George Voronov (b.1993) is a recent graduate of the MFA program at the Belfast School of Art where he studied under Ken Grant, Donovan Wylie, and Haley Morris Cafiero. His work is primarily interested in youth culture and the use of photography in new and innovative ways to experiment with different forms of storytelling. While at Belfast, George developed his ongoing project ‘We Became Everything’ which looks at young people’s experience of spirituality. Voronov’s project was selected as part of the FUTURES program for this year’s Unseen Photography Festival in Amsterdam as well as being part of New Irish Works 2019, a triennial celebration of the best Irish photography. He splits his time between commercial commissions and his fine-art practice.
We Became Everything
“We Became Everything” is an attempt to photograph what a spiritual experience feels like.
Spending time with young people in religious communities and on spiritual retreats throughout Ireland, I found that all those photographed shared permutations of one core conviction. This was a belief in the existence of two worlds. Our familiar material world which we can all perceive as well as a second, mysterious and elusive spiritual world.
The idea of photographing a link between these worlds, a nexus where the veil between them is thinnest, became a subject of fascination. Almost imperceptible but to those dedicated to their pursuit, such links take the form of fleeting revelations, subtle rifts in reality, and a feeling of connection to the divine. In these instances, the banal gives way to the sublime. They are metaphysical decisive moments.
To view more of George Voronov’s work please visit his website.