Yuri Boyko
Yuri Boyko is a San Francisco-based photographer of Ukrainian descent.
His artistic practice develops from his interest in deconstructing the different aspects of identity. Through his work, Yuri researches the concept of identity both as a development of the distinct personality of an individual as well as a social role within a certain community. Two of his most recent projects are Constructivism: A Man and A Woman and Immersive Identity. His work has been exhibited extensively in the U.S. and Ukraine.
PROJECT
During his residency at CeRCCa, Yuri developed a body of work inspired by the natural, social, and political contexts of the region with a particular interest in deciphering the symbols of Catalan identity in relation to the growing nationalism movement that Catalonia is experiencing in recent times. His project, Catalan Sketches, focused on the symbols of this identity through the foundational legend and social function of the Catalan flag: ‘la Senyera’. The Catalan flag is rethought in relation to different sites and situations that have marked the artist’s everyday life during his residency by using sites and situations that have a particular relation to the national psychology, its identity and history. The artist used form and color in order to create the subtle abstraction of these sites and situations. Catalan Sketches has the deconstruction of the shapes and colors of the Catalan flag as a continuous narrative element, and is ordered into four different thematic groups inspired by 4 different sites: the abandoned village of Selma, the Royal Monastery of Santes Creus, the Cal Figueres farm and different scenes of socialization in the city of Vilafranca del Penedès. These abstractions work as multilayered messages composed by the remembrance of a heroic past, the reflection on today’s multicultural society and an optimistic view of the future.
The final outcome of this intense creative period was twofold. On one hand his intention was to show a series of photographs that confirms a mapping of his idea of national symbology into the specific context of Catalonia.
On the other hand he interacted with the local community by using projections on various surfaces in the village while the work was in progress.
This approach allowed Yuri to develop a dialogue with the local community,
deconstructing the ideas of nation and flag as quintessential elements of patriotism.
During his time at CeRCCa he also worked in a series of photographs that he describes as follows:
‘In the summer of 2013 I was working on a series of photographs about Catalan culture, customs, and daily activities which later came out to present set of symbols of socio-historical fabric of contemporary life in Catalonia. I had a rigorous daily schedule around the main project: location exploration, shooting of raw material, developing idea by combing through and trying out acceptable and most expressive visual languages to build the narrative, post production, and engaging local community into dialog with images.
The awareness of the surroundings was heightened. But sometimes I’d stumble on clues of a different nature pointing to something outside boundaries of my concentrated and focused engagement. Whether it was dry long-stem wild flowers matched with an African drum as their vase, or wire birds on the wall brought to life by sun rays striking through the window, or elongated smooth one-piece bare wood pitchfork leaning against tapestry of inviting round logs, or grubbed out grapevine roots slumped tightly together by dusk, these split second piercings through the veil of mundane would bring in a realization of tranquility and existentialist sensation of the heavenly.’
yuriboyko.com