Inner Garden

Synchrodogs

Galleri Urbane is pleased to present an exclusive Online Exhibition with Ukranian artist duo, Synchrodogs. In their second presentation with the gallery, titled Inner Garden, we look back at a decade of work spanning numerous series and shot in different corners of the world. The exhibition follows the release of Synchrodogs’ book Fashion Eye: Ukraine, published by Louis Vuitton in 2020, and highlights 23 powerful images that show the range of Synchrodogs’ work, from extraordinary nudes to sublime, abstract landscapes.

Comprised of artists Tania Shcheglova and Roman Noven, Synchrodogs joined forces in 2008. An appreciation for nature was instilled in each of them during their time growing up in Ukraine and has become the driving force for their practice. The duo’s first exhibition with the gallery in 2019, Slightly Altered, premiered their series of the same name and paid homage to Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains. The series was borne from multiple unsettling observations that marked the photographers’ travels through the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve: taxidermied animals were plentiful in every restaurant or hotel in the mountains while live ones were never spotted in the wild; an abandoned fire was left to burn in the valley and urgently needed to be stomped out; mounds of plastic garbage were found littered throughout the territory. Through their powerful images, Synchrodogs showcases the striking beauty of nature while simultaneously providing a poetic reminder of man’s delicate relationship with it.

Synchrodogs has since expanded the series, with a selection of the newest images included in Inner Garden. Accompanying these images are selected works from four additional series: Reverie Sleep, Fobia, Animalism, Naturalism and one of the duo’s latest bodies of works, also titled Inner Garden. The exhibition comes on the heels of the release of Synchrodogs’ book Fashion Eye: Ukraine, published by fashion house Louis Vuitton. The beautifully designed book presents the entirety of Synchrodogs’ Slightly Altered series as well an interview with the book’s editor, esteemed fashion author Patrick Remy. It also serves as a natural marriage of Synchrodogs’ dual practices. Alongside their personal art photography, they have made a living doing commercial work for brands including Burberry and Kenzo as well as editorial pieces for publications including Wall Street Journal and Vogue Ukraine.

In addition to the photographs, the online exhibition includes a video created by the artists that offers a rare glimpse into their travels and a more expansive look at images shot over the last decade. A brief series of questions with the artists also accompanies the show, providing additional insight to Synchrodogs’ creative process.

Watch:

On the event of their Online Exhibition, Synchrodogs’ provides a look at the breadth of their work over the years in this newly produced video.

The video includes footage from their expansive travels, behind-the-scenes looks at their striking shoots, images from many of their series and much more.

Galleri Urbane: When did you start working together as a duo? When you look back at the work you have created together, what are some of the major themes you find have remained over the years?

Synchrodogs: We started working as a duo in 2008. Our work has always been nature related, but since the beginning we evolved a lot, becoming more conscious about the environment. We always wanted our works to inspire people to love nature to the extent of not wanting to do any harm to it. Art can also be a tool to bring up the best in people.

GU: What role does your native country of Ukraine play in your work? How has it influenced your photographs?

S: Ukraine brought us up as independent and strong people. From the very childhood we know that there are a lot of obstacles in life and got used to fighting for our dreams. We both have a technical higher education and are totally self taught in art direction and photography, and that is a good thing for us for sure, we had very little influence from other people's ideas when we worked on establishing our own style.

Reverie Sleep (2013)

Pricing and Availability >>

Slightly Altered (2019)

Pricing and Availability >>

GU: The first Synchrodogs exhibition we hosted at Galleri Urbane featured your "Slightly Altered" series, shot in Ukraine, which has continued to grow. How has that series evolved since then?

S: This year the project was finalized into a book Fashion Eye: Ukraine published by Louis Vuitton, which is now sold in all Louis Vuitton shops and website and in the biggest book stores all over the World. We are very proud of this piece of work, it took us 3 years to polish the project and make it complete in terms of its visual form and important message behind it. It was also very interesting to work with Patrick Remy - editor and curator of many great books.

Watch:

Get a brief glimpse inside Synchrodog’s book Fashion Eye Ukraine, published in 2020 by Louis Vuitton and edited by Patrick Remy.

Read more about the project and order a copy online here >>.

GU: Some of your images highlight a nude figure placed against a stunning setting in nature. In other photographs, more abstract imagery is created using various objects that are placed in nature. What do set out to achieve in these different kinds of images?

S: We usually use ourselves as subjects to depict humans as an abstract form. The other direction we take is to create installations meant to live for a single day and photographing them before they decay. Mostly we get our ideas via a night time meditation technique - a specific method we developed ourselves and have been practicing since 2012. Therefore our art is very personal, deals with our own subconscious, dreams and visions.

GU: You have had great success as editorial and fashion photographers, shooting for brands and publications like Burberry, Kenzo, New York Magazine and Vogue. How do you approach your personal work differently than the commercial work you produce and do those projects ever influence what you create for yourselves?

S: We like working in the different spheres: art for our soul, fashion for our brains. In 2020 we also started working with video, cgi and mixed media, which gives a wider range of instruments to fulfill ideas. The world is developing, we like to progress together with it, learn new things, be innovative.

Receive A File of Additional Available Images:

Only a selection of images from each series have been included in this Online Exhibition

Request an all-encompassing file of images by contacting us here.