Oleksandr Suprun
Born in 1945, Berezivka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine
Oleksandr Suprun belongs to the first generation of the Kharkiv school of photography. In 1962-1968 he studied at the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute. In the mid-1960s, he became interested in photography and enrolled at the regional photoclub at the House of the Amateur Artists of Trade Unions in 1967. Suprun was a member of the Vremia group together with Boris Mikhailov, Juri Rupin and Evgeniy Pavlov. His first solo exhibition was organized in 1973, after which the author participated in numerous contests and salons of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP). He was awarded with the distinction “Excellence FIAP” (EFIAP) in 1996.
If during the first decade of his activity Suprun was concentrated mainly on straight documentary photography, in 1975 he became interested in the collage, which gradually replaced ‘pure’ shots. Those years collage was a laborious manual technique of cutting out and mounting of fragments. The personages were mostly elderly people and kids, the most vulnerable social groups, often placed against a sinister-looking urban background with dramatic high-contrast skies. As taking pictures of people in the street of the Soviet Union could lead to the accusation of spying, the author used a camera hidden in a shopping bag and operated by an ingenious device.
Since 1981, Suprun is the associate professor of the Kharkiv Art and Industry Institute (now the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts).
After the beguiling of the war, he lives in Kharkiv.
Personal exhibitions (selection):
2015 The images of the past, Kharkiv municipal art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2013 The sanctuary of soul, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ukraine
2012 Near, exhibition space of the art laboratory, Kharkiv state academy of design and art, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2005 Gold, Palitra gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2002 Montage world of Oleksandr Suprun, Bastejs gallery, Riga, Latvia
1997 Photographs, Palitra gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1995 Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs, exhibition hall of Zaporizhya organization of the Union of photoartists of Ukraine, Zaporizhya, Ukraine
1995 Oleksandr Suprun.Photographs, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ukraine
1995 Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs, Lviv National Museum, Lviv, Ukraine
1994 Memories of the USA, Zodiak photocentre, Pervomaisk, Ukraine
1994 Photographs of Oleksandr Suprun, Municipal Palace of Culture, Feodosia, Crimea, Ukraine
1990 Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs (solo exhibition on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Bursztynska electrostation), Transcarpathian regional scientific and methodological centre of folklore art and cultural-educational work, Uzhgorod, USSR
1989 Fotografias de Olexandr Suprun, Photographic group of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Spain
Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs, The Chuvash State Art Museum
Olexandr Suprun, photogallery of the Photographic Union of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Zaragoza gallery, Zaragoza, Spain
Group exhibitions (selection):
2022-2023 Ukraine. Une donation contemporaine. Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2019 Crossing lines, PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine
Kharkiv school of photography from Grynov family collection, Mironova foundation gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
The beloved city, exhibition space of the art laboratory, Kharkiv state academy of design and art, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Parallel worlds, COME-IN gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2014 Kharkiv School of Photography: Soviet Censorship to New Aesthetics 1970-1980s (part І), Kharkiv municipal art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
50х70, Khmelnitsky museum-studio of photo art, Khmelnitsky, Ukraine
