Surrealistic photography by Olha Stepanian
A remarkable selection of the most notable photographs by Ukrainian artist Olha Stepanian. The works all have a narrative tone, which occasionally gets us to reflect on subtle but significant details that we might otherwise overlook in daily life.
Olha Stepanian is a Ukrainian photographer. She started experimenting with photography in 2010 but was unable to take lessons from professionals, so she had to learn the technique on her own (and still learning till now, adds Olha). The works all have a narrative tone, which occasionally gets us to reflect on subtle but significant details that we might otherwise overlook in daily life. When viewing Olga's images, it is often seems as though the viewer is teleported into a fairy tale or fantastical movie.
The majority of the photos were taken along the Dnieper River's banks, where the sand and water meet and flow into the sky. This amazing scene gives the impression of infinity. Olha doesn't take landscape photos, but there is always a blending of nature and humanity in her frames. She asserted that we are both a part of and a part of nature. Olha sketches out her photographs before she takes them so she can plan out all the little details. This is done to make them set the mood for the entire frame. The props in the frame receive a lot of attention from the author. Olha doesn't use Photoshop in her photographs; instead, she creates all the decorations herself, finds some of the costumes in a thrift shop, and complete the project on her own; this is where her dexterity always comes in handy because she was educated as a seamstress.
"Sometimes, despite spending a full week preparing, the entire shoot only takes 10 to 15 minutes." She said. "Due to my inability to locate or meet that person in any way, I made a sketch and will shoot a frame in a few years. Which is visible in this frame already." She did not choose the black and white image by accident; she has always been drawn to the primitive, retro, and past. "Even in old furniture there is a lot of history, and it inspires." Olha grinned as she said.
"I'm fortunate to live in a small town where everyone knows one another." She added. “I once worked in the theater for six months to fill my hand and in a particular performance I saw a huge moon. It is made of iron and plaster and was attached above the stage with enormous cables. After the show, I went up to the theater's director and requested to rent this moon for a single photograph. Six movers and a truck were on my order. I shot everything in 15 minutes after spending half a day traveling to the shooting location and barely rolling the ball into the shape of a huge moon. " You're kidding right?!, we have been coming all this way for 15 minutes," the movers exclaimed when I told them that was it and that I was ready to leave.”
“Most of my friends and acquaintances who trust me appear in my photographs, and I am grateful to them for this because my imagination can be very limitless. For instance, one evening, I came up with a frame and told a friend without explaining what will happen and she tried all her best to show up. I'm delighted that I can interact with viewers all over the world using photography! And I always appreciate seeing new visitors." Olha concluded.
View Olha Stepanian's work on ARTSY
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*** All images are property of the Artist and JM Art Management
JM Art Management
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