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The Proof - Yvonne Hachkowski

Yvonne is a die-hard analog photographer. Originally hailing from Queensville, Ontario, she now lives, works, sews, loves and bakes in Vancouver. I met her six years ago here while we were both attending Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

Yvonne is a die-hard analog photographer. Originally hailing from Queensville, Ontario, she now lives, works, sews, loves and bakes in Vancouver. I met her six years ago here while we were both attending Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Today, her day job involves program coordination at Focal Point: The Visual Arts Learning Centre.

She is an active member of the 221A Artist Run Centre community and loves cheese in most all its solid and melted forms, owning both a fondue pot and a 6-person Swissmar Raclette party grill. As far as I know, Yvonne doesn't own any real pants. She gets by in cute dresses, skirts and is almost exclusively in Fluevog footwear.

She has a deep affinity for Switzerland, having spent a semester there on exchange. She packs Moleskines that are fat with Polaroids affixed with self-adhesive, gold photo corners and the biggest, biggest heart you'll ever encounter.

Yvonne is the ray of sunshine speeding by you on Broadway in a sparkly gold helmet, on the bright yellow Honda Jazz. She's probably on her way to a camera swap.

-Amanda Huynh

yvonne hachkowski proof

The Proof

01 Home.

This is where I live, and these are the charming gentlemen I live with! We live in an East Van century house complete with glitter stucco ceilings and an elevator on the porch! Here you can see the boys ‘starting the car’; there may have been a period in time where two people and an axe were needed to get the engine going!

02 Photography.

I use the photographic medium to explore my surroundings, people within them and give face to my creative imagination. My work varies between solemn landscapes, stolen glimpses of people, documentations, portrait & studio photography, and my favorite: Polaroid. People are sometimes shocked to find I do not own a digital camera. Yes, I am a photographer and I only shoot film.

03 221a Artist Run Center.

This is my second home! Filled with creative minds & run by dedicated artists; 221a is my winter escape from Vancouver’s rain! This is where I keep studio space and work as a PACT committee member.

04 Food.

I grew up spoiled by good food and never really appreciated the efforts my parents put into the backyard garden until I tried [and failed] at growing green beans myself! We always had fresh eggs from our couple of chickens, perfectly ripened produce from the garden and plenty of cakes, pies, cookies and other unimaginable sweets – mom owns a cake shop!  In Vancouver, all my friends love food as much as I do. We eat together, cook together and get creative with food together. Eg. This photo was taken at a Bacon n’ Waffle party!

05 Eleanor.

Eleanor is new to me, we are still bonding. We have passed the ‘you can only hold me with rubber gloves’ stage of the relationship and are comfortably moving into the ‘I will only nest in your lap if you feed me cilantro’ phase.

06 Zurich.

This is where I was a month ago. I have a soft spot for Switzerland, its people, the culture and food. I used to study and live in Zurich; this is the place I feel most inspired. Some of the loveliest people I know live here.

07 Adventures.

Spontaneous adventures with friends are the best. If you squint, you will see my tiny blow up raft I foolishly bought after seeing people enjoying themselves on real boats! What you can’t see is the three of us in the boat being yelled at by the Kits Pool lifeguards over their megaphone, ordering us to return to shore!

08 Adventures + Photography.

In everything I do and everywhere I go, I always have a camera with me.

The Questions

What neighborhood do you live in?

I live in the Hastings Sunrise area; everything is within biking distance.

What do you do and where?

During the workday, I am the Program Coordinator at Focal Point. In the evening, ill be at my studio space working on ideas, having meetings, making photographs, typing letters, sewing capes and snacking!

What are you working on?

Exploring Vancouver – This is a collaborative project I’ve been working on with one of my favorite friends [and studio mates]; we’ve been busy with the idea for sometime now, putting the project into production has been exciting.

I’m also co-curating PACT events at 221a; and been lending a hand at their newly acquired studio space in Chinatown; all renovations are being done though the generosity of volunteers.

Where can we find your work?

My website is www.yvonnehachkowski.com, or better yet, find me and I’ll show you the latest stash of polaroids in my pocket or contact prints in my purse!