The Land I Call Home

Walter Borchenko

After travelling, there’s nothing quite like returning home. There’s a comfort and warmth that embraces you like a familiar blanket. But travel changes how we see. It sharpens our appreciation for the subtle nuances and unique details we often take for granted. In contrast with the broader world, these characteristics stand out—they stir something deeper, tugging at the heart in a way that can only be described as love for one’s home.

The Land I Call Home is an evolving body of work—my personal collection of favourite images of Canada. This presentation of 12 photographs is a show within the larger Xposé exhibition and offers a preview of the 14 images that currently make up the growing collection.

A Modernist Black and White Aesthetic

For over 20 years, my work has been committed to a black and white Modernist aesthetic—a visual language that has shaped the very foundations of photographic history. My inspiration draws from the legendary works of Man Ray, Margaret Bourke-White, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Berenice Abbott, among many others. From the beginning, I set out to create images that embodied the same depth, clarity, and formal integrity. Yet for years, no process I tried could fully capture the richness, precision, or consistency I was after.

Decades of exploration helped refine my ability to find subjects that resonated with Modernist ideals, but the visual result remained elusive. That changed in 2004 when I began testing a new digital capture technology while photographing the streets of Calgary. For the first time, I saw a glimmer of the aesthetic I had been seeking. It was rough—but it was there. More importantly, it was repeatable. I had found a Style: a process-driven approach that worked much like film and became a creative anchor I’ve relied on ever since.

 Rather than rely on post-processing, I focused on developing my sensitivity to light, exposure, camera technique, and the use of filters—refining the aesthetic as much as possible in-camera. As digital technology advanced over the years, so too did my ability to fully realize the vision I had been chasing. What began as a pursuit to replicate a historical look gradually evolved into something more—a continuation of Modernism, shaped by contemporary tools.

 My work is not a replication of the past, but a progression—an ongoing conversation between the enduring principles of Modernism and the potential of digital technology. It’s proof that the essence of Modernism is not bound to any one era or medium, but lives on as a way of seeing, interpreting, and distilling the world. For me, that dialogue lives in black and white—in light and shadow, form and structure, clarity and simplicity.