IN Southport Arts Center over Easter are photographic digital images producved by a photographer from Western Ukraine called Pavel Melnichuk (Pasha to his friends). Pasha is just a part of a growing renaissance of culture in Chernivtsy. (Chernivtsy is a large town in the Western Ukraine.) It is Austro-Hungarian in appearance, due to its architecture as well as its multi-ethnic and very cosmopolitan inhabitants. It has long been referred to as ''Little Paris'' by the occupants of the Ukraine and neighboring countries. Pasha has never before exhibited in the UK and he is a modern art photographer.  His views on digital processing are that he sees digital photography as just as valid an art form as any.  His sister Alla Morley, who now lives in the UK and organised the show for him, told me that his view of photography is that “taking a beautiful photograph is the culmination of luck, experience and a natural flair. Digital processing is partly experience but largely flair.” Pavel art in his own words... "To me digital processing is a liberating set of tools that widens the scope of possibilities of self-expression. It allows one to view photography as a kind of art which has found itself on a significantly new level. 

Although it is impossible to give an absolute prediction for the future development of photographic art, I think even today one can prove the existence of the indissoluble connection between classic photography and its satellite-digital processing. The development of new technology catalyses the birth of many new images, dictates new trends and changes our idea of harmony. 

The inner world of each person is special. The ever-changing state of one's feelings is exceptional and unique at a given moment in time. We are constantly involved into the non-ceasing unpredictable flow of life and carried away by the energy of its streams. Changing trends, fashion and inner individual alterations can suddenly turn one's own reflection in the mirror into that of a complete stranger. They break through the concrete blocks of stereotypes and fill our senses with totally new perceptions. As a consequence mysterious transformations happen somewhere on the edge of our consciousness and adorn the horizon of our vision with the infinite rainbow of living hues, dense and powerful. 

Any creativity is to a certain degree abstract. We purposely side step the objective reality discovering ourselves living another life, then another and so on without an end. In actual fact through creativity we are unfolding the diversity of that single life given to each of us.  The constantly luring Nirvana of a creative process leaves an endless trail inside me. The trail, that leads towards the feeling of complete unity with the world without any bounds. It mesmerizes me with the possibility of approaching the incomprehensible category-infinity, where new units appear to measure the time and the word ''death'' suddenly loses its meaning...''
 
Sadly he could not make it to the UK to see the show, but hopes to visit soon. This is one of the best examples of simplistic digital photography and fantastic natural flair used to produce a stunning show that is well worth a view.