books 2017–2023

berlinerstrasse | lviv | ukraine 2023

Anton Tkachenko’s art books emerge as autonomous artistic objects in which the book transcends its conventional role as a carrier of information and becomes a space for visual and conceptual experience. The artist treats the form of the book as a body, where not only images or text matter, but also the materiality of the pages, the rhythm of turning them, and tactile sensations. As a result, Tkachenko’s art books are perceived more as a process than as a finished product — they invite the viewer into participation, into slow and attentive reading.

In 2023, these works were presented in Lviv at the Berlinerstrasse space, where the exhibition brought together art books created between 2017 and 2022. This retrospective selection made it possible to trace the evolution of the artist’s thinking, shifts in visual language and thematic focus, as well as a consistent interest in the book as an experimental medium. The exhibition format emphasized the autonomy of each art book while simultaneously constructing a dialogue between them, in which personal narratives transform into a broader reflection on time, memory, and experience.

Berlinerstrasse in Lviv functions as both a photo laboratory and a gallery, focusing on contemporary photographic practices and interdisciplinary artistic experiments. As a space dedicated to process, research, and collaboration, it provides a context in which the book, photography, and material-based practices intersect. Within this environment, Tkachenko’s art books resonated with the laboratory-like nature of the space, reinforcing their character as exploratory objects situated between documentation, artistic inquiry, and exhibition display.