Andrew Lucas - Project Santorini

model : Nicole Ross

Andrew was born in November 26, 1963 in the town Nikopole - Ukraine. He studied at the Nikopol's secondary school № 20. In 1983 he graduated from the College of Nikopol GMSH, specialty — mechanic. He graduated from the Kiev Highway Institute (KHWI - Now National University of Transport, Road faculty). He has a musical education, specialty — piano.

From 1986 to 1990 he worked as a taxi driver in Nikopol ATP. He combines free time with a musical amateur performances, turns a penny in restaurants and music platforms. (He plays on keyboards as participant of the local musical group) In 2000–2010 years Andrew works as a cashier of the bank`s foreign exchange transactions «UKRAINE».

In an interview with «VOLO» Lucas remembers that time as a wonderful experience acquires the skills to communicate with people.

As a photographer Andrew became manifest itself only at the age of 42 years, with the acquisition of the first camera.

Early photographs of Andrew dated 2008.

In 2009 Lucas is gains popularity in social networks and other media.

2010 was marked by the first master class for the fans of photographers which was out of Nikopol. Followed 55 workshops have become one of its main areas of activity until 2014.

Mainly Andrew Lucas works in the genre of nude / erotic. His works are distinguished shocking the public, eccentricity, individual style and ease of execution. Photographer, speaks about his work, stresses that they are a product of his sexual portrait, so they are very personal for him. Andrew Lucas works on many fronts. Among his works are traced landscapes and photo-animals, as well as a series of children's photography.

Lucas has won the gold medal in the category «Children» international competition Trierenberg Super Circuit (Austria, 2016) . Andrew Lucas works published in magazines Playboy Ukraine , Art Photo Akt Germany ,  VOLO Magazine , VOLO #16 – The 2014 ‘Girlfriends’ Issue, EmptyKingdom, Normal magazine, Mírame y sé color, ArtOn ,  StarLife.

 I’ve had many different professions and degrees. From my education in arts, I can single out my music school, where I studied the piano. I am also a mechanic… I’ve had jobs in transportation, retail, and banking. Honestly I do not remember when I take my first photographic shot. 2009 was a signature year for me, when I made my first public exhibition. I’ve always been very sentimental about it. Even to this day, I often re-post the works that I used for that show. 

What I mean is: I do not consider my best images to be the ones I'll make tomorrow. I love them all as if they were my children. To me, an image is successful only when it has a connection. When I shoot nude models particularly, rather than a vulgar desire towards the model, the aesthetical pleasure makes the image sublime. Throughout History, the female body has inspired mankind through its heroic triumphs and transgressions: what can be added to that? I am just a grain of sand in a dune, subjected to the same law of gravity. Beyond nude photography and stylized shots, I also love landscapes and underwater photography. I can stare at some masterpieces of photographic arts for hours, like children drooling with admiration and envy.

Many of my works are far from the nude genre. I do not hide them, but coincidently they are not in the spotlights. My work generates different, often opposite views from respected professionals. What I mean is that my style is subjected to many comments and criticisms on their part; their job is to characterize and define me, to compare me to other contemporary artistic genres, while I do not want to fit into a mould. I don’t have a specific agenda: I only want to put women at the centre of my work. I may depict them in unexpected and provocative ways, but women are also a product of our society, and they exist outside of our social makeup, codes and values. That is why they appear so alive and brilliant in my work. Showing a woman’s naked body is not an invitation. It doesn’t mean that she is open and available, in a vulgar sense. It only means that she inspires me, and that’s what I want to share with the viewers. I may give them the gift of illusion, but I do not lie. 

Maybe that’s what defines my style and approach to photography. A picture can be neither the conclusion nor the beginning of some long story. I am not a professional and I’m nowhere close to that. 
Whatever comes out of my work is the result of the high and low points in my life, which has its own scale, dynamics and direction. For me, it is not complicated to create images. They are simply the reflection of my own sexual map, if that makes any sense... Nothing comes out of nothing. 

Even if we can't verbally characterize or explain something, our subconscious is always at work: it shapes and takes the shape of our skills, our own personal upbringing and feelings. 
Being a photographer is like sowing seeds into a fertile soil: if all the ingredients gathered together propoerly, you'll be guaranteed a good crop. It simply takes time, instinct and fleeting moods to share your story with the viewer, who will in turn make it their own. "