Vic Bakin
‘Epitome’
by Vic Bakin, published by Void.
‘Epitome’ by Kyiv-based artist Vic Bakin combines photographs from his archive with recent images made in war-torn areas, all printed in a makeshift darkroom in his apartment. Collectively, the entangled images create a personal visual poem exploring themes of fragility, beauty, masculinity, war and uncertainty.
Epitome
“The process of making the palm-sized prints became, for me, a meditation, an urge to find personal balance, and a contemplative search for meaning in a wartime reality.”
Bakin, a self-taught photographer, had been making images of Ukrainian youth for many years, often focusing on queer communities and sub-cultures—all united by the shared experience of coming of age. He began to revisit his archive of work to create a project exploring themes of masculinity and youth. For this purpose, in 2020 he began to print his work in a darkroom in his bathroom, enjoying the alchemy of the process and the tactile nature of the prints with all their imperfections. Then war came to Ukraine and the tone of the project began to metamorphosize. Some of those in the portraits would now be enlisted to fight in the war.
“In January 2022, while strolling through Kyiv and its outskirts, I encountered a big, rotten pile of chairs. Nothing special. But the way this structure combined both chaos and fragile beauty struck me with an impulse to make this moment unending so I could come back to it later…”
Vic Bakin
Bakin began to photograph landscapes scarred by war alongside damaged trees, rivers and fields of marching sunflowers. He would now develop the prints during air raids with a womb-like red light of the darkroom providing a place of safety and escape from reality. At one point he ran out of paper fixer and continued to use the same mixture until it was exhausted. The chemical imperfections also resulted in red and purple visual bruises on many of the images, an allegory for blood on the land.
“While navigating the wounded land, I look for a glimmer of hope in people and places. I keep coming back to the same trinity that absorbed me—the soil, body, and warmth of a distant landscape. For me, uncertainty, fragility, and chaos, but also tenderness and hope, are the real essence of the series.”
The Special Edition
Limited edition of 10
The 'Epitome' Special Edition is truly exclusive, pairing the book with a fine archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm matt paper. Limited to only 10 editions, plus 2 artist's proofs (APs), each set is unique, with the print being a 1/1 edition exclusive to the collector. The book comes with a Riso-printed Obi, adding an extra layer of uniqueness to the edition. The print’s dimensions, up to 18 x 22 cm, are personally chosen by the artist, ensuring that no two sets are the same. Each print is also accompanied by a Void Certificate of Authenticity.
You can check the prints available here.
Epitome
21,5 x 26 cm
176 pages
750 copies
Screenprinted Hardcover
ISBN 978-618-5479-35-0
Special Edition
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm matt paper.
Special Edition in a run of 10 + 2 APs.
Print’s edition: 1/1
Every special edition comes with a different print. Each one is in a different dimension, decided by the artist. (up to 18 x 22 cm).
+ Certificate of Authenticity
Vic Bakin
Vic Bakin is a Ukrainian visual artist, based in Kyiv. He is the recipient of a ‘Documenting Ukraine’ grant from the IWM Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. ‘Epitome’ was featured in ‘Ones to Watch’ by the British Journal of Photography, and Bakin was the winner of the Art Photography LensCulture Award in 2023. His work has been published in The New York Times, Suddeutche Zeitung, and Vogue Ukraine amongst others.
Featured in
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GREECE, Void
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Photograph: Vic Bakin
Text: Vic Bakin
Edit, Design: João Linneu, Myrto Steirou
Caligraphy: Fernanda FajardoPrinting: Jelgavas tipogrāfija
Binding: Jelgavas tipogrāfija
Language: English
Font: Marc Regular by Fon de Riz (Justine Gagnaire)
Vic Bakin © for the photographs and text
Void © for this edition