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The school of conceptual and art photography MYPH is launching the bilingual periodical “525”. The magazine is dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian photography and its place in the context of global visual culture. The first issue of the magazine will be published as a print edition as early as November this year.
Above all, “525” aims to become a platform for young Ukrainian photographers, and also to bring international authors into the discussion in order to strengthen the positions of Ukrainian photography on the international market.
In the magazine you will find:
• works by recognized Ukrainian authors;
• projects by MYPH students, selected through open-call and curatorial collaborations;
• special projects in partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (in particular, Vladyslav Krasnoshchok and Serhii Korovainyi);
• as well as materials in collaboration with the museum of the Kharkiv School of Photography, MOKSOP, and others.
The magazine is aimed at forming a high-quality environment for conversations about photography — as art and as a research tool.
The first issue is titled “Glass and Steel” — an attempt to understand and record what emerges today from the painful experience of trauma, loss, and hope that shape the future generation in Ukraine. This issue not only presents thematic projects that reveal the chosen theme, but also lays the foundation for the publication’s editorial structure. It includes several sections the team plans to make permanent. “Fragment” offers translations of important texts for contemporary visual culture, introducing Ukrainian photographers to notable theoretical approaches to the medium. “Focus” presents a selection of works chosen as a result of an open competition. The “Touch” section brings together research on the history of Ukrainian photography, while “Conversation” opens space for interviews and discussions on relevant topics. The issue concludes with “View”, where experts share their answers to questions about photography today.
Despite the dominance of the digital, “525” chooses a physical format. For the team, it is a way to fix certain themes, preserve their weight, and not get lost in the endless stream of images.
The magazine was created by Olha Lobazova, Oksana Maister, Veronika Mol, and Robert Dovhanych — a team of photographers united by a shared interest in developing Ukrainian photography and a desire to talk about it more broadly.
The team is open to collaboration with photographers, artists, visual culture researchers, curators, and gallerists.
Olha Lobazova:
Ukrainian photography is desperately alive and daring. In the absence of professional institutions, it has a unique trait — to be honest. Because no one defines what it must be. This is an advantage of a time and circumstances that few people fully realize.
For me personally, issue 525 is a desire to show this exposed nerve of the world on the one hand, and to give confidence and ground to young authors inside our country on the other. That is why it is bilingual — to be heard both within and beyond; that is why newcomers appear on the pages alongside professionals.
In editorial and design decisions, we consciously move away from the figure of the author and idolization. The work comes to the fore — the story, emotion, and mood of an individual project. And at the same time — an intimate, yet anarchic collective narrative.
There are dozens of reasons for a Ukrainian magazine about photography to exist: so Ukrainian photographers have a space for self-expression; to declare ourselves a full-fledged participant in world photography; to be a bridge between Ukraine and the world during wartime, when it is increasingly difficult to keep attention focused on our country; to preserve our own culture and strengthen the institutional positions of Ukrainian photography as a whole. We did this while making mistakes and getting tired, but sincerely — because we believed in every step.
Serhii Melnychenko:
Photography for me is a way to speak without words. I wanted young Ukrainian photographers to have a platform where they will be seen, heard, and remembered — not only online, but also in a real, tactile format. A social media page can be scrolled past, often not noticed, or even forgotten later, but a magazine page can be turned, the paper felt, and returned to through the years.
This magazine is about us and for us: for those who are just starting out, and for those who are already confidently walking their path in photography. It is an opportunity to show our stories to the world and leave our mark in Ukraine’s visual culture.
Oksana Maister:
We are only at the beginning of the journey, but our goal is quite ambitious: to create a space where works by Ukrainian photographers of different generations and time periods intersect — thus building a multi-layered conversation about our culture and society. At the same time, we aim to bring theoretical, research, and philosophical works on photography and visual culture into Ukrainian — texts that, due to well-known external circumstances, we have had very few of… And now we have this unique opportunity: to see, read, research, gather, and spread.
Veronika Mol:
For us, it is important to support authors at the start of their artistic careers. The first issue includes many artists we selected through a free open competition open to everyone. Some projects by applicants from the first open call we have already planned to add to future themed issues. First and foremost, the team paid attention to the integrity of the artistic statement and its relevance to the issue’s theme, not to the weight of names or accolades in a bio. That is why I strongly recommend following us on social media and definitely applying to our open calls!
The “525” team is currently preparing a series of magazine presentations in bookstores and art spaces across Ukraine. Follow the “525” page on Instagram, so you don’t miss event announcements and updates.
You can order a copy of the magazine via the link.
