Epitome is a visual diary that began in 2020 and was reshaped by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The project brings together portraits of young men and landscapes of the Kyiv region that were devastated during occupation. Printed by hand in a makeshift darkroom in my Kyiv apartment, these images reflect a search for balance in a time of turmoil. Originally focused on youth and coming of age, the work shifted as photographs of destroyed homes and abandoned sunflower fields began to merge with earlier portraits—some of young men who are now fighting. Recontextualized, these images form a meditation on fragility, loss, tenderness, and hope.
Epitome is an award-winning first monograph book by Vic Bakin, published by Void in September 2024.
As of 2025, the book is sold out. Learn more.
Epitome was exhibited at Cortona On The Move, Italy (2025); Saatchi gallery, London (2025);
Unsocial Studio, Modena (2025) among others.
Lucie Photo Book Prize finalist (2025)
OD Photo Prize Finalist (2025)
“The Ones To Watch” by the British Journal of Photography (2023)
“Documenting Ukraine” grant recipient, IWM Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna (2024)
Winner of the LensCulture Art Photography Awards (2023)
Selectee for Copenhagen Photo Festival (2024)
Prize winner and finalist in Futurespective by Vogue Ukraine & PhotoVogue (2025)