Dina Belenko

I'm a still life photographer, deeply interested in the life of mundane, ordinary things and their ability to express complex concepts in relation to humans. Things can tell what they saw, who held them, who accidentally broke them, and who lovingly gathered up the pieces and repaired them. In every single thing, there is a sense of human presence, something invisible but clear. I'm trying to unravel these stories and retell them through the language of photography.Initially, my mind gravitated towards whimsical themes, capturing fairy tales and levitating coffee cups, a playful exploration of the lighter side of imagination. However, my abrupt relocation to Los Angeles, fleeing the war in Russia, catalyzed a significant shift in my work. This move wasn't just geographical; it was a rapid, almost shocking, journey to more personal and profound themes. Now, my focus is on the narratives of immigration, rapid change and homesickness. These themes, born out of personal upheaval, reflect a deeper exploration of identity and belonging in my photography.The ordinary items I brought with me from home serve as keepsakes, amplifying my sense of homesickness. Yet, paradoxically, they also offer a lens through which I can understand and navigate these emotions. In my current body of work, these personal artefacts become focal points, enabling me to explore the elusive sense of 'home.'

Born in a small town in the Far East of Russia, my interest in photography began with a simple, cheap film camera - a gift from my parents. There wasn’t a photography genre I didn’t try. Maybe I just liked the sound of the shutter. I started with snapshots of friends, flowers, and landscapes, but slowly progressed to developing my own style and to control the finer aspects of visual narratives.After receiving a humanitarian education in Publishing and Editing at Far Eastern University of Humanities, I worked as an editor in a local publishing house. This background has been instrumental in my growth as a photographer. The technical skills in image processing and prepress, coupled with the inspiration drawn from literature, aesthetics, and cultural studies, have enriched my creative process.My vision is mostly shaped by academic books such as "The Problem and Development of the Still Life. The Life of Things" by Boris Vipper and Vladimir Propp’s "Morphology of the Folktale". The move from Russia to Los Angeles, fleeing the war, has profoundly impacted my artistic perspective. I transitioned from whimsical themes to more personal subjects, focusing on homesickness, lost roots, and the sense of home. My current work uses objects from my homeland as a lens to explore and understand these complex emotions. I aim to examine them under intense medical lights to understand this pain and maybe even find a cure. Solo Exhibitions:Model of a Human, Khabarovsk, Russia (2012)Breakfast with the writer, Khabarovsk, Russia (2012)“Voices of Ordinary Things,” Far Eastern Art Museum,Khabarovsk, Russia (May 2013)Sea Level, Khabarovsk, Russia (2013)St. Petersburg 18 Photo Fair, Saint Petersburg, Russia(2013)Alidem Gallery, Milan, Italy (2016)Guide to the World of Magical Creatures, Khabarovsk, Russia (July 2020)Group Exhibitions:Khabarovsk Photographic Society, Jiamusi, China (July 2012)Mantova Gaming Park, Mantova, Italy (2014)Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA (2018)Bizon Gallery, Kazan, Russia (2019)Together! Los Angeles, Caligornia, USA (2023)Reflections and Projections, Los Angeles, Caligornia, USA (2023)Evendale Juried Photography Exhibit, Evendale, Ohio, USA (2023)Plantarium - 2023, (Online, 2023)Shape+Form, Los Angeles, Caligornia, USA (2023)Awards and Honors:Photo Discovery of the Year, 18th St. Petersburg Photo Fair (2013)Awarded Photographer, published in 1x yearbook Memento,1X-com (December 2014).Sony World Photography Awards 17 BestSplit-Second Photographs (2016)Sony World Photography Awards, Commended List (2017)Publications:Orange Book, Artrepreneur (2023)“Lebende Geschichten Uber Nicht Lebende Wesen,” Kwerfeldein (January 2014)“A Little Magnificent World: Interview with Dina Belenko,” Republic (May 2014)“Belenko’s ‘Tiny Crimes’: Household Accidents GivenAdded Drama,” Monde Mosaic: Contemporary Visual Culture (May 2014)“For the Avid Explorer: Dina Belenko’s Still Lifes,” Into Shallow Depths (March 2015)“Dina Belenko,” Muse’s Milk (March 2015)“Autumn Flowers by Dina Belenko,” Design Ideas (April 2015)“Outer Space Depicted in Doughnuts and Cookie in Spellbinding Still Life Photos,” Wired (July 2015)“These Gorgeous, Whimsical Still Lifes are Made from Coffee and Sweets,” FWx (August 2015)“Creating the Photograph: Dina Belenko’s ‘Balancing Donuts’,” The Phoblographer (September 2015)“New in the Shop: The Magical Stories of Still-Life Photographer Dina Belenko,” My Modern Met (September 2015)“Coffee with Dina Belenko,” Voice of London (November 2015)“Endlessly Edible,” Digital SLR Photography (January 2016)“Spark Your Imagination,” Digital SLR Photography (March 2016)“Clouds of Color,” Digital SLR Photography (June 2016)“Pro Showcase: Dina Belenko,” Practical Photography (August 2016)“Portfolio: Food for Thought from Dina Belenko, the Photographer Who Uses Objects to Tell stories,” Digital Camera (November 2016)“Twisted Splashes,” Photography Masterclass Magazine (May 2017)“An Adventurous Life,” Art Travel“Dina Belenko: Photographer of the Week,” 1x (July 2018)Books Written:The Creative Photography CookbookFlatlay Photo FeverPocket Idea Generator: Journal of Prompts and InspirationComposition as Visual Storytelling