Photo © VALENTYN ODNOVIUN
Experimental - NOMINEE: VALENTYN ODNOVIUN
The Process
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What are we looking at, when dealing with the past?
The project presents photographs that depicts pieces of discarded photo paper which were found in the former KGB “Patarei” prison photography darkroom in Tallinn, Estonia.
Photography in the context of KGB prisons was mainly used as a documenting tool and was very controlled, capturing the subject, and recasting him as an object in the service of the prison system. Prisoners in the Soviet secret police facilities were photographed on a single piece of photographic paper which showed them both facing the camera and in profile. The pieces of photo paper shown in this installation were not used for such purpose; rather, they were left discarded after the prison was closed and “processed” by the natural light through the window in an abandoned facility formerly operated by a government that ceased to exist.
About author:
Valentyn Odnoviun was born in Ukraine. For the last years has lived in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In 2014 got a scholarship for studies in Lithuania from Education exchange support foundation. In 2015 he was selected to study in Lodz Art Academy in Erasmus program.
Graduated form Vilnius Art Academy (Master of Phototgraphy).
EDUCATION
2016-till present – Vilnius Academy of Arts, MA in Art History and Theory
2017-2018 – Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, Visual Arts (Erasmus scholarship exchange program)
2014-2016 – Vilnius Academy of Arts, MA in Photography and Media Arts
2015-2016 – Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz, Visual Arts (Erasmus scholarship exchange program)
2005-2010 – Kharkiv National Pedagogic University, MA in Teacher of English and World Literature
EXHIBITIONS
PERSONAL (selected)
2017: - Surveillance, Blütengasse 9 gallery, Vienna, Austria
- Surveillance, Cesis New Castle Exhibition Hall, Cesis, Latvia
- Surveillance, The gallery of the Lithuanian Photographers Association, Vilnius,
Lithuania
2016: - Traces of Memory, Art gallery Akademija, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Traces of Memory, Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz, Poland
COLLECTIVE (selected)
2017: - World Biennial of Student Photography, with project Surveillance, Museum of
Contemporary Arts of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Warsaw Photo Days, with project Surveillance, Warsaw, Poland
- Different Worlds 2017, Young Contemporary Photography, with project
Surveillance, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- INTERPHOTO Grand Prix 2017 Festival, with project Surveillance, Bialystok,
Poland
- Auckland Festival of Photography, with project Traces of Memory, New Zealand
- Walter Koschatzky Art Award 2017, with project Surveillance. Exhibition of the
finalists at the HOFSTALLUNGEN, by Rotary Club Albertina, Vienna, Austria
- Kaunas Gallery Weekend 2017, with project Traces of Memory, Kaunas, Lithuania
2016: - Debiutas 2016, with projects Surveillance and Warsaw 1944, photo gallery Prospekto, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Meno Celės, with project Investigation, Art gallery Titanikas, Vilnius, Lithuania
- On-Time, exhibition of contemporary young artists, Parliament of Ukraine, Kyiv,
Ukraine
AWARDS, GRANTS & RESIDENCIES
2018: - Artist Scholarship Gaude Polonia from National Centre for Culture, Warsaw,
Poland
2017: - 1st prize - World Biennial of Student Photography, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Nominee - Riga Photography Biennial Awards 2018, Riga, Latvia
- Nominee - Warsaw Photo Days Grand Prix, Warsaw, Poland
- Nominee - Different Worlds 2017, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Nominee - Photogrvphy Grant London, United Kingdom
- Grand Prix Award - Interphoto Grand Prix 2017, Bialystok, Poland
- Nominee - Walter Koschatzky Art Award 2017, Vienna, Austria
2016: - 1st place - Debiutas 2016 award for Emerging Art Photographers, Vilnius,
Lithuania
- Shortlist - Baltic Young Artist Award 2016, Riga, Latvia
2014: - Full scholarship from Education Exchanges Support Foundation of Lithuania for
Masters studies at Vilnius Academy of Arts
RESIDENCIES
2016 – 2017 - Artist-in-Residence, RUCKA Artist Residency, Cesis, Latvia
PUBLIC PERFORMING
2017: – Artist Talk at Warsaw Photo Days, Warsaw, Poland
– Artist Talk at Nida Photography Symposium 2017, 40th Anniversary, Nida,
Lithuania
– Lecture Post-Documentary at the National Academy of Arts, Lviv, Ukraine
CATALOGS
2017: - Natalia Arlauskaitė (Author): „Repression Astronomy: A Monitoring of Distance,“
Fotografija magazine, No2 (34), p16-17, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Alvydas Lukys (Editor): Lithuanian Photography'17 – II Almanac,
Lithuanian Photographers Association Foundation, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Jasna Jernejšek (Editor): Different Worlds, fifth edition catalog, p26-27, Photon –
Centre for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Natalia Arlauskaitė (Author): „Repression Astronomy: A Monitoring of Distance,“
Literatura ir Menas, magazine No23 (3619), Back cover, p3, 20, 22, 31
- Agnė Narušytė (Author): „Violence Observatory,“ 7md art newspaper, Vilnius,
Lithuania
- ANDERS Studio E.U., Walter Koschatzky Art Award 2017, p39-41 Vienna, Austria
2016: - Debiutas 2016 catalog, Publisher: Lithuanian Photographers Association, Vilnius,
Lithuania
- Jurij Dobriakov (Editor): Meno Celės catalog, p66-67, Vilnius Academy of Arts
Publishing House
The project presents photographs that depicts pieces of discarded photo paper which were found in the former KGB “Patarei” prison photography darkroom in Tallinn, Estonia.
