Searching for Pokemon

People have always been the central fascination of world-renowned photographer Alexander Chekmenev. He photographs elites for Forbes magazine by day, and misfits and homeless people by night. Chekmenev’s hometown in the east of Ukraine has been under occupation of pro-Russian separatist groups since 2014. He moved to Kyiv years before the war started but the city has never truly been his home. His apartment is sterile like a hotel room, and the only touch of personality is found in the countless photographs he took throughout his career that cover the walls.

In February 2021 Chekmenev is going through his old archives to prepare photo prints for the charity auction. Filled together with his most recognizable photo — a girl posing with a Pokemon mask — he spots the face of the same girl, but in this image she wears no mask. This moment begins a journey home, to a place that is now completely cut off by war. It is not a physical trip — it is an attempt to find people he photographed in Luhansk in the 90s and early 2000s, the people that embody home for Chekmenev. His home city of Luhansk remains occupied by separatist groups to this day, and there is no legal way for Ukrainians to travel there, making it impossible for Chekmenev to go to Luhansk for the search. With the help of an old friend who lives in Luhansk, Chekmenev reconnects with people from his past, and piece by piece tries to reconstruct and reclaim his lost homeland.