ARTIST STATEMENT
Born in the USSR, a country that no longer exists, and having emigrated to New York as a teenager, I have experienced firsthand the dislocation of memory and identity, which has immensely influenced my practice. As a photographer and visual researcher, my practice is rooted in investigation of memory, truth, and the production of knowledge. By enlisting various mediums such as photography, video, archives, and machine learning I seek to create multi-vocal methodologies that penetrate traditional narratives of stable cultural histories.
In my work, I examine how technology and storytelling intertwine to shape our understanding of the past, future and present. I am fascinated by the dislocation of identity and how these shifts affect our collective social memory. By juxtaposing personal experiences with broader historical and socio-political contexts, I invite viewers to question their own perceptions of truth. Working with a wide range of mediums, I explore the intersection of technology and the mediation of memory, examining the ways in which advancements in communication tools impact our ability to remember and interpret the past.
I am committed to fostering empathy and understanding in my work, as I believe that storytelling and image making technologies have the power to transcend cultural and geographic boundaries, enabling us to cultivate connections and find common ground in a progressively interconnected world. In essence, my artistic practice is an invitation to critically examine the myriad of truths that shape our collective memory.
BIO
Alexey Yurenev is a photographer and visual researcher interested in how technology shapes the production of knowledge and collective memory. Yurenev’s documentary projects have been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, Topic and Literary Hub. His work has been acknowledged by organizations such as Photographer of the Year International and Silurian Society of New York and nominated for an EMMY and Shorty awards. In 2020, Yurenev co-founded a platform dedicated to innovative visual strategies FOTODEMIC.org and became a faculty member at The International Center of Photography in New York.
Yurenev holds an MA in Photography & Society from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague and is currently based between New York and Amsterdam.
Tel: +1.914.310.4315
Email: alexey.yurenev@gmail.com
EXHIBITIONS
2023
“IN TIMES OF TROUBLE WE DREAM WITH OPEN EYES” GREY SPACE IN THE MIDDLE, THE HAGUE, NL
MUSEUMNACHT DEN HAAG,DEN HAAG KUNSTMUSEUM THE HAGUE, NL
“UNDERCURRENTS” IN COLLABORATION WITH THE EMBASSY OF THE NETHERLANDS IN CHINA SCOP SHANGHAI, CHINA
“UNSTILL”GRADUATING EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY & SOCIETY MAROYAL ACADEMY OF ART
THE HAGUE, NL
2022
“YOLUN DIŠINDA”GROUP EXHIBITION IN COLLABORATION WITH DARAĞAÇ COLLECTIVE DARAĞAÇ, IZMIR, TURKEY
“UNDOCUMENTED MIGRATION”GROUP EXHIBITION CONTEXTUALIZING JASON DE LEON’S “HOSTILE 94” INSTALLATION AMARE, THE HAGUE, NL
COUNTER CURRENTS - IN COLLABORATION WITH KABK AND CREATIVE COURT - BUNKER AT WATERKANT - HAGUE, NL
IN UKRAINE - CURATED BY FRED RITCHIN AND IRA LUPU - ATRIJ ZRC - LJUBLIANA, SL
IN UKRAINE: COMING HOME - CURATED BY FRED RITCHIN AND IRA LUPU - VILLA OCKENBURGH - THE HAGUE, NL
IN UKRAINE - CURATED BY FRED RITCHIN AND IRA LUPU - DOBBIN MEWS - BROOKLYN, USA
2021
THE BOOK OF BIKIN - NYFA CITY ARTIST CORPS
2020
PHOTO NOLA OPEN AIR EXHIBITION PROJECTION “WELCOME TO THE EXIT”
PHOTO NOLA OPEN AIR EXHIBITION PROJECTION “EXILE”
VIDA ARCHIVE PRESENTS: EXOTIC MASCULINITY - THE ROYAL - CURATED BY SAMANTHA SUTCLIFFE - BROOKLYN, NY
LEAP YEAR 2020 - 22 LUDLOW - CURATED BY OK McCAUSLAND - NEW YORK, NY
2019
INVISIBLE CITY - ZAVOD STUDIO - CURATED BY ALEXEY YURENEV - ODESA, UKRAINE
2018
SIGNAL CROSSING - ICP RITA HILLMAN GALLERY - CURATED BY CYNTHIA YOUNG - NEW YORK, NY
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
2023
ICP PRESENTS “VOIDOPOLIS”: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND THE PHOTO BOOKCONVERSATION WITH KAT MUSTATEA, CHARLOTTE KENT AND ARIELLE SABER MODERATED BY ALEXEY YURENEV
NEW YORK, NY
CATCHLIGHT STORYTELLER SUMMIT “SYNTHETIC IMAGES: OPPORTUNITY OR A THREAT?”