2012 Kharkiv through the lens of time, Jewish cultural centre Beit-dan, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2004 60х40, Academy gallery, Kharkiv state academy of design and art, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2001 Trierenberg Super Circuit photosalon, Linz, Austria
1999 The photography of Eugene Pavlov and Olexandr Suprun, Wolf art gallery, Cincinnati, USA
1998 My Ukraine, Poltava Art Museum, Poltava, Ukraine
1993 Contemporary Ukrainian photographers, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ukraine
FIAP biennale “Nature”, Barcelona, Spain
1992 Photosalon in Fabriano, Fabriano, Italy
Sibiu photosalon, Sibiu, Romania
1991 Contemporary Soviet Photographers (together with Gennadiy Maslov and Yevhen Pavlov), Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, USA
1990 Sibiu photosalon, Sibiu, Romania
1989 Photosalon in Reuss, Reuss, Spain
1988 Photosalon in Southampton, Southampton, Great Britain
1985 Regional House of Amateur artists of Trade Unions, Kharkiv, USSR
1983 Photosalon in San Sebastián, San Sebastián, Spain
Exhibition of the Vremia group, House of scientists, Kahrkiv, USSR
1981 Salon in Saint-Thierry, Saint-Thierry, France
1977 International photosalon “ZLATNO OKO-77”, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
All-union exhibition Phototechnique-77, Kharkiv, USSR
1974 V International “INFOTA” exhibition, Jičín, Check Republic
1973 Regional House of Amateur artists of Trade Unions, Kharkiv, USSR
Publications and press (selection):
"Manière voir. Ukraine", (illustrated by photographs of Oleksandr Suprun), Monde diplomatique, France, March 2023
“Kharkiv school of photography: Aleksandr Suprun”, Sandulyak Alina. Art Ukraine, 2018
“Oleksandr Suprun. Selected (1967-1997). Kharkiv, Ukraine, 2014
"Photography in Ukraine 1839-2010", Trachun, Oleksandr, Kharkiv: Saga, Ukraine, 2010
Hellinski photography and amateur cinematography, no. 121, Finlane, 1990
“The world of photography”, Planeta, URSS, 1989
Československá Fotografie, no. 3, Check Republic, 1988
“Amateurs take photos”, Lviv: Мistestvo, URSS, 1986
Soviet Photo, no. 11, URSS, 1986
Soviet Photo, no. 10, URSS, 1986
Československá Fotografie, no. 4, Check Republic, 1984
Foto – Jahrbuch international 1983/84. Leipzig: veb fotokinoverlag, Germany, 1984
“Photography: document and imagery”, Varatnov, Anri, Planeta, URSS, 1983
“Fotografen aus der USSR”, Baden-Baden: Presse Informations-Agentur, 1982
“Arteder-82”, Muestra internacional de obra grafica. Bilbao: Artes Graficas Grijelmo, 1982
Soviet Photo, no. 05, URSS, 1979
Soviet Photo, no. 08, URSS, 1976
Oleksandr Suprun belongs to the first generation of the Kharkiv school of photography. In 1962-1968 he studied at the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute. In the mid-1960s, he became interested in photography and enrolled at the regional photoclub at the House of the Amateur Artists of Trade Unions in 1967. Suprun was a member of the Vremia group together with Boris Mikhailov, Juri Rupin and Evgeniy Pavlov. His first solo exhibition was organized in 1973, after which the author participated in numerous contests and salons of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP). He was awarded with the distinction “Excellence FIAP” (EFIAP) in 1996.
If during the first decade of his activity Suprun was concentrated mainly on straight documentary photography, in 1975 he became interested in the collage, which gradually replaced ‘pure’ shots. Those years collage was a laborious manual technique of cutting out and mounting of fragments. The personages were mostly elderly people and kids, the most vulnerable social groups, often placed against a sinister-looking urban background with dramatic high-contrast skies. As taking pictures of people in the street of the Soviet Union could lead to the accusation of spying, the author used a camera hidden in a shopping bag and operated by an ingenious device.
Since 1981, Suprun is the associate professor of the Kharkiv Art and Industry Institute (now the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts).
After the beguiling of the war, he lives in Kharkiv.
