*born in 1986 in Minsk, Belarus.

lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.

In 2008 he graduated with honours from the Belarus State University, specialising in Mathematics. In 2018 obtained MA degree in photography at Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp  followed by MA in Research in Art and Design in Sint-Lucas, Antwerp (2019).

Since starting to work in photography in 2009 Shlyk has had solo exhibitions in Belgium (Extra City, Antwerp), Norway (Vasli Souza Gallery, Oslo), China (Duloun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai), Belarus (Museum of Modern Fine Art, Minsk), Russia (Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Art, Moscow and Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art, Saint-Petersburg) and  and participated in numerous international photo festivals: Breda Photo 2016, 2022, Format 2017, Belfast Photo Festival 2017, Photo Phnom Penh 2018, Athens Photo Festival 2018, Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie 2020,  L'été photographique de Lectoure and Photo España 2022. 

Since 2016 he is collaborating on multiple projects with Ben Van den Berghe. Their work has been shown a.o. at CASSTL Antwerp (2017), Art Brussels and Untitled Miami (2018), CCHA Hasselt (2019), Melkweg Amsterdam (2021) and FOMU Antwerp (2022).

In recognition for his work, Shlyk has received several nominations and awards including Prix Levallois (shortlisted in 2017), ArtContest (winner 2017), Carte Blanche Paris Photo (laureate 2017), LensCulture Emerging Talents Award (winner 2017), Prijs Roger De Conynck (winner 2018), Public Prize at ING Unseen Talent Award (2018) and most recently a recipient of COVID-19 work grant (together with Ben Van den Berghe) by FOMU Antwerp.

His work has been published a.o. in GEO Germany, British Journal of Photography, Artpress, Fisheye, Corriere della Sera, Néon and De Standaard.


 

Selected Exhibitions

  • 2024

'Streetspace Banger', Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Germany (group)

'GOO', Futures Hub, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (solo)

  • 2022

'Breda Photo', Breda, The Netherlands (group)

'Lectoure's photographic summer'Lectoure, France (group)

'Backspace', FOMU, Antwerp, Belgium (duo)

'HYBRIDS: Forging New Realities as Counter Narrative', Centro Centro, Madrid, Spain  (group)

  • 2021

'Differences: HISK Alumni Exhibition', Gosset Site/Building A, Brussels, Belgium (group)

'HYBRIDS: Forging New Realities as Counter Narrative', Melkweg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (group)

'Modular Models', The Mothership, Antwerp, Belgium (duo)

'Outdoor hiking with sound and other fireworks', Middelheim Park, Antwerp, Belgium (duo)

'Virtual Escape', Gallery Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (duo)

'Track and Trace', photo festival Kortrijk, Belgium (group)

  • 2020

'The Appleseed Necklace', Fotogalleri Vasli Souza, Oslo, Norway (solo)

'The Appleseed Necklace', Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, Darmstadt, Germany (group)

  • 2019

The Shape Shifts, Gallery Gallery, Antwerp (group)

Sample(s), Sint-Lucas, Antwerp (group)

Mexico on my mind, CCBerchem, Antwerp (group)

'Festival of Control', CCHA, Hasselt (group)

'Photobook Belge', FOMU, Antwerp (group)

'Alternating Narratives', Sint-Lucas/KOCA, Antwerp (group)

'Glow', WARP contemporary art platform, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium (group)

  • 2018

'Currents #6', Marres, Maastricht (group)

'A Group of People Walking Through the Space', Untitled Art Miami (group)

'Trust', Rivoli Building – Window A , Brussels (duo)

'The Appleseed Necklace', Photo Phnom Penh

ING UNSEEN Talent Award, Amsterdam (group)

Verzasca FOTO Festival, Switzerland (screening)

'31 days of .tiff', FOMU Antwerp (group)

'One thing I can tell you is you got to be free', KASKA Master graduation group exhibition hosted by FOMU Antwerp

'Agua del día', Bâtiment Vanderborght, Brussels

'Private Eden', Art Brussels, VIP Lounge (duo)

