Viktoriia Tymonova

#2 min Viktoriia Tymonova

13. 7. 2025

#48 About MeWantedNarrative

Witchcraft has always been a significant part of Ukrainian culture and everyday life. One of the first works of prose fiction written in Ukrainian was a text about a witch from Konotop (a city in Sumy Oblast) written in 1833 by Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko. 

When the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, it also reached Konotop. One of the earliest videos from the war shows an unarmed civilian woman shouting at the Russian occupants on the tanks: “Do you really know where you are? This is Konotop! Every other woman is a witch here!”

For me, witchcraft is a way of gaining power, confidence, control, and authority, but it is also a field of fear, anxiety, excitement, and worry. My fears and anxieties around magic, as well as memories of magical rituals and situations that have surrounded me throughout my life, have led me to this series. The fact that magic and witchcraft in Ukraine is not a rediscovered phenomenon but rather a long, linear process that has never ended has always fascinated me. I'm not trying to fight my fears in a radical way; I like the aspect of sneak peek and coquetry. However, this project is also about re-evaluating and reconstructing what has been lost.

So far, my work on this project has included working with ethnographic texts and documents, stories from my family, reconstructions and reenactments of witch trials, and utilising materials such as clay, wax, glass, dough, and herbs.

 

 

IMAGE CAPRIONS

All images: Viktoriia Tymonova, I witnessed her transforming rain, 2023–2024

#48 About MeWantedNarrativeMythologySpiritualityMemoryIdentityAbout Me

Viktoriia Tymonova

is an artist who explores fiction, magical thinking, conspiracies and paranormal. Viktoriia uses reenactments, hoaxes and memories as tools. She is fascinated by mystifications and the combination of history and alternative history. Viktoriia is studying at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Her works were presented at Le Cenquatre Paris (France), PLATO (Czech Republic), DCCC (Ukraine), Artsvit (Ukraine). She has participated in photography festivals such as OFF Bratislava (Slovakia) and Circulation(s) (France). Her works were published in FISHEYE Magazine, PhMuseum, Kajet Digital, SZUM and other.  

#48 About Me

Let’s talk about ourselves. Let’s explore what we are and discover who we are. This is important because just as it is necessary to look around us, it is essential to look within ourselves. How does our identity change over time? And how can all of this be captured? For this issue, we have chosen to focus on authors who ask similar questions and possess the ability to reflect them visually in compelling ways. Emília Rigová has long explored the position of the Roma minority, using her own physicality to highlight the voice of the Roma people, a voice that is often marginalized. Libuše Jarcovjáková has been involved in photographic self-reflection since a young age, with her photos and diary entries capturing the ideological tension of collapsing socialism and the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals within subcultures. A strong thematic thread emerges in the exploration of gender and queer identity in the works of Dorota Franková, Robert Gabris, Sasha Chaika, František Fekete, and Shalva Nikvashvili. Original artistic autotherapy often requiring significant courage to reveal oneself here transforms into a form of therapy for society.

Rencontres d’Arles 2025

#6 min Markéta Kinterová

Rencontres d’Arles 2025

Fotograf zone Review

The Rencontres d’Arles Festival is the world’s oldest photography festival and probably also the most visited. As its name suggests, it is an opportunity for encounters. Alongside the official program, dozens of spontaneous events, initiatives, and exhibitions emerge, both official and unofficial, transforming the town into a vibrant cultural organism. This year, I had the opportunity to experience the Rencontres d’Arles Festival through the eyes of someone who moves between their own artistic and pedagogical practice and above all as someone who believes that photography has the power not only to depict but also to shape the social context.

Robert Gabris – Acts of Provocation and Self-Protection or the Power of Prohibition and Taboos

#2 min Laura Amann, Robert Gabris

Robert Gabris – Acts of Provocation and Self-Protection or the Power of Prohibition and Taboos

#48 About MeProfileLGBTQ+

Robert Gabris’ practice confronts viewers with a provocative exploration of domesticity, queer identity, and societal marginalisation. Keenly aware of the dangers of exoticisation and institutional exploitation, Gabris navigates the complexities of representing Roma life while paying homage to his culture, family, and their lived experiences. This strategic artistic endeavour confronts the harsh realities of systemic discrimination and neglect faced by Roma citizens, while also interrogating notions of inclusivity and identity politics as well as ways of giving back to Roma people instead of providing mere representation.

„Life passes and is mirrored in the image.“ – photographer Marie Tomanová in an open conversation

#7 min Marie Tomanová, Jan Hladonik

„Life passes and is mirrored in the image.“ – photographer Marie Tomanová in an open conversation

Fotograf zone InterviewSelfportrait

Marie Tomanová is one of the most prominent faces of the contemporary photographic scene, whose portraits explore intimacy, identity and the transformation of relationships over time. In this interview, she looks back on her exhibitions in Arles and New York, discusses her relationship with Libuše Jarcovjáková, shares her experience of making the documentary "The World Between Us", and talks about the power of mirroring that permeates her work.