Photography in the context of KGB prisons was mainly used as a documenting tool and was very controlled, capturing the subject, and recasting him as an object in the service of the prison system. Prisoners in the Soviet secret police facilities were photographed on a single piece of photographic paper which showed them both facing the camera and in profile. The pieces of photo paper shown in this installation were not used for such purpose; rather, they were left discarded after the prison was closed and “processed” by the natural light through the window in an abandoned facility formerly operated by a government that ceased to exist.
About author:
Valentyn Odnoviun was born in Ukraine. For the last years has lived in Vilnius, Lithuania.
In 2014 got a scholarship for studies in Lithuania from Education exchange support foundation. In 2015 he was selected to study in Lodz Art Academy in Erasmus program.
Graduated form Vilnius Art Academy (Master of Phototgraphy).
EDUCATION
2016-till present – Vilnius Academy of Arts, MA in Art History and Theory
2017-2018 – Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, Visual Arts (Erasmus scholarship exchange program)
2014-2016 – Vilnius Academy of Arts, MA in Photography and Media Arts
2015-2016 – Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz, Visual Arts (Erasmus scholarship exchange program)
2005-2010 – Kharkiv National Pedagogic University, MA in Teacher of English and World Literature
EXHIBITIONS
PERSONAL (selected)
2017: - Surveillance, Blütengasse 9 gallery, Vienna, Austria
- Surveillance, Cesis New Castle Exhibition Hall, Cesis, Latvia
- Surveillance, The gallery of the Lithuanian Photographers Association, Vilnius,
Lithuania
2016: - Traces of Memory, Art gallery Akademija, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Traces of Memory, Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz, Poland
COLLECTIVE (selected)
2017: - World Biennial of Student Photography, with project Surveillance, Museum of
Contemporary Arts of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Warsaw Photo Days, with project Surveillance, Warsaw, Poland
- Different Worlds 2017, Young Contemporary Photography, with project
Surveillance, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- INTERPHOTO Grand Prix 2017 Festival, with project Surveillance, Bialystok,
Poland
- Auckland Festival of Photography, with project Traces of Memory, New Zealand
- Walter Koschatzky Art Award 2017, with project Surveillance. Exhibition of the
finalists at the HOFSTALLUNGEN, by Rotary Club Albertina, Vienna, Austria
- Kaunas Gallery Weekend 2017, with project Traces of Memory, Kaunas, Lithuania
2016: - Debiutas 2016, with projects Surveillance and Warsaw 1944, photo gallery Prospekto, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Meno Celės, with project Investigation, Art gallery Titanikas, Vilnius, Lithuania
- On-Time, exhibition of contemporary young artists, Parliament of Ukraine, Kyiv,
Ukraine
AWARDS, GRANTS & RESIDENCIES
2018: - Artist Scholarship Gaude Polonia from National Centre for Culture, Warsaw,
Poland
2017: - 1st prize - World Biennial of Student Photography, Novi Sad, Serbia
- Nominee - Riga Photography Biennial Awards 2018, Riga, Latvia
- Nominee - Warsaw Photo Days Grand Prix, Warsaw, Poland
- Nominee - Different Worlds 2017, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Nominee - Photogrvphy Grant London, United Kingdom
- Grand Prix Award - Interphoto Grand Prix 2017, Bialystok, Poland
- Nominee - Walter Koschatzky Art Award 2017, Vienna, Austria
2016: - 1st place - Debiutas 2016 award for Emerging Art Photographers, Vilnius,
Lithuania
- Shortlist - Baltic Young Artist Award 2016, Riga, Latvia
2014: - Full scholarship from Education Exchanges Support Foundation of Lithuania for
Masters studies at Vilnius Academy of Arts
RESIDENCIES
2016 – 2017 - Artist-in-Residence, RUCKA Artist Residency, Cesis, Latvia
PUBLIC PERFORMING
2017: – Artist Talk at Warsaw Photo Days, Warsaw, Poland
– Artist Talk at Nida Photography Symposium 2017, 40th Anniversary, Nida,
Lithuania
– Lecture Post-Documentary at the National Academy of Arts, Lviv, Ukraine
CATALOGS
2017: - Natalia Arlauskaitė (Author): „Repression Astronomy: A Monitoring of Distance,“
Fotografija magazine, No2 (34), p16-17, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Alvydas Lukys (Editor): Lithuanian Photography'17 – II Almanac,
Lithuanian Photographers Association Foundation, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Jasna Jernejšek (Editor): Different Worlds, fifth edition catalog, p26-27, Photon –
Centre for Contemporary Photography, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Natalia Arlauskaitė (Author): „Repression Astronomy: A Monitoring of Distance,“
Literatura ir Menas, magazine No23 (3619), Back cover, p3, 20, 22, 31
- Agnė Narušytė (Author): „Violence Observatory,“ 7md art newspaper, Vilnius,
Lithuania
- ANDERS Studio E.U., Walter Koschatzky Art Award 2017, p39-41 Vienna, Austria
2016: - Debiutas 2016 catalog, Publisher: Lithuanian Photographers Association, Vilnius,
Lithuania
- Jurij Dobriakov (Editor): Meno Celės catalog, p66-67, Vilnius Academy of Arts
Publishing House