Auckland Festival of Photography presents exclusively a suite of works from Ukranian artist, Roman Butym, who continues to create his work in exile from his home country, as part of the Movement [Kori] theme.
Roman Butym’s presented works reflect a series of spaces, places, and constructed scenes, featuring a figure posing in awkward public locations — lying down as if exhausted while the world moves around them.
"In recent years, I have sought to photograph people as if they were exhausted objects, unable to cope with the demands of the modern world. These works reflect on resistance to the relentless pace of society, where constant mobility and information overload create the illusion of being “in the flow.” Yet behind this illusion often lies deep vulnerability and mental fatigue. Each image attempts to capture the moment when a person ceases to be just one of millions of pixels within the screen of society. The photographs reflect experiences familiar to many today: anxiety, isolation, and the ability to conceal one’s true self behind digital masks."
Roman Butym is a Ukrainian photographer. He specializes in reportage and fine art photography. In his practice, he explores themes of overproduction, ecology, and human existence in the contemporary world, while also experimenting with various forms of visual storytelling. His projects have been presented at the International Image Festival Getxophoto in Spain and the Auckland Festival of Photography, exhibited at DOM Gallery in Riga, featured on the Instagram accounts of World Press Photo and the Griffin Museum of Photography (USA), as well as in Kwartalnik Fotografia (PL) and The Eye of Photography (FR) magazines, and published on platforms such as PhotoVogue Italia, Culture.pl, and others.
Thanks to the Auckland Council, Urban Development Office.
