Igor Aronov was named the winner of illy’s international photographic competition, “AuthentiCity— Revealing purity and authenticity in urban life,” which was held in collaboration with the NYC-based School of Visual Arts. He along with four other finalists, Matthew Baum, Caroline Shepard, Giselle Behrens and Carlos Alvarez Montero, took bespoke photo works, exploring the life of Big Apple, to the closing exhibition of the project, arranged during the New York City Wine & Food Festival on October 4–10.
Image Courtesy: Igor Aronov
In April, the panel of jury short-listed 19 of more than two hundred participating visual artists (students or alumni of SVA), which works were on display at an exhibition at Milan Design Week. After that, the contest judges selected five finalists and asked them to further develop the theme and showcase their new stills about ‘tenderness of the urban universe’ at the final dedicated exhibit. 38-year old graphic designer and a photographer Igor Aronov, who was born in Kharkov, Ukraine and immigrated to the USA in 1989, scooped the first prize of $10,000 in cash, and the runners-up received $3,000 each. The AuthentiCity grand winner also was commissioned with an assignment to create photo for illy issimo, the sponsor of the project.
“The city lives. It breathes. It moves. It reflects. I walked the streets, searching for the elusive purity and simplicity of everyday life of the city and its inhabitants. I was looking for its soul hiding behind the facade of daily bustle. In reflections, I was trying to catch a glimpse of its real face. The buildings became shapes, and the lights transformed into splashes of color. I tried to get really close, as if taking a photograph of someone I see every day and finding new expressions among the familiar features. And my city revealed itself to me,” said Aronov, describing his relationship with the city.
To see all the photographs presented by the five finalists, go to the illy issimo global page in Flickr.
“By supporting these emerging artists with AuthentiCity, we are providing our consumer with the ability to experience new perspectives in art and also working to advance the conversation on urban life through photography,» commented Illaria Presotto, Marketing Manager at ILKO, illy issimo’s parent company.