Oleksandr Suprun
Born in 1945, Berezivka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine
ENG. Oleksandr Suprun belongs to the first generation of the Kharkiv school of Photography. From 1962-1968 he studied at the Kharkiv Polytechnic School. In the mid-1960s, he became interested in photography and enrolled at the regional photo club in 1967. Suprun was a member of the famous Vremia (Time) 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 the distinction “Excellence FIAP” (EFIAP) in 1996.
During the first decade of his activity, Suprun 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 children, very 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 works as a professor at the Kharkiv Art and Industry University.
Photographs of Suprun belong to important public collections such as the collection of Centre Pompidou, Paris, France and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA. They participated in exhibitions in Hangar Photo Center, Brussels, Belgium; Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Germany; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine and were presented at Photo London 2022, Photo Basel 2023 and Paris Photo 2023 art fairs.
Recently Beaux Art Magazine, Le Quotidien de l’Art, Aperture and Monde Diplomatique published his works.
FR. Oleksandr Suprun appartient à la première génération de l'Ecole de photographie de Kharkiv. En 1962-1968, il étudie à l’Ecole polytechnique in Kharkiv. Au milieu des années 1960, il s'intéresse à la photographie et s'inscrit au photoclub régional. Suprun est membre du célèbre groupe Vremia (Temps) avec Boris Mikhailov, Juri Rupin et Evgeniy Pavlov. Depuis sa première exposition personnelle, organisée en 1973, Suprun participe à de nombreux festivals et salons de la Fédération internationale de l'art photographique (FIAP). Il a reçu la distinction "Excellence FIAP" (EFIAP) en 1996.
Au cours de la première décennie de son activité, Suprun se concentre principalement sur la photographie documentaire. En 1975, il commence à s'intéresser au collage, qui remplace progressivement les prises de vue "directes". Ces années-là, le collage est une technique manuelle laborieuse de découpage et de montage de fragments. Suprun photographie souvent des personnes âgées et des enfants qu’il présente sur un arrière-plan urbain dramatique. Comme photographier de personnes dans les rues à l'Union soviétique pouvait conduire à l'accusation d'espionnage, l'auteur utilisait un appareil photo caché dans un sac et actionné par un dispositif ingénieux.
Depuis 1981, Suprun est professeur à l’Ecole d'art et d'industrie de Kharkiv.
Oeuvres de Suprun font partie d’importantes collections dont celle du Centre Pompidou, Paris, France et de Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA. Elles ont participé à de nombreuses expositions, notamment au Hangar Photo Center, Bruxelles, Belgique ; Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Allemagne ; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France ; Noorderlicht Photography Foundation, Groningen, Pays Bas ; PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine et ont été montrées aux foires Photo London 2022 et Photo Basel 2023.
Récemment Beaux Arts Magazine, Le Quotidien de l’Art, Aperture et le Monde Diplomatique ont publié ses photographies.
Personal exhibitions (selection):
2019 The Beloved City, exhibition space of the art laboratory, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Parallel Worlds, COME-IN art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine (curator—Sergiy Lebedynskyy)
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):
2024 Ukrainian Dreamers, Communal Galerie, Berlin, Germany, curator: Sergiy Lebedyndskyy
Generations of Resilience - 22 Ukrainian photographers, Hangar, Brussels, Belgium, as a part of the PhotoBrussels Festival, curators: Hangar and Kateryna Radchenko
2023 Paris Photo, Main sector, Alexandra de Viveiros gallery, Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris, France
Ukrainian Dreamers. Kharkiv School of Photography, Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Germany
Kharkiv School of Photography — 50 years of artistic photography in Ukraine, Kreis gallery, Nurnberg, Germany
Photo Basel, Alexandra de Viveiros gallery, Basel, Switzerland
2022-2023 Ukraine. Une donation contemporaine. Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2022 Ukraine. The Pass to Freedom, Noorderlicht Photography Foundation, Groningen, Netherlands
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
1991 6th Istambul internatonal Photography Exhibition Yarisnmaci, Turkey
1990 Sibiu photosalon, Sibiu, Romania
1989 Photosalon in Reuss, Reuss, Spain
Mostra International di fotogfafia d’autore, Vercelli, Italy
36 Salon Internacional de fotografia, Argentina
1988 Photosalon in Southampton, Southampton, Great Britain
1985 36 Salon internacional de fotografia Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Salon international photographique St Thierry, France
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
Collections (selection):
Musée National de l'Art Moderne - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Publications and press (selection):
“Photo Brussels passe un cup”, Le Quotidien de l’Art, Sophie Bernard, France, 15 February 2024
"In Ukraine a battle for the future", Blind Magazine, Iris Mandret, 9 February 2024
"Novembre le mois de toutes les photos", Beaux Arts Magazine, Sophie Bernard, November 2023
"Manière voir. Ukraine" pdf, (illustrated by photographs of Oleksandr Suprun), Monde diplomatique, France, March 2023
"The Information Front, #2. “Ukraine – The Path to Freedom”, Schilt Publishing, Netherlands, 2022
"The Dissident Photographers of Ukraine", Aperture, Luca Fiore, 25 March 2022
“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
Portfolio pdf
ENG. Oleksandr Suprun belongs to the first generation of the Kharkiv school of Photography. From 1962-1968 he studied at the Kharkiv Polytechnic School. In the mid-1960s, he became interested in photography and enrolled at the regional photo club in 1967. Suprun was a member of the famous Vremia (Time) 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 the distinction “Excellence FIAP” (EFIAP) in 1996.
