VARVARA UHLIK


*UPCOMING*

SUNSHINE, HOW ARE YOU?

SLAV GAZE

DIGITAL (AFTER)

PLAYLAND









VIDEO WORKS

COMMISSIONS AND NOT









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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.



CV

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
2019-2022
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
  • Der Greif: Arles Edition, Rencontres d'Arles, portfolio screening, ParisBerlin Fotohaus, Arles, France
  • Fotofestiwal, International Festival of Photography, portfolio screening, Lodz, Poland
  • PhMuseum Days, International Photography Festival, portfolio screening, Bologna, Italy
  • Verzasca Foto Festival, portfolio screening, Switzerland
  • Kranj Foto Fest 2024, portfolio screening, Kranj, Slovenia
  • MIA Photo Fair Milano, ‘Welcome To My Unknown’ exhibition, Milan, Italy
  • ‘THERE IS SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN’, TANK Magazine, London, UK

2023

  • REGENERATE: Noorderlicht International Photo Festival, Groningen, Netherlands
  • Public Space Exhibition 2023, Altona, Hamburg, Germany
  • Aphorism, The Holy Art Gallery, London, UK
  • PIT, Southwark Park Galleries, London, UK
  • Free Range, AOP Student Awards, Truman Brewery, London, UK

2022

  • Unfolding Territories, The Grey Space in the Middle, The Hague, Netherlands

press, publications
2024


2023


2021

  • cockroach, KABK, The Hague, Netherlands

awards & shortlists

2024

  • PARIS PHOTO, finalist Carte Blanche
  • Belfast Photo Festival, shortlisted, awarded “Highly Commended”
  • Athens Photo Festival, shortlisted
  • PhMuseum Photography Grant, shortlisted

2023

  • PARIS PHOTO, finalist Carte Blanche