Marta Syrko
Marta Syrko is an artist from Lviv exploring themes of memory, identity, beauty, and the legacy of classical art.[1] Syrko gained international recognition for her series documenting wounded Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.[2]
Education and Inspiration
[edit]Born in Lviv in 1995, Syrko studied art history and art theory at Lviv National Academy of Arts.[3]
Although her primary medium is photography, Syrko draws inspiration from Greco-Roman sculpture, Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, and sculptors like Bernini and Rodin.[1] One of her greatest sources of inspiration has been the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture from Greece.[1]
Series
[edit]Sun Children
[edit]In 2020, Syrko debuted the Sun's Children series, a collection of portraits of children with Down syndrome, in order to ease the social stigma surrounding their condition.[3]
"When I was thinking about motherhood, I had a lot of internal questions, and that's how the project was born," Syrko told the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers about the series. "Now, by the way, we've reached the point where we can no longer call children with Down syndrome 'sunny.' I agree with this. I like what I see in society now in terms of inclusion. We are learning to speak, think, and coexist with each other correctly."[4]
Sculpture Soldiers
[edit]Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Syrko began documenting Ukrainian survivors of war for her Sculpture Soldiers series. The images of Ukrainian soldiers evoke Sykro's inspiration from Greco-Roman sculptures, depicting them as mythological figures. The Kyiv Independent wrote that, "The scars and tattoos on their bodies convey a palpable tension between the inherent beauty of the human body and the violence they have endured.[2]"
"As artists, we participate in determining how societies remember, mourn, heal, and imagine the future," Syrko told MutualArt about the series.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Sculptural by Marta Syrko: Art, Photography, and the Dignity of the Individual". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- 1 2 "Ukrainian artist's 'Sculpture' series normalizes injured bodies of Ukraine's soldiers". The Kyiv Independent. 2025-07-18. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- 1 2 "Marta Syrko | Nationale Opera & Ballet". www.operaballet.nl. Retrieved 2026-08-02.
- ↑ "UAPP Photo Story - Lviv photographer Marta Syryko about the Sculpture Project, The Bachelor, inclusivity, the body, and trauma". www.ukrainianphotographers.com. Retrieved 2026-08-02.