Curious about the process of making a photobook? Join us in an intimate setting to take a closer look into this delicate process, in dialogue with artist-in-residence Yana Kononova and book designer João Linneu. As a member of Intergalactica: Books for the Culture Without Borders, FOTODOK invites you to attend this special event in Amsterdam, hosted by the artist residency FUTURES Hub.

Over an intensive period of collaboration and creative exchange – beginning on 20th May –  Linneu, Kononova and FOTODOK’s curator Daria Tuminas will work together on the editing and design process of Kononova’s  first photobook, to be co-published by FOTODOK and XYZ Books. The publication aims to bring together works from Kononova’s  ongoing Radiations of War project, which delves into the profound repercussions of warfare in the context of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.

We are keen to include our audience in the dialogue between designer and artist about the often vulnerable process of constructing a book. In this context, that sense of vulnerability is even more pronounced: the book is built on an archive of imagery produced throughout this brutal ongoing war. Both Linneu and Kononova will share insights into their creative process, discussing specific images, the intricacies of bookmaking, and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by their collaboration.

Before this discussion, Alex Blanco – an Amsterdam-based artist of Ukrainian origin – will serve a selection of homemade Ukrainian snacks, drawing on her recent photobook Meat, Fish & Aubergine Caviar. The project, which Blanco will introduce, is an intimate story reflecting on both Ukrainian and Odesan culture through the prism of food and family.

Finally, visitors are invited to discover a selection of photobooks by Ukrainian makers, which was first brought together for FOTODOK’S Whispers and Shouts. Voices of Ukrainian Women Photographers exhibition in 2023.