A radiologist by profession, Semchishen practised photography in his spare time. During his studies with photographer Hubert Hohn, Semchishen embarked on a rigorous modernist project documenting the visual landscape of Alberta and particularly its architectural and religious heritage. In 1976 Hohn curated a show of Semchishen’s detailed photographs of dome-topped Byzantine churches around Alberta. These were built by Ukrainian communities. including Semchishen’s own, and by then mostly abandoned. Semchishen’s work was part of the Banff Purchase of 1979.

Image: Orest Semchishen, Holy Ghost Ukrainian Church, Derwent, Alberta, 1974, printed 1990, gelatin silver print, 27.8 x 35.4 cm; image: 22.4 x 29 cm, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

For further reading, see:

Hanna, Martha. Orest Semchishen: In Plain View. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, 1994.

Semchishen, Orest, and Hubert Hohn. Byzantine Churches of Alberta. Edmonton: Edmonton Art Gallery, 1976.