COMPATIBILITY TEST: UKRAINIAN CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE LATE 1980S – EARLY 1990S IN THE MIRROR OF THE COUNTERFACTUAL APPROACH

Abstract

The aim of the article is to approve the counterfactual approach as a tool for revising the history of Ukrainian conceptual photography of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The study actualizes the need to move away from the linear historiographical narrative in favor of dynamic modeling of the artistic landscape. The author argues that conceptual photography, by its very nature, is a space for critical self-reflection that requires the deconstruction of established canons and hierarchies. Within the framework of the work, a methodological strategy based on the principles of «what if...» is considered, which allows for the identification of hidden connections between regional centers and the restoration of the status of marginalized creative practices. Special attention is paid to the development and application of specific tools: methods of removing the dominant, isolating the equivalent, and selective exclusion. The article details a “compatibility test” of Ukraine’s leading photographic schools – Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv. Through the experimental “removal” of the Kharkiv school as the main international brand of that time, the author traces the manifestation of the identity of other centers that gravitate toward a more classical European conceptual tradition. In particular, the effect of the “soft” conceptualism of Lviv and Odesa, which is often overshadowed by the radical “shock theory” of the Kharkiv school, is analyzed. The decentralization of the visual landscape is also studied through the temporary isolation of the Kyiv trans- avant-garde, which allows for highlighting direct horizontal connections between regions, free from metropolitan institutional pressure. The transdisciplinary essence of the research is revealed through the involvement of methodologies from the fields of philosophy (E. Husserl’s phenomenology), anthropology (C. Lуvi-Strauss’s structuralism), and art theory (G. Didi-Huberman). The conclusions emphasize that the introduction of a «fifth element» (for example, Kherson conceptualism) into the established system of the «big four» schools acts as a catalyst for revising the entire canon. This confirms the thesis that the history of photography is not a list of facts but a history of continuous discussions. Counterfactual modeling appears as an effective means of decolonizing the internal perspective on Ukrainian art, transforming it from a hermetic system into an open network of constantly interacting identities. Such an approach allows researchers to reconsider the criteria for evaluating artistic merit and institutional significance, fostering a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of the historical evolution of visual media in the post-Soviet context.