roots, after the beginning of a full-scale invasion. The common misfortune has awakened in Ukrainians some unknown code, everyone even in the most distant part of the world felt the call of their own land, their identity and their freedom. The work during the war and it's about spirit, the power of roots and the connection between us. In the new works, I continue the journey of discovering the inner self that he began in his previous series, "The Giant. In Roots, I reflect on the self on another level, now as part of a community, and look for new associations of identity that will not be based solely on the concept of the nation. I offer new images of ideology based on fantasy, where I reveal about subconscious spiritual symbols and show how they are subtly sewn inside us.
AIR ATTACKDuring the covid we all knew that the safest place on earth was our home, but when full scale war broke out, our homes became our death traps
RushnykThe rushnyk is a thread that stitches through the entire life of a Ukrainian. It’s used to swaddle a newborn and to cover the final path in death. It isa fabric that witnesses birth and passing. In this work, my family’s rushnyks, over 100 years old, do not just wrap me—they bind and cover me.
BUCHA The work was created when the town of Bucha was liberated in 2022 and we saw the horrors that the Russians were doing to innocent people - women and children were shot. I felt like our society was torn apart and sewn back together by the power of the spirit.
MOTANKAMotanka is a traditional Ukrainian folk doll. They can serve as amulets or symbols of protection. They can be used to ward off evil forces or to bring happiness and prosperity to the home. In general, motanky play a role in the Ukrainian cultural heritage, embodying ancient traditions and contributing to the preservation of national identity.
KhersonThis work is a tribute to the liberation of Kherson, where the watermelon symbolizes the city's indomitable spirit and rebirth. The image captures a personal experience of awakening and hope after darkness, echoing the collective sense of relief and new beginnings. It is a metaphor for returning home, to a world where even surreal imagery becomes a symbol of resilience and freedom.
DandelionAgainst the backdrop of timeless ruins, the dandelion becomes a symbol of fragile hope. The breath that scatters its seeds is an act of faith in the future. And in the sky hangs the ancient Ukrainian symbol of the Sun, a sign of eternal renewal and ancestral power, blessing this rebirth.
HPPAfter the Russians blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP) on the Southern Bug, an environmental and humanitarian crisis of great importance to the region erupted. Many people and animals died as a result of this terrorist act. Clean water, which is a symbol of life, is transformed into a bloody stream, conveying powerlessness in the face of large-scale destruction and gigantic loss.
HOMEThe first days of the full-scale invasion. The home became a trap, and its inhabitants, hostages of uncertainty. Frozen in the windows, they ask themselves the silent question: run, wait, or fight?
TRILOGY BIRTH / FREEDOM / TRANSFORMATIONThe combination of these three elements forms a narrative that captures the essence of life, progress, and cultural evolution. If you're considering incorporating this concept into a project, story, or visual representation, it could offer a rich exploration of the interconnected themes that shape the human experience in Ukrainian society.
A warrior in lilac armorThis is a metaphor for the glorious Ukrainian warriorspast and present, who, on the one hand, are life and, on the other hand, death.
THE CROSSA period of devastation and the full realization that this cross is tied with the threads of social identity, we have to carry it ourselves.
TRINITYIn Ukrainian culture, the Holy Trinity is reflected in traditions and rituals. The celebration is associated with green vegetation, flowers, songs and dances, marking the arrival of spring and new life.Outside of a religious context, the Trinity symbol can also be perceived as an embodiment of unity and interaction, as seen in the triune nature of God
BLOOD BATHThis work expresses the deep and violent nature of military conflicts and their impact on society. It emphasizes the brutality and severity of a situation where blood and violence determine people's daily lives and fate.
Ivan KupalaIt has long been believed that the night of IvanKupala has magical properties. Our ancestorsbelieved that at this time all the “evil spirits” cameout into the world of the living and walked amongpeople.
BLACKOUTDuring the winter of 2022-2023, Russia launched thousands of missiles at Ukraine's energy infrastructure, attempting to break the will of Ukrainians by plunging them into cold and darkness. The work "Blackout" is a response to this terror. It shows that even when the enemy takes away physical light, they cannot extinguish the inner one. The glowing, living plant on the lap becomes a symbol of invincibility and the connection to the native land that provides strength. If we don't have light in our house, the darkness is powerless as long as the light burns within us.
RODa visual embodiment of the ancient Slavic myth about the creation of the world by the god Rod. In the primordial darkness, amidst a freshly plowed field, the faceless figure of the creator becomes a universal symbol of life force itself. The luminous object in his hands is the cosmic egg, a cluster of primary energy from which the universe is born. This is the moment before the Big Bang, the instant when Rod separates light from darkness, sky from earth.
WEDDING CEREMONYechoes the ancient Ukrainian rite of "pokryvannya," where a change in status marked a symbolic death and rebirth. Here, the ritual rushnyk absorbs not just hair but entire faces, erasing individuality to create a single entity. Before a sacred fire, two people cease to exist separately; their fates are forever woven into a single thread, a single pattern on the fabric of life.
BLOOD MOONIn Ukrainian culture, the symbol "circle in a triangle" signifies the mystical depth and inner essence of human existence. In this symbolism, a circle representing the universe through the blood moon is inscribed in a triangle, an image of the human inner universe. The blood moon carries the power of transformation, denoting life's turbulence and trials.
Blood of the EarthThis is not an observation of collective trauma, but a total immersion within it. An act of merging with the pain of one's homeland, which raises the question: is rebirth possible from the epicenter of suffering, or is it a path to self-destruction?
PhoenixAnd gardens will bloom again on the land burned to the ground
YariloAn ancient Ukrainian god of the spring sun and rebirth. The new sun brings new life
APPLE TREEThe apple is a symbol of ancestral knowledge, innate experience and the transmission of traditions from generation to generation.Metaphorically, I am the big apple tree, my son is the little apple tree, he doesn't have his own apples yet and he picks mine.
SowerSower is an image that stretches from theancient gods of fertility to the future of Ukraine. Once, Dazhboh blessed the land with harvests, but now we sow it with flowers—symbols of rebirth. What we plant today will bloom tomorrow.