Perhaps the most adventurous and precarious source of materials is the grey market, including antique fairs and online auctions. After socialist state institutions transitioned to the capitalist economy, much of their property, including archives, ended up in private hands. When many of these institutions dissolved, archives were either stolen or taken as compensation for unpaid salaries, eventually finding their way into the collections of antique dealers.
Through a network of acquaintances, I met one such dealer specialising in paper archives. When I visited him in his multi-storey garage, I encountered neatly organised bags of archival material that appeared to have been taken freshly from institutional shelves. To my astonishment, I discovered that these materials belonged to the flagship of Soviet architectural research in Ukraine: the Research Scientific Institute of the Theory and History of Architecture and Urban Planning in Kyiv.
At the time, alongside my colleague Oleksandr Burlaka, I was preparing an exhibition on the architecture of Kyiv in the 1920s and 1930s. It was called The City of Tomorrow and “presented the evolution of Soviet modernist architectural heritage from its genesis in the 1920s and its revival from the late 1950s through to the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as this patrimony’s patchwork survival in the former republics of the Soviet empire today” It was a travelling exhibition and had already been shown in Yerevan, Minsk and other cities before it came to Kyiv. The project was the result of research by an international team of curators: Ruben Arevshatyan, architectural historian and president of AICA-Armenia, Anna Katz of MOMA in New York, and Georg Schölhammer, editor-in-chief of the Austrian contemporary art magazine Springerin. Unfortunately, due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it ultimately wasn’t possible to open the exhibition in Kyiv, despite the fact that it was almost completely ready.
The architecture of the 1920s and 1930s is less well documented in Kyiv than in Kharkiv, which was then the capital of Ukraine and was actively undergoing development as the main site of Constructivism in the entire USSR. For this reason, there was very little information available about Kyiv at that time, and what little there was was already well known and had been published long ago. Among the materials in those bags, I unearthed a photographic catalogue titled The Building of Socialist Kyiv (1921–1932). This extraordinary discovery featured photographs of both realised and unrealised projects in Kyiv, taken by F.R. Petrov and produced by phototypists N.P. Negel, V.B. Mavrovsky and A.A. Petlitsky. The catalogue’s detailed descriptions made it an invaluable resource for the exhibition.
In the late 1930s, when Constructivism was officially banned, numerous architects and archives linked to the movement faced suppression as well. To safeguard these materials, clandestine methods, such as re-photographing, were employed, as entire print runs of publications were at risk of being destroyed. In further exploring the publication The Building of Socialist Kyiv (1921-1932), I found out that only a single copy survived in the Volodymyr Zabolotny State Scientific Research Library of Architecture and Construction. The original copy stunned me even more with the quality of its photo prints, its design and the general atmosphere. The architectural photography was of the highest standard, fully embodying the most advanced technical processes of the time. It is a unique document that captures not just buildings, but the urban environment, the rebuilding of the city and the essence of the new concepts at play. This book was a document, a witness to the high style of constructivism, which was very short-lived and then promptly forgotten by decree of the authorities. Nevertheless, it is thanks to such rare publications that we can continue to be inspired by the architecture of this period and find contemporary responses to it. It was very fortunate that this album was officially reprinted in 2020 by the Kyiv publishing house VARTO, and as a result, public attention returned to this masterpiece of Ukrainian architectural publishing.
Another notable, yet sorrowful, source of archives lies in private family collections. Following the death of an architect, these archives are frequently dispersed and sold off in fragments, making it virtually impossible to restore them in their entirety. Consequently, one is often left to scour online antique auctions in search of valuable pieces of these archives. Despite the challenges inherent in this pursuit, acquiring even fragments can prove to be of immense significance. For instance, the archive of Kyiv architect Borys Vedernikov, partially collected on such online auctions, is a very unique case.
Like many architects of his era, Borys Vedernikov not only engaged in architectural photography but also pursued his own creative photographic endeavours. What distinguishes Vedernikov’s archive is the unique fusion of architectural imagery and personal storytelling. A notable feature of his work is the recurring presence of his wife, a striking beauty, posed against various architectural backdrops. These images reflect a dual passion: his deep affection for his wife and his admiration for architecture. The interplay between the female form and architectural structures creates a captivating narrative in which the elegance of both is subtly intertwined. In many of his photographs, his wife is depicted in the foreground, captured in graceful, often evocative poses, further enriching the aesthetic dialogue between the human body and the built environment. The background is usually architectural details (e.g., balustrades, decorative elements such as vases) or architectural buildings and structures. For example, in Figure 4, we see the pedestrian Park Bridge in Kyiv in the background. The striking silhouette of the metal structure has become one of the traditional and most recognisable elements of the Kyiv skyline.
