Katya Lesiv
b. 1993, Ukraine
visual artist, photographer
Currenly lives and works between Ukraine and Finland.
She is educated with a MA from National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture in Kyiv (2017). She works with the topics of cyclicality, physicality, emotional and sensitive experience, motherhood. She works in various media genres such as artbook, photography, object, installation, graphics, video. Her particular interest is the exhibition of the book as an object in space. The artbook “Lullaby 1” belongs to the world’s top-100 photobooks “How We See: Photobooks by Women” according to 10×10 Photobooks. Artbook “I love you” was shortlisted by Aperture PhotoBooks Award in 2022.
Education
2017 – Master of Fine Arts (National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture, Kyiv).
2017 – author’s course of Pavlo Makov in IZONE in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Solo exhibitions
2022 – solo exhibition I am. Rada in Uusi Kipinä Gallery, Lahti.
2018 – solo exhibition LULLABY in YaGallery, Ukraine.
Selected exhibitions
2022 – participation in the exhibition Ukrainian Perspectives: Photography from the 1940s–Now, New York.
2023 – participation in the exhibition Whispers and Shouts. Voices of Ukrainian Women Photographers, Fotodok, Netherlands.
2022 – participation in the 2022 PhotoBook Awards traveling exhibition (Paris, United States).
2022 – participation in the exhibition The Splitting and Space Between, Augusta gallery, Suomenlinna.
2021 – participation in the exhibition Not Bliss But Relief at the festival Photobook Week Aarhus 2021, Denmark.
2020 – participation in the exhibition Is routine a ritual?, Artsvit Gallery, Ukraine.
2019 – participation in the exhibition (Re)Context. Stories, Mala Gallery, Mystetskyi Arsenal, Ukraine.
2019 – participation in the Biennale of Young Art in Kharkiv with the project In the Garden of Taras, Ukraine.
2018 – project research What do you want? (with Katya Libkind) in Port creative hub, Ukraine.
2017 – participation in the exhibition SILVESTROV 80 in Plivka space, Ukraine.
2017 – participation in the Festival of Young Ukrainian Artists with the project Installation in Mystetskyi Arsenal, Ukraine.
2016 – presentation on the Book Arsenal of the SEMENKO100 project in Mystetskyi Arsenal, Ukraine.
2016 – participation in the exhibition RYSOWAĆ NATURALNIE in Poland.
2016 – participation in the Triennale Book Design, Ukraine.
Residencies
2023 – artistic residence HIAP, Finland.
2022 – artistic residence Saari, Finland.
2021 – artistic residence SHLAGBAUM, Ukraine/Germany.
2019 – artistic residence (Re)Context. Stories, Kyiv, Ukraine.
2017 – artistic residence Borders and boundaries, Khmelnytskiy, Ukraine.
2017 – artistic residence ArtSchool Biruchiy, Poland.
2015 – artistic residence Velykiy pereviz, Ukraine.
Competitions and awards
2022 – finalist of the Best Book Design award in Ukraine.
2022 – artbook I love you was shortlisted by Aperture PhotoBooks Award.
2021 – finalist of the 2021 Best Book Design competition in Ukraine.
2019 – was shortlisted for the Ukrainian Modern Photography National Award in the Opening of the Year category.
2019 – was shortlisted for the Best Book Design award in Ukraine.
2018 – 3rd place in the Best Book Design award in Ukraine.
2017 – winner of the Dummy Award at Rodovid Publishing, Ukraine.
2017 – Anatoly Kryvolap Prize winner in the “Graphics” nomination, Ukraine.
2015 – 1 prize in the All-Ukrainian drawing contest in Kiev.