business from zero
Yelena emigrated to the Netherlands in 1996 at 11 years old. During her studies at University of the Arts Utrecht, Yelena decided to return to her birthplace Kyiv (Ukraine) for a two months internship. While navigating through the city she was overwhelmed by paper ads that consume the public space. Yelena began to take pictures everywhere she went and caught some thought-provoking scenes. Particularly interesting are the shots where the advertisements enter nature and merge with the landscape. Left there by people to battle the elements, the ads fade and decay reminding us of inevitable death of all things. This series captures the commercial fanaticism of post-Soviet Ukraine. Although times are changing and the Western world is becoming increasingly digitized, paper ads find their way into the public space regardless of being a relic of the past. In Yelena's mind they symbolize the clash between East and West, creating a hybrid environment. A place where Yelena no longer belongs, that is continuously changing and becoming less recognizable every time she returns.
