He began his career as a photographer in a small studio in his hometown. During his free time, the artist was photographing people on the streets and their homes, documenting the deep economic and social crisis that the East of Ukraine experienced after the collapse of the USSR. The works of Chekmenev provide an intimate and insider’s perspective on the everyday life of the coal mining region in the 1990s. In 1997, the photographer moved to Kyiv, where he still lives and works as a photo reporter for leading Ukrainian editions. He continues to document the transformation of his homeland – Donbas that currently is in in the middle of the military conflict. In 2011, Alexander published a book, Donbass that is a visual narrative of twenty photo explorations of life in Eastern Ukraine. His photos were issued by such magazines as the New York Times Lens blog, Time Magazine, Time Lightbox, The New Yorker Photo Booth, MSNBC, Quartz, The Guardian, Vice Magazine. In 2014, Alexander was awarded Grand Prix Photographer of the Year of Ukraine 2013.