Personal exhibitions (selection):
2015 The images of the past, Kharkiv municipal art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2013 The sanctuary of soul, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ukraine
2012 Near, exhibition space of the art laboratory, Kharkiv state academy of design and art, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2005 Gold, Palitra gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2002 Montage world of Oleksandr Suprun, Bastejs gallery, Riga, Latvia
1997 Photographs, Palitra gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1995 Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs, exhibition hall of Zaporizhya organization of the Union of photoartists of Ukraine, Zaporizhya, Ukraine
1995 Oleksandr Suprun.Photographs, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ukraine
1995 Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs, Lviv National Museum, Lviv, Ukraine
1994 Memories of the USA, Zodiak photocentre, Pervomaisk, Ukraine
1994 Photographs of Oleksandr Suprun, Municipal Palace of Culture, Feodosia, Crimea, Ukraine
1990 Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs (solo exhibition on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Bursztynska electrostation), Transcarpathian regional scientific and methodological centre of folklore art and cultural-educational work, Uzhgorod, USSR
1989 Fotografias de Olexandr Suprun, Photographic group of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Spain
Oleksandr Suprun. Photographs, The Chuvash State Art Museum
Olexandr Suprun, photogallery of the Photographic Union of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain; Zaragoza gallery, Zaragoza, Spain
Group exhibitions (selection):
2022-2023 Ukraine. Une donation contemporaine. Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2019 Crossing lines, PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine
Kharkiv school of photography from Grynov family collection, Mironova foundation gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine
The beloved city, exhibition space of the art laboratory, Kharkiv state academy of design and art, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Parallel worlds, COME-IN gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2014 Kharkiv School of Photography: Soviet Censorship to New Aesthetics 1970-1980s (part І), Kharkiv municipal art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine
50х70, Khmelnitsky museum-studio of photo art, Khmelnitsky, Ukraine
2012 Kharkiv through the lens of time, Jewish cultural centre Beit-dan, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2004 60х40, Academy gallery, Kharkiv state academy of design and art, Kharkiv, Ukraine
2001 Trierenberg Super Circuit photosalon, Linz, Austria
1999 The photography of Eugene Pavlov and Olexandr Suprun, Wolf art gallery, Cincinnati, USA
1998 My Ukraine, Poltava Art Museum, Poltava, Ukraine
1993 Contemporary Ukrainian photographers, Kharkiv Art Museum, Ukraine
FIAP biennale “Nature”, Barcelona, Spain
1992 Photosalon in Fabriano, Fabriano, Italy
Sibiu photosalon, Sibiu, Romania
1991 Contemporary Soviet Photographers (together with Gennadiy Maslov and Yevhen Pavlov), Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, USA
1990 Sibiu photosalon, Sibiu, Romania
1989 Photosalon in Reuss, Reuss, Spain
1988 Photosalon in Southampton, Southampton, Great Britain
1985 Regional House of Amateur artists of Trade Unions, Kharkiv, USSR
1983 Photosalon in San Sebastián, San Sebastián, Spain
Exhibition of the Vremia group, House of scientists, Kahrkiv, USSR
1981 Salon in Saint-Thierry, Saint-Thierry, France
1977 International photosalon “ZLATNO OKO-77”, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
All-union exhibition Phototechnique-77, Kharkiv, USSR
1974 V International “INFOTA” exhibition, Jičín, Check Republic
1973 Regional House of Amateur artists of Trade Unions, Kharkiv, USSR
Publications and press (selection):
"Manière voir. Ukraine", (illustrated by photographs of Oleksandr Suprun), Monde diplomatique, France, March 2023
“Kharkiv school of photography: Aleksandr Suprun”, Sandulyak Alina. Art Ukraine, 2018
“Oleksandr Suprun. Selected (1967-1997). Kharkiv, Ukraine, 2014
"Photography in Ukraine 1839-2010", Trachun, Oleksandr, Kharkiv: Saga, Ukraine, 2010
Hellinski photography and amateur cinematography, no. 121, Finlane, 1990
“The world of photography”, Planeta, URSS, 1989
Československá Fotografie, no. 3, Check Republic, 1988
“Amateurs take photos”, Lviv: Мistestvo, URSS, 1986
Soviet Photo, no. 11, URSS, 1986
Soviet Photo, no. 10, URSS, 1986
Československá Fotografie, no. 4, Check Republic, 1984
Foto – Jahrbuch international 1983/84. Leipzig: veb fotokinoverlag, Germany, 1984
“Photography: document and imagery”, Varatnov, Anri, Planeta, URSS, 1983
“Fotografen aus der USSR”, Baden-Baden: Presse Informations-Agentur, 1982
“Arteder-82”, Muestra internacional de obra grafica. Bilbao: Artes Graficas Grijelmo, 1982
Soviet Photo, no. 05, URSS, 1979
Soviet Photo, no. 08, URSS, 1976