VARVARA UHLIK

*UPCOMING*

SUNSHINE, HOW ARE YOU?

SLAV GAZE

DIGITAL (AFTER)

PLAYLAND

VIDEO WORKS

COMMISSIONS AND NOT

about

Varvara Uhlik (b. 1997, Dnipro, Ukraine) is a visual artist based between London and The Hague. Her artistic practice engages with Eastern European culture and identity, examining the post-Soviet era’s impact on her generation. Dissecting the enduring influence of the Soviet legacy, Varvara’s work illuminates themes of generational trauma and the complex socio-cultural landscape of contemporary Eastern Europe.

Varvara’s practice often fuses analog and digital methodologies, establishing an interplay between newly staged photography and archives. This approach allows her to construct visual narratives that reflect on the impermanence of our surroundings and the fragility of memory, questioning how collective and individual memories are preserved in an increasingly precarious world.

Through her work, Varvara Uhlik invites viewers to reflect on the transient nature of environments and the enduring power of memory. Her art stands as a testament to the resilience of her post-Soviet generation, offering a reflection on the cultural and personal landscapes shaped by history and conflict.

In 2024 the British Journal of Photography recognised Varvara as a “Ones to Watch” artist. Her work has been presented at various exhibitions and photography festivals across Europe, including Encontros da Imagem in Portugal and the Milan Photo Fair in Italy. Over the past two years, she has been featured in numerous publications and platforms such as the British Journal of Photography, Photoworks (UK), Paris Photo, PHMuseum and See-Zeen. She was also a finalist in the 2024 Belfast Photo Festival and was awarded “Highly Commended” by the jury.

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Born in 1997 in Dnipro, Ukraine
Based between London, UK and The Hague, NL
EDUCATION
2023-2025 MA Fine Art: Media, Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London, UK
2019-2023 BA Photography, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands
2016-2019 BA Arts and Media Management, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

EXHIBITIONS
2024 Encontros da Imagem, International Photography and Visual Arts Festival, Braga, Portugal
2024 Der Greif: Arles Edition, Rencontres d'Arles, portfolio screening, ParisBerlin Fotohaus, Arles, France
2024 Fotofestiwal, International Festival of Photography, portfolio screening, Lodz, Poland
2024 PhMuseum Days, International Photography Festival, portfolio screening, Bologna, Italy
2024 Verzasca Foto Festival, portfolio screening, Switzerland
2024 Kranj Foto Fest 2024, portfolio screening, Kranj, Slovenia
2024 MIA Photo Fair Milano, ‘Welcome To My Unknown’ exhibition, Milan, Italy
2024 ‘THERE IS SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN’, TANK Magazine, London, UK
2023 REGENERATE: Noorderlicht International Photo Festival, Groningen, Netherlands
2023 Public Space Exhibition 2023, Altona, Hamburg, Germany
2023 Aphorism, The Holy Art Gallery, London, UK
2023 PIT, Southwark Park Galleries, London, UK
2023 Free Range, AOP Student Awards, Truman Brewery, London, UK
2022 Unfolding Territories, The Grey Space in the Middle, The Hague, Netherlands
PRESS, PUBLICATIONS

2024, De Standaard, Daily Newspaper, Belgium 2024 British Journal of Photography, ‘Ones To Watch 2024’ Issue, London, UK
2024 Paris Photo, Carte Blanche
2023 Photography+, Photoworks, Issue #20, Graduate Issue 2023, Brighton, UK
2023 Paris Photo, Carte Blanche
2023 British Journal of Photography, Carte Blanche Article
2023 PHMuseum, Women Photographers Grant
2023 See-Zeen, Magazine for Contemporary Photography, Issue #10, Fall
2023 Artdoc Photography Magazine, Enigma of Life
2021 cockroach, KABK, The Hague, Netherlands
AWARDS & SHORTLISTS
2024 PARIS PHOTO, finalist Carte Blanche
2024 Belfast Photo Festival, shortlisted, awarded “Highly Commended”
2024 Athens Photo Festival, shortlisted
2024 PhMuseum Photography Grant, shortlisted
2023 PARIS PHOTO, finalist Carte Blanche

Email: varvara.vu@gmail.com
Instagram: @varavarka