You're reading: Photographer duo shock with nudity, creativity

Their naked bodies in unnatural positions, contorted and surrounded by scenic landscapes is how photography duo Tetyana Sheglova and Roman Noven are often seen. But their names are lesser known than the artistic name the duo picked — Synchrodogs.

Sheglova, 24, an Ivano-Frankivsk native, and Noven, 29, of Lutsk, have been working together for over five years. Their artistic collaboration grew out of an intimate relationship that started after they met each other on an online photography forum in 2008.

“We both had (online) accounts there (and communicated on the forum), since we lived eight hours apart from one another,” Sheglova says.

Speaking for both herself and Noven, she explains that they both feel totally synchronous with each other — hence, their alias of Synchrodogs.

“Take it all literally,” Sheglova explains. “We feel closely related to nature, sometimes we behave like animals (in the best sense). At the same time, we have very similar tastes and perceptions, which make the word ‘synchro’ suitable to be a part of our name.”

Tetyana Sheglova’s face emerges from flowers in an image from the Girls of Shanghai collection of photographs by Synchrodogs.

However, their first two years together were spent working on very personal shoots.

“It’s only the in last three years that we realized what exactly we wanted to do,” Sheglova explains.

Both Noven and Sheglova insist their work isn’t simply about shooting naked bodies in plastic bags, or commercial pictures of people on the fringe of society dressed in sequined outfits. Their work is more a concept of their global perception.

“Our works are mostly about humans absorbed harmoniously by their surrounding natural environment,” Sheglova says.

Sheglova and Noven have implemented eight art photography projects including a personal one called Diary. They have been to more than a dozen countries, while their biggest accomplishment this year was the publication of their first photo book Byzantine.  “We just love holding that clothbound hardcover book in our hands,” Sheglova explains.

Being shortlisted for the Pinchuk Art Center Prize also counts as one of their latest achievements.

Tetyana Sheglova poses in this Synchrodogs photo, which belongs to the Hidden Luster photography project by her and Roman Noven.

Kateryna Stukalova, former chief-editor of Art Ukraine magazine who is now an art critic and modern art expert of the Pinchuk Art Center Prize selection board says that the admission of Synchrodogs to the list of 20 winners was an experiment for  Pinchuk Art Center, as “they haven’t done much in modern art and worked more in fashion photography, but I believe that they can create something very interesting, especially if they step out from the scope in which they got used to working. ”

Despite a deep appreciation for the young photographers’ talent, the selection board wasn’t keen on them, the art critic says.

“Some on the board said that they have started to repeat themselves and it is enough to look through one of their projects to predict what the others are about,” Stukalova notes.

Kyiv Post staff writer Daryna Shevchenko can be reached at [email protected].