During the first decade of his activity, Suprun 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 children, very 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 works as a professor at the Kharkiv Art and Industry University.
Photographs of Suprun belong to important public collections such as the collection of Centre Pompidou, Paris, France and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA. They participated in exhibitions in Hangar Photo Center, Brussels, Belgium; Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Germany; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine and were presented at Photo London 2022, Photo Basel 2023 and Paris Photo 2023 art fairs.
Recently Beaux Art Magazine, Le Quotidien de l’Art, Aperture and Monde Diplomatique published his works.
FR. Oleksandr Suprun appartient à la première génération de l'Ecole de photographie de Kharkiv. En 1962-1968, il étudie à l’Ecole polytechnique in Kharkiv. Au milieu des années 1960, il s'intéresse à la photographie et s'inscrit au photoclub régional. Suprun est membre du célèbre groupe Vremia (Temps) avec Boris Mikhailov, Juri Rupin et Evgeniy Pavlov. Depuis sa première exposition personnelle, organisée en 1973, Suprun participe à de nombreux festivals et salons de la Fédération internationale de l'art photographique (FIAP). Il a reçu la distinction "Excellence FIAP" (EFIAP) en 1996.
Au cours de la première décennie de son activité, Suprun se concentre principalement sur la photographie documentaire. En 1975, il commence à s'intéresser au collage, qui remplace progressivement les prises de vue "directes". Ces années-là, le collage est une technique manuelle laborieuse de découpage et de montage de fragments. Suprun photographie souvent des personnes âgées et des enfants qu’il présente sur un arrière-plan urbain dramatique. Comme photographier de personnes dans les rues à l'Union soviétique pouvait conduire à l'accusation d'espionnage, l'auteur utilisait un appareil photo caché dans un sac et actionné par un dispositif ingénieux.
Depuis 1981, Suprun est professeur à l’Ecole d'art et d'industrie de Kharkiv.
Oeuvres de Suprun font partie d’importantes collections dont celle du Centre Pompidou, Paris, France et de Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA. Elles ont participé à de nombreuses expositions, notamment au Hangar Photo Center, Bruxelles, Belgique ; Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Allemagne ; Centre Pompidou, Paris, France ; Noorderlicht Photography Foundation, Groningen, Pays Bas ; PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine et ont été montrées aux foires Photo London 2022 et Photo Basel 2023.
Récemment Beaux Arts Magazine, Le Quotidien de l’Art, Aperture et le Monde Diplomatique ont publié ses photographies.
Personal exhibitions (selection):
2019 The Beloved City, exhibition space of the art laboratory, Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Parallel Worlds, COME-IN art gallery, Kharkiv, Ukraine (curator—Sergiy Lebedynskyy)
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):
2024 Ukrainian Dreamers, Communal Galerie, Berlin, Germany, curator: Sergiy Lebedyndskyy
Generations of Resilience - 22 Ukrainian photographers, Hangar, Brussels, Belgium, as a part of the PhotoBrussels Festival, curators: Hangar and Kateryna Radchenko
2023 Paris Photo, Main sector, Alexandra de Viveiros gallery, Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris, France
Ukrainian Dreamers. Kharkiv School of Photography, Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Germany
Kharkiv School of Photography — 50 years of artistic photography in Ukraine, Kreis gallery, Nurnberg, Germany
Photo Basel, Alexandra de Viveiros gallery, Basel, Switzerland
2022-2023 Ukraine. Une donation contemporaine. Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2022 Ukraine. The Pass to Freedom, Noorderlicht Photography Foundation, Groningen, Netherlands
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
1991 6th Istambul internatonal Photography Exhibition Yarisnmaci, Turkey
1990 Sibiu photosalon, Sibiu, Romania
1989 Photosalon in Reuss, Reuss, Spain
Mostra International di fotogfafia d’autore, Vercelli, Italy
36 Salon Internacional de fotografia, Argentina
1988 Photosalon in Southampton, Southampton, Great Britain
1985 36 Salon internacional de fotografia Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Salon international photographique St Thierry, France
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
Collections (selection):
Musée National de l'Art Moderne - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Museum of Kharkiv School of Photography, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Publications and press (selection):
“Photo Brussels passe un cup”, Le Quotidien de l’Art, Sophie Bernard, France, 15 February 2024
"In Ukraine a battle for the future", Blind Magazine, Iris Mandret, 9 February 2024
"Novembre le mois de toutes les photos", Beaux Arts Magazine, Sophie Bernard, November 2023
"Manière voir. Ukraine" pdf, (illustrated by photographs of Oleksandr Suprun), Monde diplomatique, France, March 2023
"The Information Front, #2. “Ukraine – The Path to Freedom”, Schilt Publishing, Netherlands, 2022
"The Dissident Photographers of Ukraine", Aperture, Luca Fiore, 25 March 2022
“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
Portfolio pdf