Lecture course
«Conceptual Photography» by Roman Pyatkovka

  • The cycle consists of 20 lectures
  • Monday and Wednesday at 7:00 PM

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The author of the course and the instructor is Roman Pyatkovka

A representative of the Kharkiv School of Photography.

He was born in 1955 in Kharkiv.

In the years 1972-1978, he studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute. In 1979, he attended the Higher production courses for lighting artists at the Kyiv National I. K. Karpenko-Karyi University of Theatre, Cinema and Television. Concurrently, for eight years (1979-1986), he worked as the chief artist for lighting design at the Theater of Young Spectators in Kharkiv.

In the early 1980s, he became passionate about photography, developing as a professional through interactions with Boris Mikhailov, Yevgen Pavlov, Oleg Malovany, Y. Rupin, and others.

He has been a member of the National Union of Photo Artists of Ukraine since 1989.

As a follower of the Kharkiv School of Photography, he engaged in conceptual photography, utilizing its main principle, the "theory of impact," in his works. He pays attention not only to the aesthetics of the image but also to the integrity of the author's expression.

The photographer focuses on the theme of private space and corporeality as markers of social status.

Throughout his photographic career, Roman has received numerous awards and honors, both locally and internationally:

  • 2010: Laureate of the creative award from the city council (Kharkiv, Ukraine).

  • 2013: Award in the "Conceptual Photography" category for the series "Soviet Photo (2013)" at the Sony World Photography Awards (London, UK).

  • 2014: Honorary Diploma from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine for a personal contribution to the development and popularization of Ukrainian photographic art, conscientious work, and high professionalism (Kyiv, Ukraine).

  • 2016: Grand Prize from the Kharkiv Regional State Administration and Kharkiv Regional Council in the field of culture and art named after Oleksiy Mykhailovych Ivanitsky, in the category of "Photographic Art" (Kharkiv, Ukraine).

  • 2019: Two-year state scholarship for outstanding figures in culture and art (Decree of the President of Ukraine V. Zelensky No. 946/2019) (Kyiv, Ukraine).

He is actively involved in teaching, both in Kharkiv at the Department of Media Communications of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and at the Chekachkov Photo Academy, as well as in other cities in Ukraine and abroad.

Roman Pyatkovka's artistic works are part of private collections and museum holdings, including Grynyov Art Collection (Kyiv, Ukraine), Multimedia Art Museum (Moscow, Russia), State Center of Contemporary Art (Moscow, Russia), Ken Damy Museum (Brescia, Italy), Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago, USA), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (Moscow, Russia), Navigator Foundation (Boston, USA), ARTOTHEK (Nuremberg, Germany).

Today, he is considered one of the key figures in the Kharkiv School of Photography.

You can find more about him on his website: pyatkovka.com.

More about the "Conceptual Photography" lecture series

This course explores photography in the context of contemporary conceptual art and will be of particular interest to those in search of their own visual language. It includes lectures on the history of conceptual photography, introductions to contemporary artists, training to uncover abilities, and the mastery of project creation methods.

During the sessions, participants gain a broad range of knowledge in the field of contemporary visual culture, discuss various issues related to creativity, photography techniques, and work with the instructor on their artistic projects.

We will discuss the prerequisites for transitioning from the fine art to the art of ideas, from traditional photography to conceptual photography.

We will definitely discuss how philosophers buried photography as an art form and how conceptual artists revived it.

It will be interesting to compare the conditions under which the Kharkiv School of Photography and the Düsseldorf School of Photography emerged.

We will see how conceptual art influences contemporary advertising photography.

We will delve into what a visual narrative and verbal photography are.

We'll discuss whether a photographer needs a camera if they can appropriate others' photos.

I will tell you how the great masters created their art books.

And, of course, we will talk about taboos and intimate photography.

Lecture Plan

  • Introduction. Portfolio Review.
  • ARTIST TALK – "Body as a social indicator. Personal communal space and intimate monologue".
  • Postmodern Barrier – from the fine art to the art of ideas. Conceptual photography in contemporary art.
  • The relationship between "Life Truth" and "Art Principles," performative photography. From Gustav Rejlander to Sandy Skoglund.
  • Artistic practices, stylistic techniques of photographic schools. Part I: "Image as a Cultural Text."
  • Artistic practices, stylistic techniques of photographic schools. Part II: "Negative Optics."
  • Purism. Socio-cultural contexts in contemporary advertising photography.
  • Others' Photography. Working with archive and anonymous photography, appropriation.
  • Intimate knowledge. Taboos and gender self-identification in contemporary photography.
  • Visual narrative. Verbal photography. Text as a part of the image.
  • Genre free from rules. Art book and photo book.
  • Discussion, review, and visualization of the conceptual projects of course participants.
  • Methodological training for creating personal project.

The entire cycle consists of 20 lectures.

Additional information about the course

Cost: 16 300 uah
Course starts:
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