Sergey Kior is a photographer and visual artist based in Cork, Ireland. Born in Mariupol in 1991, he has always been drawn to the intersection of art, culture, and exploration. His academic journey began at Kharkiv University of Radio Electronics (BA, 2014) and continued at Voronezh State University (MA, 2016), before he discovered his passion for photography. He honed his craft at Pixels Photo College (2017) and Kiev Photo School (2020), and his career has since taken him across the globe.

Sergey’s professional experience includes working as a photographer for Carnival Cruise Lines, MSC, and AIDA Cruises (2018-2022), collaborating with travel magazines, and capturing the energy of festivals like Splash! Festival  and Rolling Loud. As a music photographer, he has worked with a diverse range of artists, capturing the raw energy and emotion of live performances over the years. With over 70 countries visited, his work reflects a deep connection to the world’s diverse landscapes and cultures. 

Currently, he is pursuing a BA in Visual Art at TU Dublin (2025), where he continues to explore the boundaries of storytelling through imagery.

Artist Statement

Sergey Kior’s practice centers on the tension between memory, the present moment, and what lies ahead. Working primarily with photography, he focuses on subtle shifts in color, form, and atmosphere, often moving toward abstraction. His images aim for a clear presence that leaves space for interpretation.

He approaches each work as a fragment of time, allowing ordinary scenes to unfold into something more introspective. Empty environments and traces of human presence act as starting points for questions about perception, absence, and the ways meaning forms in visual experience.

Drawing from his travels, Sergey’s work reflects a deep curiosity about the human experience and the ever-shifting relationship between place, identity, and emotion.

Awards

  • Voronezh Routes 2015, Landscape — 1st Place
  • CCL Photo Contest 2018, Landscape — 1st Prize
  • PX3 Paris Photo Prize 2020, Environmental — 3rd Place

Exhibitions

  • Alye Parusa, 2015 — Voronezh, Russia
  • Arena, 2016 — Voronezh, Russia
  • Kiev Photo School, 2020 — Kiev, Ukraine
  • Ars Eltera, 2020 — Mariupol
  • Blind Spot, 2021 — Mariupol
  • Сквот, 2021 — Lisichansk, Ukraine
  • Gareleya, 2021 — Mariupol
  • Mahsati Ganjavi Museum, 2022 — Ganja, Azerbaijan
  • Community Exhibition, 2023 — Sherkin Island, Ireland
  • The Library Project, 2023 — Dublin, Ireland
About. Sergey Kior