With an academic background in engineering and social sciences, concluding in a PhD in sociology, Yana Kononova transitioned to artistic practice at a mature stage. She hails from Pirallahi island and the Apsheron peninsula—the region of the Caspian Sea, culturally shaped by oil and gas extraction and known for its mud volcanoes. Natural gas seeps were ignited to create eternal fires in Zoroastrian temples. Later, her family migrated to Ukraine due to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. In 2019, Kononova won the Bird in Flight Prize in Emerging Photography, and in 2022, she was honored with the Hariban Award presented by Benrido. Currently, she is furthering her education through the Art & Curatorial Practice program at the New Center for Research & Practice (USA).
Kononova's practice involves ecocritical endeavors, delving into historical gendering of landscape and the concept of landscape as a protagonist, reframing Romantic tropes and motives, and exploring techno-geographical imagination. Her work examines the ways of thinking and navigating through environments with alien temporalities, while harnessing the materiality inherent in the photographic medium. Using medium and large-format analog cameras, she aims to achieve the tactility she seeks in images residing on the threshold between the sensitivity of the photographic surface and the act of representation. Her inspiration is drawn from contemporary philosophical works in the theory-fiction genre.
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
