Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam Showcases Varvara Uhlik's 'Sonechko, Yak Ty?'
Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam brings attention to Varvara Uhlik, a recognized Foam Talent runner-up, and her evocative series titled Sonechko, Yak Ty? (Sunshine, How Are You?). This significant body of work delves into profound themes of personal history, inherited memory, and national identity, offering visitors a reflective journey through contemporary photography.
A Poignant Photographic Series on Identity
Uhlik's series, Sonechko, Yak Ty?, is an exploration of her early childhood memories, shaped by growing up in Ukraine shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Born too late to experience first-hand the disorienting sense of identity that marked her parents' generation under Soviet rule, Uhlik instead grappled with an inherited understanding of nationhood and geography. Her artistic method combines digitally distorted archival family photographs with newly staged scenes, resulting in images that possess both a playful quality and a subtly unsettling edge.
The visual language of the series is notable for its use of pastel tones interspersed with vivid bursts of highly saturated pinks and purples, contributing to a sense of distortion and disorientation. One striking image, New Years at Home In a Dress My Mom Made, portrays a figure as an almost ghostly apparition, captured mid-motion. The backdrop features a New Year's tree, or yolka, a symbol of celebration that replaced Christmas during the Soviet era. This deliberate sense of dynamism, whether of figures in motion or shifting backgrounds, underscores the fluid and often undefined nature of memories and identity within Uhlik’s artistic vision.
About the Artist
Varvara Uhlik is a Ukrainian visual artist, currently based in London. Her diverse artistic practice spans photography, video, sculpture, and installation. Drawing deeply from her upbringing in eastern Ukraine, Uhlik’s work frequently investigates themes of generational trauma and the lingering effects of Russian imperialism, examining its cultural and historical residues. She critically questions how memory is preserved, distorted, and sometimes lost over time. This work is featured in Foam Magazine #68: Talent, published in June 2026. Further insights into this series and other runners-up can be explored within the magazine. Isabel Walter, an Assistant Curator at Foam and Editorial Assistant at Foam Magazine, authored the accompanying text for this piece, showcasing her particular interest in the evolving boundaries of photography and new media. Those interested in the publication can order their copy here.
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