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Yuriy Makalis is a Ukrainian photographer and cyclist, as well as a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He combines photography with military service, continuing to work on projects related to cycling, even during the war. Recently, together with cycling activist, volunteer, IT entrepreneur Maria Shevchenko, Yuriy co-authored the first photobook in Ukraine about the phenomenon of cycling “Velorukh”, which covers the history, modernity and outstanding moments of Ukrainian cycling.
Military and photographer
Now Yuri Makalis serves in the army, but he did not leave to photograph.
“If you look at myinstagram and account Battalionof the attack unmanned aircraft complexes “Achilles” of the 92nd Brigade, you can see a lot of my photos. My work as a photographer continues even during the war. The camera is always with me, it is constantly in my backpack and I do not leave it anywhere,” Yuriy shares.
From the beginning of the war he was a volunteer and later joined a volunteer unit. “In 2022, I became a volunteer in a volunteer air intelligence unit, where I gained combat experience in the east and north of the country.”
Vocal Sagan is a symbol of freedom and inspiration
The nickname Yuri - Sagan is a reference to two famous figures: Karl Sagan, popularizer of science, and Peter Sagan, an outstanding cyclist.
“Carl Sagan is a scientist, but people in the cycling community still know Peter Sagan. This is a very atypical bicycle racer, a world champion who has a very unusual style, unlike the others. He is a pirate of cycling. I will not specify whether my callsign is a reference to Carl Sagan or Peter Sagan. Let everyone think of something of their own,” says Yuriy.
The path to photography
Yuri Makalis has been fond of photography since 2005, since he first got his hands on a digital camera. Initially, he filmed friends and city streets, but the real breakthrough in his work occurred in 2013.
“I started taking pictures at the institute when the first digital camera appeared. At first it was intuitive and unsystematic. Then, in 2013, when I was working on cruise ships, I bought a SLR camera and started shooting streets in Europe. And when he returned to Odessa, he continued to practice cycling and filmed bike races.”
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Passion for cycling and photography combined. Thanks to his participation in the cycling club “Athlete”, Yuri began to shoot bicycle races in Ukraine, and over time this turned into his main hobby. He also notes: “I trained every day, preparing for the race. Even now, if there is such a very, very rare opportunity, then I get on my bike. I think it's impossible to shoot something you're passionate about without taking part in it.”
The idea of creating a photo book
Yuriy has long dreamed of creating a photobook that would tell about Ukrainian cycling. The war changed his plans, but did not stop work on the book.
“Even before the full-scale invasion, I had the idea to publish a photobook about road cycling in Ukraine. I was planning either a photobook or a photo exhibition in Kiev. However, the invasion changed everything. After returning from Spain in February 2022, I did not stop shooting, and thanks to “Ukreiner” I continued to shoot in Odessa,” says Yuri.
After winning a significant photo competition in the field of bicycle photography, international media became interested in Makalis' works. “In August 2022, I took several photos in empty Odessa, and one of them won the prestigious photo contest Mark Gunther Photo Awards. This attracted the attention of journalists from England, Australia and France.”
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Yuriy Makalis consciously approached the creation of the book “Velorukh”, the main goal of which is to highlight the Ukrainian cycling community and cycling culture. It includes not only Yuri's own works, but also photographs of more than 70 authors showing different aspects of cycling in Ukraine.
“In the book, I decided to collect the works of the best photographers in Ukraine, combining sports and documentary photography,” he says. Among the presented authors specializing in the filming of cycling, such as Bohdan Lozitsky, as well as documentary filmmakers such as Vyacheslav Ratynsky, whose works reveal the historical role of the bicycle in Ukrainian realities.
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Macalis paid special attention to the section “The bicycle during the war”, which presents stories from the life of a bicycle during a full-scale invasion. “This book can be a unique testimony of documentary photography, showing how a bicycle exists in the conditions of fighting in Ukraine,” says the photographer. From the point of view of the author, these works not only illustrate sporting achievements, but also record important historical moments, which makes them truly valuable.
Cover and Symbolism
The cover of the book features a photo taken while cycling through Bessarabia in 2021. This is a special place for Yuri, which for him symbolizes freedom and discovery.
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“The cover photo was taken in April 2021, it depicts my friends Valentina Petrushenko and Alexey Koretsky. We organized a three-day gravel bike camp — three days of cycling trips, where we gathered cycling enthusiasts from all over Ukraine. The photo reflects the spirit of travel, the beauty of nature and the desire to ride a bike,” the bicycle photographer shares.
Photobook as art and inspiration
In the photo book “Velorukh” Yuri seeks to show that cycling is not only a sport, but also an art. Its goal is to interest and attract a wide range of people, even those who are not part of cycling culture. He emphasizes that cycling can be aesthetically appealing even to people who have never been interested in it.
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“I want to show that cycling is also very beautiful. This is also a kind of art. Even a person who is not in touch with cycling culture, who is interested in documentary photography, can open a book and just enjoy the photos. In the same way, one could open a book by Magnum about bicycles and enjoy it too.”
Yuriy emphasizes that it is important to help beginners in cycling. In his photo book, he even singled out a separate section for those who are afraid to take the first step.
“There is a separate chapter on bicycle clubs, because in almost every city there is a group of people who are passionate about bicycles. I wrote about not being afraid to ask to join the club. Because, as we all know, it's scary to take the first step, and then it will be much easier.”
Cycling is the most beautiful sport
Yuriy Makalis believes that cycling is unique in that it combines sport with contemplation of nature and allows you to see the incredible beauty of landscapes that other sports cannot give.
“In 2019, when we were racing in Romania, I climbed to the finish line at the top of Transfagarash and was just amazed by the incredible beauty. It is a feeling of cosmic beauty that no other sport can give.”
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Through his photography, Yuri Makalis shows that cycling is more than just a sport, it is an art that combines strength, endurance and the beauty of nature. His photo book “Cycling” is designed to inspire people to take their first step into the world of cycling culture and see the beauty of this sport from a new angle.
Yuriy Makalis— cyclist, photographer, author, serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since 2012 he has been a member of the oldest cycling club “Athlete” in Odessa. He traveled a lot and explored different corners of the world by bicycle and as a ship carrier: from Hawaii to Alaska, from Norway to Australia. Returning to Odessa, he joined the “Southern Bicycle League”, which organizes local and international road races. One of my favorite activities is photographing bike races and everything related to the bike. In 2022, he won one of the world's most prestigious photo competitions in the field of bicycle photography — the Mark Gunter Photo Awards. He is the co-author of the book “Cycling”. Instagrambicycle photographer.
Material created with support The Free Word Foundation.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vera Labych
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
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