‘Materia’ explores the material conditions of analogue photography through light, chemistry, and repetition. Developed in Ukraine during years of ongoing instability, the work uses locally sourced, long-expired photographic paper – its age and unpredictability becoming integral to the images. The series began in 2024 with two portraits of the same person made ten years apart, and continues as a collective portrait of young Ukrainian men. The human form is held within matter, defined by silver particles. In the book, the nude is not symbolic – it is the simplest surface to register material change. Skin and paper share a certain vulnerability.