The Last Days of the Last Institutes
One of the final chapters in the history of Soviet-era design research institutes in Kyiv is embodied in the story of Kyivproekt. Between 2022 and 2023, its property was sold, and the building itself was demolished to make way for a new office and residential complex. The future of its archive remains uncertain, though fortunately, it has not been discarded. However, like the archive of the Research Scientific Institute of the Theory and History of Architecture and Urban Planning in Kyiv, it faces the risk of privatisation or other measures that render it inaccessible to the public.
For decades, access to this archive was heavily restricted, with its photographic materials, in particular, remaining largely out of reach. At the height of its influence, the Kyivproekt photo laboratory was regarded as the finest in Soviet Ukraine. Architects made extensive use of its advanced facilities, employing photography as a vital design tool to test innovative ideas, document working models, and produce photo montages. The lab was also equipped with the rare capability to print large-format photographs, a significant technological advantage at the time. Within its walls, architectural projects were transformed into professionally crafted presentation catalogues and booklets that were not only invaluable for their architectural insights but also served as exemplary models of exceptional graphic design.
The archive also contained photos documenting the construction of various buildings. These images offer rare insights into the early stages of construction – moments that are hidden once a building is completed. Such photos reveal the structural “skeletons” of buildings and provide valuable information about their construction principles. These intermediary stages often hold clues to the fundamental architectural concepts underlying the final structure.
A few years before the building’s demolition, I was fortunate to visit the archive several times. The archive’s condition was critical. It was obvious that no one was paying attention to it. After the closing of the laboratory in the 1990s, the archive had been moved many times within the Kyivproekt Institute itself. Because it was of no particular value to anyone, its condition was dire – chaotically stacked piles of documents and photos, covered in dust and neglected for decades. During the few hours I was granted access, I did everything I could to scan and photograph the materials on-site, working in a small, dusty room since nothing could be removed.
This archive, a vital record of Kyiv’s post-WWII construction history, should be preserved. Most importantly, it should be in proper condition and be publicly accessible. Kyivproekt was the city’s main design institute, with prominent architects such as Ava Miletsky, Florian Yuriev, Eduard Bilsky, Ihor Shpara, Yanosh Vig, and others shaping the city’s modern landscape. Many of its projects received the highest Soviet state awards, elevating them to the status of architectural monuments. I hold out hope that this archive will resurface, allowing researchers and the public alike to benefit from its immense historical value.
Amidst historical upheavals, a few state institutions have endured, preserving their archives in good condition and occasionally granting researchers access. One such institution is the E.O. Paton Institute of Electric Welding, whose legacy is closely tied to the Paton family – figures of immense significance in Ukraine’s history. Evgen Paton was the project manager for the construction of more than one hundred welded bridges. He also created a school of bridge constructors, as a result of which, in 1934, the specialised Research Institute of Electric Welding was established, the first of its kind worldwide. Borys Paton, the son of the Institute’s founder, Evgen Paton, served as its director for over seventy years. Borys Paton continued the glorious family legacy of scientific discoveries. His scientific research was devoted to automatic and semi-automatic welding processes. He published more than 1,000 scientific works and was responsible for over 400 scientific inventions. Many landmark structures in Kyiv, such as the aforementioned Park Bridge, the “Flying Saucer” concert hall of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information, the Motherland Monument, and many others, were realised with the assistance of the E.O Paton Electric Welding Institute.
The Institute achieved numerous breakthroughs in welding, including the development of technologies for welding in outer space. Among its notable engineering achievements is the design and construction of the world’s first fully welded bridge in Kyiv over the Dnipro River. It was built between 1939 and 1953 and named in honour of Evgen Paton. This bridge became an iconic landmark and a testament to the Institute’s innovative spirit.
The Institute’s Museum houses the personal belongings of Yevgen and Borys Paton, along with archival documents, including a photo album documenting the construction of the bridge. Like the album The Building of Socialist Kyiv (1921-1932), this photo collection stands out for its world-class quality and attention to detail. The photo album of Paton’s bridge construction captures the entire process – from the casting of the steel used to build the bridge to the ceremonial ribbon-cutting at its opening. This comprehensive visual narrative can be likened to a multi-year time-lapse, offering an invaluable record of the bridge’s creation. It can also be called a photographic story, with the bridge and its creators the main protagonists. This material is unique and invaluable from both artistic and archival perspectives. The images reveal the project’s immense scale and technological complexity, highlighting its historical and artistic significance. Through these photos, we can appreciate not only the engineering feats but also the collaborative efforts that brought this architectural marvel to life.
- Volodymyr Falin, Kyiv. It Wasn’t That Long Ago: 1973–1995 (SkyHorse, 2011).
- Curatorial statement for the exhibition The City of Tomorrow (Travelling exhibition, 2019).
- VARTO is a publishing house specialising in publishing books about Kyiv and Ukraine. Over thirteen years of work, VARTO has published more than forty books, becoming laureates of the “Book of the Year” award.
This article results from the Symposium ‘Curating and Researching Photography from Ukraine, organised by Open Eye Gallery and the University of Salford, funded by the British Council Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute, curated by Kateryna Filyuk
