Valentine Bo
Valentine Bo (b. 1985, Lutsk)—a Ukrainian photographer. Graduated from the Architecture Institute of the Lviv National University in 2007 receiving a Master’s degree in architecture. Got interested in photography during his student years. Member of the “UPHA” (“Ukrainian Photographic Alternative” association) аnd “4in1” groups (together with Mariia Voinova, Ivan Chernychkin and Yurii Salabai). Since 2010 has been an active participant of the international and Ukrainian projects. Winner of the “Photographer of the Year” contest (2017, Kyiv, Ukraine), “FOAM Talent” (2018, Amsterdam, Netherlands), Bird in Flight Prize (2018, Kyiv, Ukraine), “The BJP International Photography Awards” (second place, Great Britain).
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The artist’s portrait—from his personal archive.
Solo exhibitions:
2011—“Tempo di Viaggio”, 5×5 gallery, Lviv, Ukraine
2015—“Страта їжі / Execution of Food”, as a part of GogolFest, Kyiv, Ukraine
2015—“Містичний потяг / Mystery Train”, Lenin gallery, Zaporizhia, Ukraine
2017—“Мифологии / Mythologies” (together with Misha Pedan and Yaroslav Solop), COME-IN art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2017—“Страта їжі”, Photo Kyiv Fair, Toronto-Kyiv complex, Kyiv, Odesa//Batumi Photo Days festival, Odesa, Ukraine
2018—“Ваш наступний крок — зробити Трансмісію / Your Next Step would be to do the Transmission”, as a part of Photo Kyiv Fair, Kyiv, Ukraine
Group show:
2010—“Два погляди на українську фотографію / Two Views on the Ukrainian Photography”, Ra gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
2011—“Главный Урок / The Key Lesson” (UPHA photographers), as a part of “Чернигов ФотоФест”, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chernihiv, Ukraine
2012—“To the Ukraine”, Diplomat gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
2012—“Нове фото Києва / New Photo of Kyiv”, Lavra gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
2012—“Потік / Flow” (“4in1” group show), Pavlo Gudomov’s Ya Gallery Art Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine
2012—“Правда / Truth”, Winzavod Contemporary Art Centre, Moscow, Russia
2012—“Cult of the Body” (show of the “UPHA”—Ukrainian Photographic Alternative), Leisure gallery, London, Great Britain (curator—Misha Pedan)
2013— “Flow” (show of “4in1” group), Municipal gallery Arsenal, Poznan, Poland, “KG52” gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
2014 — Moscow Biennale of Youth Art, Moscow, Russia
2014 — “Flow” (“4in1” group show), Winston-Salem, North Caroline, USA
2014—“Фотограф року / Photographer of the Year”, M17 Contemporary Art Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine
2015—“Love and War in Ukraine”, Panoptikon Fotografins hus, Stockholm, Sweden (curator—Misha Pedan)
2015—“ULICA”, Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography, Moscow, Russia
2017—“Фотограф року / Photographer of the Year”, M17 Contemporary Art Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine
2018—LANDSKRONA FOTO FESTIVAL, Landskrona, Sweden
2018—“Embracing Diversity”, as a part of Photo VOGUE Festival, Milano, Italy
2019—“FOAM Talent — London”, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall, London, Great Britain
2019—“FOAM Talent”, Red Hook Labs, New York, New York, USA
2019—“FOAM Next Door”, Foam Talent, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2019—“Love, Lust & Fury”, Klaipeda CCC, Klaipeda, Lithuania (curator—Darius Vaichekauskas, co-curator—Halyna Hleba)
2021—“Чутливість / Sensitivity”, “Mystetskyi Arsenal” National Cultural and Art and Museum Complex (curators— Oleksandr Solovyov, Solomia Savchuk, Maxim Gorbatskyi)
2022—“Slava Ukraini!”, Czwartek gallery, Warsaw, Poland
Bo, Valentine. Vayer. Kyiv: Niice, 2013.
British Journal of Photography, June 2019 (cover).
Hernanz, Clara. “These freaky photographs imagine a world ruled by an alien-worshipping sect”. Dazed, May 13, 2019. https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/44438/1/valentine-bo-your-next-step-would-be-to-do-the-transmission-foam-talent-london
Mars, Arthur. “‘Во время съемки с Дэвидо Линчем я видел усталость от окружающего его недоразумения и желание покурить’, — фотограф Валентин Бо”. Elle, November 1, 2018. https://elle.ua/ludi/interview/vo-vremya-semki-s-devidom-linchem-ya-videl-ustalost-ot-okruzhayushchego-ego-nedorazumeniya-i-zhelanie-pokurit–fotograf-valentin-bo/
O’Regan, Kathryn. “The Ukrainian photographer constructing grotesque sci-fi scenes to investigate modern life”. Sleek, August 21, 2019. https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/valentine-bo/
Oh!Sheet. Kyiv: Niice, 2013.
Petrov, Anton. “10 любимых фотографий Валентина Бо”. Bird in Flight, May 6, 2015. https://birdinflight.com/ru/vdohnovenie/opyt/10-lyubimyh-fotografij-valentina-bo.html.
UPHA (Ukrainian Photographic Alternative). Kyiv: Niice, 2013.
“Valentine Bo”. Foam Magazine, no. 52 (2018): 57-68.
“Валентин Бо: ‘Фотография это не сфера интимного обслуживания, нет задачи ублажать каждого’”. Skvot, n.d., 2020. https://skvot.io/ru/blog/valentin-bo-fotografiia-eto-ne-sfera-intimnogo-obsluzhivaniia-net-zadachi-ublazhit-kazhdogo.
Коношевич, Валентин. “Валентин Бо: ‘Мои снимки повергли маму в шок'”. Bird in Flight, 27 сентября 2021. https://birdinflight.com/ru/bird-in-flight-prize-21/20210927-valentin-bo.html?fbclid=IwAR1q9cz2ZQIdA4ArY4d2wfZAaObg8tXZtjuY_EJkNAY2WfqNJLw97oOZIC8.