UKRAINIAN PHOTOGRAPHY IN FOREIGN PUBLICATIONS IN THE PERIOD OF COVID-19: ARTISTIC FEATURES AND CREATIVE CONCEPTS

Abstract

The article analyzes the artistic approaches and creative intentions that were implemented in Ukrainian photography published in foreign book publications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special attention is paid to the study of aesthetic solutions, conceptual strategies and visual techniques used by Ukrainian photographers in photo projects that took place outside of Ukraine. These works not only demonstrate the creative potential of Ukrainian authors, but also reflect the current topics of global isolation, social distance and crisis. The article also reveals how these approaches contribute to the integration of Ukrainian photography into the world artistic discourse and reflect the general trends in the development of modern art. The photo books published in foreign publications and referred to in the publication include the works of Borys Mykhaylov, Yulia Polyashenko, Taras Bychko, Sasha Kurmaz, Oleksandr Chekmenyev, and Serhii Melnichenko. These photographers represent a wide range of stylistic and conceptual approaches, from documentary photography to experimental forms of visual representation. Their works reflect both local and global socio-cultural processes that have arisen during the pandemic and show how art can respond to challenges such as isolation, changing relationships and transforming social reality. The analysis confirms that Ukrainian photographers not only preserve their unique identity, but also successfully interact with global artistic processes, offering new forms of visual understanding of various social and sociocultural phenomena. This contributes to the further popularization of Ukrainian photography in the international arena. In addition, the study shows that in the context of world photography, Ukrainian artists are able to influence the formation of new approaches to understanding the collective experience of the crisis, combining elements of local culture with global problems. Creative searches of Ukrainian photographers not only reflect current challenges, but also lay the foundation for the further development of visual culture in the conditions of global transformations.