About
Joseph Sywenkyj (b. 1978) is an American photographer of Ukrainian descent. Among his many awards, Joseph was the recipient of the prestigious W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography in 2014. From 2014-2016 Joseph was a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine documenting severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers and activists.
Joseph’s photographs have appeared in many of the world’s most respected publications. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums including Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland; Les Rencontres d’Arles in Arles, France; George Eastman House in Rochester, New York and the United Nations Visitor’s Lobby in New York City among many other venues.
AWARDS / GRANTS
• 2022 Aftermath Project Grant
• 2017 European Endowment for Democracy Grant
• 2016 Philip Jones Griffiths Award Finalist
• 2014 - 2016 U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine
• 2014 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography
• 2012 Camera Club of New York Darkroom Residency
• 2011 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography Finalist
• 2009 Hasselblad Masters Award Finalist
• 2006 Magenta Emerging Photographer
• 2003-04 Fulbright Student Grant to Ukraine
• 2003 PDN’s 30 Emerging Photographer
• 2002 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass
• 2002 Alumni Award - School of Visual Arts
• 2001 Visual Arts Foundation Grant
REPRESENTATION
Redux Pictures - www.reduxpictures.com
EXHIBITIONS
Oct 2022 Ukraine. War and Resistance. - Vinnytsia Museum; Vinnytsia, Ukraine
Aug 2021 Photo Kyiv, [In]visible Lives - Saint Sophia Cathedral; Kyiv, Ukraine
Jan 2019 Verses from a Nation in Transition – Holderness School; Holderness, USA (solo exhibition)
April 2018 War and Revolution: Framing 100 Years of Cultural Opposition in Ukraine – Trinity College Long Room Hub; Dublin, Ireland
Nov 2017 .RAW / Ukraine on the Front Lines – Centre Culturel d’Ukraine en France; Paris, France
Nov 2017 .RAW / Ukraine on the Front Lines – The Ukrainian Museum, New York, NY, USA
March 2017 Wounds – Museum of the History of Religion; Lviv, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
Feb 2017 Wounds – History Museum of the City of Kamyanske; Kamyanske, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
Oct 2016 United Nations Habitat III Conference - organized by World Press Photo, Quito, Ecuador
July 2016 Wounds - Taras Shevchenko National Museum; Kyiv, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
April 2016 Wounds - Odesa National Research Library; Odesa, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
March 2016 Wounds - Ukrainian Medical Academy; Poltava, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
Feb. 2016 Maidan. The Human Factor - Parliament of Ukraine; Kyiv, Ukraine
Jan. 2016 Wounds - Officer’s House; Vinnytsia, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
Dec. 2015 Wounds - Zhytomyr State Technological University; Zhytomyr, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
Nov. 2015 Wounds - Zhytomyr State University; Zhytomyr, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
Oct. 2015 War. The Human Factor - Group Exhibition in Memory of Ukrainian Photographer Viktor Gurniak, Museum Arsenal; Lviv, Ukraine
May 2015 Wounds - America House; Kyiv, Ukraine (solo exhibition)
May 2015 Donbas, War and Peace - Charles Square Park; Prague, Czech Republic
May 2013 Verses, A Family in Odesa, Ukraine - The Camera Club of New York; New York, NY, USA (solo exhibition)
Oct. 2011 The Unseen Eye: Photographs from the W.M. Hunt Collection - George Eastman House; Rochester, New York, USA
June 2010 Verses, A Family in Odesa, Ukraine - Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism, University of Applied Sciences and Arts; Hannover, Germany (solo exhibition)
Oct. 2009 Hasselblad Masters Award Finalists Exhibition - Milk Studio; New York, NY, USA
Sept. 2009 Hasselblad Masters Award Finalists Exhibition - The DASK Gallery; Copenhagen, Denmark
Aug. 2009 Hasselblad Masters Award Finalists Exhibition - Cornwall House; Hong Kong
Feb. 2006 Collection Dancing Bear - Photographs From the Personal Collection of W.M. Hunt, Musée de l'Elysée; Lausanne, Switzerland
July 2005 Collection Dancing Bear - Photographs From the Personal Collection of W.M. Hunt, Les Rencontres d’Arles; Arles, France
March 2004 Ukraine - Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art; Chicago, IL, USA (solo exhibition)
Sept. 2003 Pandemic: Imaging AIDS - Philadelphia Art Alliance; Philadelphia, PA, USA
Dec. 2002 Pandemic: Imaging AIDS - United Nations Visitor’s Lobby; New York, NY, USA
Dec. 2002 Ukraine: Verses of Faith and Disease - Visual Arts Gallery; New York, NY, USA (solo exhibition)
Nov. 2002 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass Exhibition - FOAM Photographic Museum Amsterdam; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Aug. 2002 Pandemic: Imaging AIDS - Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria, South Africa
July 2002 Pandemic: Imaging AIDS - International AIDS Conference; Barcelona, Spain
April 2002 Mentors - Gallery Duggal; New York, NY, USA
April 2002 Chornobyl - Fairfield University Library; Fairfield, CT, USA (solo exhibition)
Nov. 2001 Chornobyl - SVA, East 21st Street Gallery; New York, NY, USA (solo exhibition)
Sept. 2001 The Photo Review - University of the Arts; Philadelphia, PA, USA (solo exhibition)
July 2001 Chornobyl - The Richard B. Russell Senate Office Building; Washington, DC, USA
July 2001 Beneath the Surface - Photographic Center Northwest; Seattle, WA, USA
May 2001 Chornobyl - United Nations Visitor’s Lobby; New York, NY, USA (solo exhibition)
March 2001 Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund Photography Exhibition and Fundraiser - Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center; Buffalo, NY, USA (solo exhibition)
Nov. 2000 Chornobyl - Willard Straight Hall at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA (solo exhibition)
LECTURES
School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design, Human Rights Information Center, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukrainian Catholic University, Zhytomyr State University, Kyiv Polytechnic University, Odesa National Research Library, Ukrainian Medical Academy and Bird in Flight at Deposit Photos.
PUBLICATIONS
2017 Huss, Five photographs published in RAW, a photo book about the Ukrainian army and Ukrainian society
2010 Simon & Shuster, Several photographs published in The Gun, by C.J. Chivers, a book about history, conflict and the myths and culture surrounding the Kalashnikov rifle
2010 Herausgeber, 2nd Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism Exhibition Catalogue, University of Applied Sciences and Arts; Hannover, Germany
2006 The Magenta Foundation, Photographs published in Flash Forward 2006, Emerging Photographers from Canada, the UK & the US
2004 Gijs Stork, Photographs published in World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass - The First Decade: a book celebrating 10 years of the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass
2004 DK Publishing, Photographs published in: New York City 24/7, a book celebrating a week in New York City
2003 Umbrage Editions, Photographs published in: Pandemic: Facing AIDS - a powerful collection of images on the topic of AIDS by over one hundred award-winning international photographers.
SPONSORSHIP
Kodak Professional has sponsored the creation of Joseph Sywenkyj’s work in Ukraine as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.