Main image: Developer stains your smile. So cold it barely keeps the silver magic alive. © Vic Bakin

The winner of this year's Art Photography Awards from LensCulture was the Ukrainian photographer Vic Bakin with a series of pictures called Epitome. "Ukrainian Pravda" writes about this with a link to the website of the international community of photographers and the online magazine LensCulture.

LensCulture is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching resources for discovering contemporary photography talent around the world. We believe that recognition and exposure are essential for photographers of all levels to move forward creatively and professionally, and this belief underpins our ongoing efforts to share, celebrate and reward great photography.

Vic Bakin was born and raised in Ivano-Frankivsk and studied IT. As he admitted in an interview with DFT/Magazine, after becoming disillusioned with his work in a bank, he decided to move to Kyiv, where he "awakened creatively" and began actively engaging in photography in 2010. According to the media, Bakin is "one of the most outstanding and consistent Ukrainian photographers who work with the theme of male nature."

Bakin is the first Ukrainian photographer to receive this award. Together with the Kyiv author, the LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2023 jury members honored 40 photographers from 20 countries on five continents.