“A lot of my inspiration comes from my dreams and I take a lot also from everyday life” - Interview with Yelena Yemchuk

Yelena Yemchuk is a unique and multitalented artist who is not only a photographer but also a painter and video artist. The Kiev born photographer emigrated to the United States with her parents at the age of 11 but her Ukrainian roots have always been a key part of her life and a source of inspiration. Her book, УYY, published in 2022 by Depart Pour L'Image, functions kind of personal diary that gives an insight into the photographer's personal world and her feelings for her homeland. The book from which a selection is presented on the walls of PaperLab Gallery was nominated for the Paris Photo/Aperture First book Prize in 2022 and this year won the first prize in Best International Photobook category of the PHotoESPAÑA festival.

A. K.

How did the idea for the UYY book come about and how was the collaboration with Départ Pour L'Image?

Y. Y.

It was very interesting…I got an email from Luca and Francesca who run Depart Pour L'Image, asking whether I wanted to make a book with them. It was unusual because most of the time I avoid answering emails I receive from people I don’t know but I looked at their website and was super impressed by their artistic work, so I wrote back and we started working together. Francesca Todd is a photographer herself and Luca Reffo is a fine artist. It was a great joy working with them. I have been so hands on with my other four books but this collaboration was so natural and organic.

A. K.

The УYY book also functions as a kind of personal diary which brings together several photographic projects of yours andalso includes your paintings and archive photos. Can you tell us about the different sources and elements combined in the project?

Y. Y.

When we started talking about what kind of book we wanted to make, the idea of dreams and memories became a guide for me. Luca and Francesca were interested in all kinds of material, photos, paintings, personal photographs. From the hundreds and hundreds of images I sent them, they started making this interesting web of emotions. The book includes family photos of my children, paintings, archival photos, shots taken in Ukraine and Odessa, and nature photos from America, where my family and I spent time during the pandemic. I had really very little to do with the flow of the book, it was so nice and refreshing being outside of the editing process for the first time.

A. K.

Whether it's an art or fashion related project the blurring boundaries between dream-like, surreal worlds and reality are important aspects of your work, such as the notion of time or even the lack of time. Where do these visions come from and what inspirations or references do you have in creating your visual language?

Y. Y.

A lot of inspirations come from my dreams and I am often inspired/intrigued by everyday life as well. I always follow my instincts, being present, having my eyes open for seeing something behind me might be more interesting than what is in front of me. I like to think outside of conventional forms and I love things that don't necessarily make a lot of sense. When I find myself in some strange and unusual kind of a scenario that I want to capture or recreate.

A. K.

Did you first start working with the medium of video when you were working with the Smashing Pumpkins ? How did you start the collaboration and which was the most influential project from that period?

Y. Y.

I met the band in 1995 on my first big job ever when Virgin Records hired me to do publicity photos for the band. I flew to Chicago where we did kind of wild, Edward Gorey inspired shoot. We collaborated for many years, I was very young and it was a fun time doing a lot of cool stuff together.

I think making the music video Thirty-Three would be the highlight which we shot it in New York and Los Angeles in 1996. The concept was to make the video with kind of a stop-motion technique, using still images, so I shot it all with a camera used by sports photographers, which enabled me to capture 120 frames in a row. It was experimental and one of the first time it was ever done and it was also one of funniest shoots ever.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from my dreams and I take a lot also from everyday life” – Interview with Yelena Yemchuk

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