Athens Photo Festival Main Programme, Benaki Museum, Greece

FotoForum Brasschaat, Belgium (group)

'Independence Day', Chongqing Art Museum, China (group)

'Agua del día', El Quinto Piso, Mexico City (group)

  • 2017

Art Contest, Bâtiment Vanderborght, Brussels (winner)

'The Plastic Number' – Book launch, CASSTL, Antwerp (duo)

.tiff, group exhibition, De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (group)

'The Plastic Number', exhibition with Ben Van den Berghe,  KRIEG, Hasselt, Belgium (duo)

'Making Do', Belfast Photo Festival, UK (group)

'The Appleseed Necklace', FORMAT 2017 International Photography Festival, Derby, UK

'The Appleseed Necklace', Extra City: One Night Only, Antwerp, Belgium (solo)

  • 2016

BredaPhoto International Festival 2016, Breda, the Netherlands

'Lost Stories', Museum Mayer van den Bergh (group)

  • 2015

‘Brain Fashion’, Parallel programme of “Fashion and Style in Photography Festival", 11-12 Gallery, Moscow, Russia (solo)

  • 2014

‘Instagram’, Group International Exhibition for the use of mobile technology in photography “Transition“, Y Gallery, Minsk, Belarus

‘Reconstruction #1’, Museum of Modern Fine Art, Minsk, Belarus (solo)

‘Brain Fashion’, Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art, Saint-Petersburg, Russia (solo)

  • 2013

‘Brain Fashion’, Shanghai Moganshan Museum of Art, Shanghai, China

  • 2012

‘Reconstruction #1’, Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Art, Moscow, Russia

‘Brain Fashion’, Duloun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China


Awards

  • 2018

Public Award Winner, ING Unseen Talent Award

Winner, Prijs Roger De Conynck

3rd place, Verzasca Foto Festival Awards

Shortlist, PHMuseum Grant

Participant, Plat(t)form 2018 at Fotomuseum Winterthur

Laureate, FotoForum Talent 2018, Brasschaat

  • 2017

Winner, Emerging Talents Awards 2017, LensCulture

Winner, ArtContest (together with Ben Van den Berghe)

Laureate, Paris Photo Carte Blanche

Short-listed, PRIX Levallois

Finalist, Emerging Photographer Fund 2017, BURN Magazine

Nominee, Photography Grant 2017

Runner up, BJP Breakthrough Awards, Graduate Series category 

Finalist, FestFoto Brazil 2017 Open Call, Portfolio category

Finalist, PRAFOTA Award, Art category 

Bronze, Moscow International Photo Awards

Honorable Mention, Prix de la Photographie Paris

  • 2016

Finalist, Renaissance Photography Prize 2016, Single image

Honorable Mention, International Photography Award, in category People : Lifestyle, Student

Winner, Bachelor 3 Award, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts (KOMASK)

Honorable Mention, Tokyo International Foto Awards, undefined category, student

  • 2014

Shortlisted for PRAFOTO award for Belarusian photographers, art photography

  • 2011

Nominated on the Kuryokhin award for “Best curatorial project” within C/A/C Group.


Publications

  • 2018

GEO Germany 11 2018

De Standaard

The Best of LensCulture: Volume 2

Néon France magazine #65

Corriere della Sera, Quattro riflessioni di Giovanna Calvenzi

  • 2017

artpress magazine, November 2017 cover, France 

Paris Photo catalogue 2017

Fisheye magazine #27, France

.tiff Magazine, published by Fotomuseum of Antwerpen

The Plastic Number, published by KRIEG, Belgium

FORMAT International Photography Festival catalogue, published by QUAD/FORMAT, the UK 

British Journal of Photography, magazine

  • 2016

Renaissance Photography Prize 2016 catalogue

BredaPhoto catalogue, published by Stichting BredaPhoto 


Education

  • 2019

MA in Research in Art and Design, Sint-Lucas, Antwerpen, Belgium

  • 2018

MA in Photography, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerpen, Belgium

  • 2008

Graduation with Distinction in Mathematics, Belarus State University, Minsk, Belarus

Copyright © Alexey Shlyk All rights reserved.
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