Roman Mikhailyuk was born in 1974, in Ivano-Frankivsk, formerly Stanislav, Western Ukraine. After leaving school there he graduated from the Prykarpattia University, specialising in graphic art. The Carpathian Mountains are the main theme of his artistic, or more precisely, photographic interests. But unlike the other artists and photographers he traversed all the Carpathian ridges and ravines on foot, visiting the most inaccessible spots. He lived there for weeks, sometimes months.
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Roman Mikhailyuk was born in 1974, in Ivano-Frankivsk, formerly Stanislav, Western Ukraine. After leaving school there he graduated from the Prykarpattia University, specialising in graphic art. The Carpathian Mountains are the main theme of his artistic, or more precisely, photographic interests. But unlike the other artists and photographers he traversed all the Carpathian ridges and ravines on foot, visiting the most inaccessible spots. He lived there for weeks, sometimes months.
His favourite season is winter. The harder the frost and deeper the snow, the better. The further from civilisation he goes, the more interesting it becomes. Roman began creating his own cameras, adapting them to severe shooting conditions.
He stubbornly rejects digital technology, believing that it prevents him from fully and adequately expressing his ideas. Uses wide and medium format film. Often takes risks. Occasionally his meticulously constructed camera tumbled into an abyss and fell apart. Each time Roman would make the descent, gather the pieces and reassemble his camera. Some of his cameras are astonishing to look at: crooked, with cracked glass — but all of them work. Apart from landscapes Roman has taken many photographs over a long period of time to show the life of Hutsul shepherds, who drive their flocks of sheep to high alpine pastures in early spring and live there until late autumn. After becoming a member of the Ukrainian Photographic Alternative Roman somewhat altered his approach, adopting a freer style, experimenting with materials and extending his range of themes. The most recent ’shepherd’ series using old-fashioned film are imbued with enigmatic Carpathian mysticism (there are many folk healers and sorcerers among the herdsmen), subtle observations, unusual interpretations and incredible artistry. The cameras Roman uses allow him to create his own unique style, which faithfully reflects the character and essence of the world defined by these mountain pastures. Up there time is flexible as elastic and sometimes stops altogether. There the sheep converse in human voices and the whispering grass can predict our destiny. In the dark eyes of the Hutsuls you see the distant past and imminent future...
Roman has published a book entitled ’Kolo vechnosti ukrainskikh Karpat’ (’Dance of Eternity of the Ukrainian Carpathians’). He has taken part in some forty exhibitions in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, etc.
Alexander Lyapin
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