BIO

Irina was born in Donetsk, Ukraine in 1981. Due to the war beginning in Ukraine, she was obliged to move firstly to Kyiv in 2014, and then to Valencia, Spain in 2022.

An economist by profession, Irina was always passionate about art, photography and handmade, but she found her professional calling in visual art only after moving to Spain.

Irina works across photography and collage. She is an active participant of international photography exhibitions and photography awards. Together with other photographers her works were published in the book “100 Contemporary Ukrainian Photographers”.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

In my work I combine photography and collage, and I can’t imagine myself without constant experiments.

Being a child, I was passionate about painting, handmade and geometry of nature, so I have been attracted to playing with different natural materials, paper, paints and textile.

Years after, my visual pleasure from the aesthetics of lines, shapes, textures and colours intensified dramatically. So, in my art I try to splash out my creativity and to combine everything I love.

Mixing photography and collage, colours and geometry, analog and digital, I am always looking for new ways of experimenting, as it drives my mind and helps me to deepen relationship between myself and space around.

 

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS

2024 – “Urban Photo Awards”, Selected photographer (Projects & Portfolios Section), Trieste, Italy

2024 – “Expressive Nature”, online exhibition, ARTDOC Photography Magazine

2024 – “Movement”, The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, UK

2024 – "Dreaming Architectures", collage expo, Turin, Italy 

2024 – "Llum al Mur", International Photography Festival "PhotoAlicante", Alicante

2024 – “Artist 360 Feria de Arte”, Madrid

2024 – "Mi Niño Fantástico", Valencia 

2023 – “Ordinary Objects”, Decagon Gallery, online exhibition

2022 – “Light&Shadow”, Modi Art&Wine Gallery, Kyiv

2022 – “Ukrainian Beauty Saves”, International photo project, Vienna, Bremen, Riga

 

AWARDS

2024 – “Urban Photo Awards”, Selected photographer (Projects & Portfolios Section)

2024 – The 23d Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, Honorable Mention  

2023  – Tokyo International Foto Awards, Silver and Jury TOP-5 selection

2023 –  Tokyo International Foto Awards, 4 Honorable Mentions 

2023 – Budapest International Foto Awards, 5 Honorable Mentions

2023 – Chromatic Photography Awards, Honorable Mention

2023 – Lensculture, Editor's Pick

2023 – Audience choice, Photo contest winner, Kyiv Photography School

 

PUBLICATIONS

2024 – Book "100 Contemporary Ukrainian Photographers"

2024 – “FotoNostrum” online magazine (winners of “The 23d Julia Margaret Cameron Awards”)

2024 – “URBAN Unveils the City and its Secrets, Vol. 10” (Selected photographers of “Urban Photo Awards”)

2024 – “Art House” magazine, special edition “Collage”

 

EDUCATION

2024 – MYPH School of Photography (Ukraine), “Collage” course by Maryna Brodovska

2023 – Kyiv Photography School (Ukraine), “Coloristics” and “Photo Project” courses by Dimitri Bogachuk

2023 – Green4.Photo Photography school, Ukraine

2004 – Donetsk National University, Master of International Economics, Ukraine