1996. Series of 3 photographs. C-print. 118 × 80 cm

At the site of the 1945 Yalta Conference, the artist presented documentation of a performance he had staged elsewhere. His father had been one of the officers assigned to protect the gathering. In the work, the artist reconstructed the tasks of the military telecom operators, who were responsible for maintaining communication—sometimes at the risk of their lives. 1998. Video installation: video, telephones, electrical wires. 5'27" Installation view: exhibition A Day in the Li

Bedtime Stories may now seem somewhat exaggerated, but at the time it apparently did not, given the shockingly criminal everyday life of the post-Soviet 1990s; hence, the artist’s use of black humour as a form of sublimation. 1998. A series of 12 staged photographs with accompanying narratives. C-print. 50 × 60 cm Installation view: Rohkunstbau, Berlin, Germany, 2005

The artist’s friend invited him to take part in her graduate curatorial group show Dressed in White at Bard College, New York. At that time, the artist was drawn to the interplay of images of the poet Aleksandr Vertinsky, the singer Georg Ots, and the mythological figure Sebastian. In Bratkov’s performance, however, tomatoes were used instead of arrows. Later, he also presented a similar performance in Kiev. 1998. Series of 8 photographs. Dimensions variable.

1998. Series of 7 portraits. C-print. 40 × 27 cm

In this series, the artist combined photographs from his recent trip to New York with scenes of everyday life in Horn. 1998. Series of 8 photographs New York—Horn (18 × 13 cm); mixed-media installation Goats in Horn in a community kitchen at the residence Kultur Kontakt, Horn, Austria.

At the time of his move to Moscow, the theme of post-Soviet childhood was one of Bratkov’s central conceptual concerns. The artist’s children-related projects significantly varied as to themes and methods, but they all dealt with the social anomalies and ruptures of the socialist society, which was losing its “innocence” in a rapid transition to capitalist realism. Employing iconography of biblical subjects, Italian School , for instance, commented on the flow of religious pr

In this vein, the series Glue Sniffers (2000) and Juvenile Detention (2001) registered different manifestations of the failed state. The series was created in one of the detention centres in Kharkiv for troubled children (petty thieves, hooligans, drug addicts, prostitutes). Glue Sniffers. 2001. Series of 6 photographs. 90 × 90 cm

2001. Series of 9 photographs. C-print. Dimensions variable

Sick children were given balloons to blow up in order to strengthen their lungs. A stark reflection of the poverty of the time. Series of 6 photographs. C-print. 27 × 40 cm

At the turn of the 2000s, Bratkov was also conceptually engaged with post-Soviet social and professional types. Many of his portraits of such figures were made in Ukraine. The most striking among them were not those that reinforced age, gender, and social stereotypes of their respective professions, but those that challenged them. Series of 10 photographs. Nos. 1–9: C-print. 98 × 73 cm; no. 10: C-print. 98 ×128 cm

2001. Dyptich. C-print. 85 × 60 cm each

At the turn of the 2000s, Bratkov was also conceptually engaged with post-Soviet social and professional types. Many of his portraits of such figures were made in Ukraine. The most striking among them were not those that reinforced age, gender, and social stereotypes of their respective professions, but those that challenged them. The latter include, for instance, Army Girls and the retired Sailors . 2001. Series of 7 photographs. C-print. 85 × 60 cm; Video 3'21''

2001. Series of 4 photographs. C-print. 45 × 30 cm

Among his most notable series is Steelworkers . “I like the sense of professional pride of these people,” the artist explained. “In the time of wild capitalism and aggressive entrepreneurship, I found their choice of an ordinary profession more sympathetic. Driven not by money but by duty, they were, to my mind, the heroes of the time.” Bratkov later explained his decline of interest in such portraits by noting that the epoch of “ordinary heroes” had disappeared in the more p

The second-hand shops were a relatively new and widespread phenomenon in post-Soviet countries, characteristic of the era. For this series, the artist invited some of his friends to pose. 2000. Series of 9 photographs. 70 × 50 cm

Following the artist’s suggestion, his gallery organised a beach photography competition with both obligatory and free programmes. The series was created using a self-made camera with a fish-eye lens. 2002. Series of 8 photographs. C-print. Ø 16 cm

2004. Video 9’34” Installation view: exhibition “Ukraine”, Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, 2010.

For a long time, Bratkov had wanted to create an exhibition from unrelated photographs, produced on different occasions and at different times, bringing miscellaneous visual material together in a single display. An invitation from a Belgian gallery eventually made this possible. For the artist, Belgium is associated with René Magritte, symbolism, and crime novels. Accordingly, the show included two images of fictional murders, while the rest depicted the everyday bustle. Th

This series was made in the Ukrainian city of Sharhorod, known for its historic Jewish settlement and cemetery. The artist photographed Jewish graves at sunset, when they begin to shine and create a mystical atmosphere. Installation view: Museum of Local History, Kedainiai, Lithuania, 2016. Shining. 2006. Series of 12 photographs. C-print. 52 × 40 cm