Sam Derkatch says he's trying to bring the past back to life. The Yorkton photographer, who has a new show at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery in the Serpentine Gallery, explores the countryside looking for lost and abandoned places, and captures them through his lens.
"In the past couple of years I've been taking an interest in our history... I like to bring it back, and show people where we come from, our history, whose backs our country was built on and how we came here. Bring a light back to these old places," Derkatch says.
The majority of the work is exploring the area around Yorkton, and Derkatch says that he would like to go explore further out in more places. He says he's drawn to anywhere that has a bit of forgotten or abandoned history.
He says that it's been something that has interested him since he was in school, and explored the area around where he lived. Once he developed an interest in photography, Derkatch says he thought he would capture the places he found and share them with others.
Some of his favorites, Derkatch says, are the abandoned churches and cemeteries. He says it's because with his own religious background he feels a personal connection to the places.
"These people were part of who I am, part of my farming background," Derkatch says.
He says that there have been many surprises in these places, like old toys and artwork.
"That stuff opens my eyes to who these people were who used to live here, and makes me wonder where have they gone or if there are any descendents still left," Derkatch says.
He hopes that as people look at his images, they remember things from their own past, from their ancestors to the places from their childhood. He believes everyone can draw something from their own past from the images.
The show runs until April 13, admission is free.
