Epitome, a photographic series by Vic Bakin, was created in Kyiv between 2020 and 2023 and merges new photographs from war-damaged areas of Ukraine with prints from his earlier archive. Initially envisioned as a personal exploration of youth, memory, and masculinity, the project reflected on the delicate and often contradictory process of adolescence. However, the Russian invasion in February 2022 fundamentally altered its trajectory. In response to the war, Bakin reoriented the project into a meditation on loss, displacement, and resilience—an evolution shaped by his experience of developing prints in a makeshift bathroom darkroom during ongoing air raids.
The work contrasts earlier portraits of young men with stark black-and-white views of recently deoccupied landscapes. Some of these individuals reappear, their youthful identities now reframed by the experience of war. This visual dialogue underscores how conflict reshapes personal narratives, especially around masculinity and the burden of national trauma.
Visually, the project leans on a tactile, muted aesthetic. Many prints are palm-sized and rendered in silver gelatin with sepia, cream, and gray tones. Compositions are sparse, sometimes featuring a single, symbolic element: a pile of broken chairs, a scorched sunflower field, a distant stork's nest. These symbols echo the project's broader concerns with vulnerability and survival. The prints intentionally include imperfections—stains, bruises, and chemical distortions—which Bakin embraces as metaphors for the wounded land and psyche.
Technically speaking, Epitome is defined by its darkroom methods. Bakin printed the series himself, often during blackouts and bombardments, reusing exhausted fixer and a dripping tap as a timer. The process became a form of psychological refuge. He also experimented with cyanotypes and inverted negatives, creating fiery, spectral imagery that echoed the violence outside.
The project has garnered international attention, winning first place in the LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2023 and appearing in exhibitions and publications worldwide. Its monograph, published by Void in 2024, further positioned it within the contemporary photobook canon.
