Clubber Spotlight: Daria Pyshna

"I am a London-based Ukrainian multimedia artist primarily focused on photography. My work explores the complexities of Ukrainian identity and documents this culture to popularise it to the rest of the world.  

"Prism of Obolon" is a photobook project documenting my hometown, Kyiv, and the area known as Obolon, where I lived until I was 12. The logo on the book's cover is from a beer company named after the "Obolon" district. This company has become a ubiquitous symbol for the community, representing the area's cultural identity. Most pictures in the book, including the trenches, were taken around the streets connecting my primary school and the "Obolon" beer factory.

"Film processing and darkroom printing are significant parts of my creative process. Something about physically altering the images in my hands allows me to build a deeper connection with them. Every single picture in the book has gone through this process and been scanned after, meaning there is only one physical copy.

"Last September, I partnered with the "Obolon Culture" organization to bring this project back to the community. The exhibition, "Prism of Obolon," opened in one of the area's libraries and raised money to rehabilitate soldiers who suffered hearing injuries during combat.

 "I constantly struggle with my cultural identity post-immigration, which inspired me and two other Ukrainian women to form an art collective called TRiYKA (@triykacollective). The collective has become my consistent source of inspiration and opportunity to break out of my comfort zone."

@daria_pyshna