Citizens of Kyiv

A solo exhibition by Alexander Chekmenev

For over thirty years, Alexander Chekmenev has documented the daily lives of those whom society often ignores and excludes, those whose individual stories are stigmatized or considered too long, too hard, too complicated, hopeless. Chekmenev not only listens to these stories, he makes them visible, and builds lasting relationships with his subjects over years, thus offering various forms of support.

In Citizens of Kyiv, Chekmenev captures the courage and fighting spirit of ordinary people resisting the war in Ukraine. Chekmenev’s visual language is reminiscent of his earlier series, and, at the same time, that of the Flemish Golden Age masters. His subjects, although photographed at the most devastating time in their lives, exude a certain magnanimity, and inspire admiration. Each portrait is accompanied by personal stories, further highlighting the generosity, altruism and unity of the Ukrainian nation.

About the artist

Alexander Chekmenev (b. in 1969 in Luhansk, Ukraine, living in Kyiv, Ukraine) started his career as a photographer in 1988 documenting people in his hometown located in a coal mining region that was seriously affected by the collapse of the Soviet Union. His photographs of this period reflect the roughness of social and political situations of the decade and form a unique archive of Ukraine’s life.

Chekmenev portrays his sitters in a straight-out documentality, which is combined with a sincere interest towards the stories of people, and understanding of their characters and habits (e.g., projects Street people, 1994-1999; Passport, 1995). Along with that, the photographer creates series featuring the contemporary political situation in the country, showing recent events and their outcome (Euromaidan, 2014; War–Torn, 2014-2015; War in Donbass, 2014-2016; Deleted, 2018-2020; Citizens of Kyiv, 2022-ongoing).

Chekmenev’s works have been published in New York Times Lens Blog, Time Magazine and Time Light Box, New Yorker Photo Booth, MSNBC, Quartz, The Guardian, Vice Magazine, Liberation. He received a Grand Prix “Photographer of the Year of Ukraine 2013”. He is the author of Donbass (2011), Passport (2017), Lilies (2020) and Pharmakon / Ambulance (2021) photo books.

His works are widely exhibited internationally and are part of several museum collections – MOKSOP Museum in Kharkiv, “Mystetskyi Arsenal” Museum in Kyiv, Märkisches Museum in Witten and Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany.

© Photo: Alexander Chekmenev 

Citizens of Kyiv exhibition is a part of a project run by Kultur Aktiv, in cooperation with Ta(r)dino 6 Art Platform (Azerbaijan) and IZOLYATSIA Platform for Cultural Initiatives (Ukraine), funded by the Culture of Solidarity programme of the European Cultural Foundation and the Federal Agency for Civic Education.