WITH HANY FARID, JONAS BENDIKSEN MODERATED BY PAMELA CHEN
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
MAGNUM FOUNDATION “SYNTHETIC IMAGES” ARTIST TALK MODERATED BY FRED RITCHIN
NEW YORK, NY
“ARTIST METHODOLOGIES” LUCA SCHOOL OF ART MODERATED BY SOFIE CRABBÉ
GENT, BELGIUM
“ARTIST METHODOLOGIES: MACHINE LEARNING” NYU ITP EXPERIMENTAL PHOTO LED BY ELLEN NICKELS BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
2022
COUNTER CURRENTS - IN COLLABORATION WITH KABK AND CREATIVE COURT - BUNKER AT WATERKANT - HAGUE, NL
PAKHUIS DE ZWIJGER - VISUAL STORYTELLING/STATE OF THE ARTS - WITH KAREN ARCHEY, NATASHA GREENHALGH AND JAN ROBERT LEEGTE MODERATED BY LARS BOERING - AMSTERDAM, NL
2021
MAGNUM PHOTOS - BEYOND MAGNUM - THE REAL, THE UNREAL AND THE AUTHENTIC - WITH DEBI CORNWALL, JOSUE RIVAS, MARVIN HEIFERMAN MODERATED BY FRED RITCHIN
NEW YORK, NY
2020
DOCUMENTARY: BEYOND STILL IMAGE WITH STEPHEN MAYES, LAIA ABRIL, BAYETÉ ROSS SMITH AND LEWIS BUSH HOSTED BY MICHELLE BOGRE AND PAUL WENHAM-CLARKE
MEERO FOUNDATION IG LIVE: BAYETÉ ROSS SMITH “OUR KIND OF PEOPLE”
CAMERA TORINO - LIVE TALK WITH GAIA SQUARCI - TORINO, IT
MEERO FOUNDATION FEATURING FOTODEMIC - PARIS, FR
RUSSIAN INDEPENDENT SELF-PUBLISHED - BOOK DUMMY PRESENTATION - MOSCOW, RU
2019
STUDIO ZAVOD - ARTIST TALK - ODESSA, UK
BOOKS
2023
SEEING AGAINST SEEING
SELF PUBLISHED ARTIST BOOK
17.VII.44
SELF PUBLISHED ARTIST BOOK
2021
THE BOOK OF BIKIN - SELF PUBLISHED ARTIST BOOK EDITION OF 8
2018
NEW YORK EDITED, BELONGING | HANNES WANDERER - EXCERPT FROM “SILKA”
COLLABOTION WITH OSTKREUZSCHULE
RESIDENCIES
2023
REFLEXIONS 2.0
INCADAQUES FESTIVAL
CADAQUES, SPAIN
TEACHING
2024
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY - FULL TIME PROGRAM - “FROM FACT TO FICTION”
2023 - PRESENT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, MFA VISUAL ARTS
VISITING CRITIC
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY - PART TIME PROGRAM - “SYNTHETIC VISIONS”
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY - PART TIME PROGRAM - “DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE: VISUAL STRATEGIES”
2022 - 2023
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY - DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE FULL TIME PROGRAM - “INSIDE THE BLACK BOX”
2020 - PRESENT
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY - DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE FULL TIME PROGRAM - DIGITAL PRODUCTION SEMINAR
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY - DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE FULL TIME PROGRAM - READING THE LIGHT
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
LITERARY HUB - Behind Closed Doors: Documenting the Lives of the Elders in a Time of Plague
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2019 - “Your Highness Grandmother Beauty Pageant”
THE NEW YORK TIMES YEAR IN PICTURES 2018
THE NEW YORK TIMES DEC 2018 - “Welcome to Brighton Beach”
TOPIC MAGAZINE AUGUST 2018 - “Poems from the underground”
AWARDS + HONORS
2024
DUMMY AWARD 24 - SEEING AGAINST SEEING - SHORTLIST
2022
EMMY - INACCESSIBLE CITIES - ALJAZEERA - NOMINATION
SHORTY AWARDS - INACCESSIBLE CITIES - ALJAZEERA - FINALIST
PHOTOLUCIDA CRITICAL MASS - FINALIST
2021
New York Foundation for the Arts - City Artist Corps Grant
STAR BOOK DUMMY AWARD NOMINATION - WELCOME TO THE EXIT
2020
PDN’S 30 NOMINATION
2019
TOKYO REMINDERS PHOTOGRAPHY STRONGHOLD MASTERCLASS
MAGENTA FLASH FORWARD 2019 | TOP 100 EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHERS
SILURIAN SOCIETY AWARD | EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM | ARTS AND CULTURE
JOOP SWART MASTERCLASS NOMINATION
POYi - FINALIST - COMMUNITY AWARENESS CATEGORY
NEW YORK TIMES PORTFOLIO REVIEW
PDN’S 30 NOMINATION
2018
NEW YORK TIMES - YEAR IN PICTURES 2018
EDDIE ADAMS WORKSHOP XXXI
MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS - 2ND PLACE EDITORIAL - YURI'S JOURNEY TO HELL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2024
INTERVIEW BY FRED RITCHIN (FORTHCOMING) “SYNTHETIC EYE”, THAMES AND HUDSON
2023
THE ROUTLEDGE COMPANION TO PHOTOGRAPHY, REPRESENTATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
TRANSCRIPT OF A PANEL DISCUSSION “BEYOND MAGNUM: THE REAL, THE UNREAL AND THE AUTHENTIC” WITH MARVIN HEIFERMAN, JOSUE RIVAS AND DEBI CORNWALL, MODERATED BY FRED RITCHIN EDITED BY MORITZ NEUMÜLLER
THE ROUTLEDGE COMPANION TO PHOTOGRAPHY, REPRESENTATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
“EXITING THE PHOTOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE” BY FRED RITCHIN
2022
“SYNTHETIC CONFABULATIONS”
ESSAY FOR RE-VUE.ORG IN ENGLISH AND GERMAN, OCTOBER 23 2022