Photo : Kostia Hernain Debain
Photographic exhibition "Amorces" by Kostia Hernain-Debain
On the occasion of Paris Photo, the Area gallery presents the photographic works of Kostia Hernain Debain.
Galerie Area Paris (Paris 10th)
About
On the occasion of Paris Photo, the Area Paris gallery is pleased to invite you to the opening of its new exhibition titled Amorces, where we will feature a series of photographs by Kostia Hernain Debain. Organized as a triptych, Kostia Hernain Debain's photographs invite us on a journey between Ukraine, Uruguay, and Japan.
A word from the artist
"Born in Ukraine, I was taken in at three months old at an orphanage in Donetsk, before being adopted and growing up in Paris. Today, I am presenting three works as a loop: three journeys, three approaches, a single movement toward the origin.
First, there was a country that war closed off to me. For Contre-courant (Counter-current), I retraced the route remotely, on Google Earth, from Snijne to Kyiv, gathering the voices of those who could tell me about it. A return without a body, made of screens, stories, and places one touches with a finger without reaching. A documentary approach, but of a dreamed reportage, on the border of truth and fiction.
Then, in Uruguay, with Fragments de mémoire (Fragments of memory), I moved away from reality toward the sensitive. In the countryside of Montevideo, the landscape dissolved into light and shadow: a presence more than a subject, a mirror of inner feelings. The journey became interior, the photography more abstract.
Finally, Contre-courant led me to Kyotographie, in Japan. An obvious link was created when I discovered that Kyiv was twinned with Kyoto. The loop was closing: what I could not reach in Ukraine, I found through a detour in a sister city of the capital I had left as a child. There, the journey was no longer an image: I walked the streets, camera in hand, and the Kyoto-Tokyo series was born from this reality, captured in passing, through wanderings and discoveries.
Between the concrete and the sensitive, reportage and abstraction, my work always oscillates between these two perspectives. These three series are the stages, and together they draw a single path: that of a return to the roots that passes through elsewhere."
Kostia Hernain Debain
Our take on this event
Crossing borders from Ukraine to Uruguay and Japan, these photographs map a deeply personal journey of rediscovery and belonging. You will find yourself immersed in a visual triptych that navigates the thin line between haunting documentary and pure abstraction. It is a quiet, powerful exploration of how we construct our identity through the lens of distance and travel.
From November 11 to November 15, 2026, the Area Paris gallery hosts "Amorces," a photographic exhibition by Kostia Hernain-Debain. This triptych-style presentation explores the artist's personal journey through Ukraine, Uruguay, and Japan, blending documentary observation with abstract reflection. By examining themes of identity and the quest for origins, the collection offers a unique look at how travel and distance shape our perception of reality. Located in the 10th arrondissement, the exhibition is free to attend, welcoming everyone to engage with these intimate series that bridge the gap between tangible reportage and subjective memory.
During the Paris Photo event, Area Paris gallery features the exhibition "Amorces," showcasing the work of Kostia Hernain-Debain. Running from November 11:00 to November 15:00, 2026, the exhibition serves as a triptych of the artist's life, tracing his roots from his birthplace in Ukraine to his upbringing in Paris.
The project is divided into three distinct bodies of work. The first, "Contre-courant," navigates the conflict in Ukraine through remote digital mapping and oral histories. The second, "Fragments de mémoire," shifts focus to the Uruguayan countryside, where the landscape dissolves into light and shadow, emphasizing emotional resonance over literal representation. The final series, "Kyoto-Tokyo," captures the artist’s physical presence in Japan, finding a symbolic connection between Kyiv and its sister city, Kyoto.
Visitors can view these photographs at 46B rue de Paradis, 75010 Paris. Admission to the exhibition is free. Whether you are interested in photography or personal narrative, this event provides a contemplative space to explore the intersection of geography and identity.
