Career
Born in Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine, her family moved to Brooklyn, New York when Yelena was in her early teens. Yemchuk directed or co-directed the videos for "Zero" and "Thirty-Three". In addition, she handled art direction for the Adore album and its related singles.
Her photographs appear in the "Zero" European Parliament, the The Aeroplane Flies High box set, and the Rotten Apples compilation.
She received an art direction cr for the 2000 Smashing Pumpkins album Machina/The Machines of God, and appeared in the video for the song "Stand Inside Your Love". She also provided the photography for albums by Savage Garden and Rufus Wainwright.
Her fashion photography is featured in the September 2010 Urban Outfitters catalog. She has exhibited her paintings at the Dactyl Foundation.
Her paintings "displays her uniquely surrealist approach to art with satiric storytelling and undeniable Eastern European influences".
Her current focus on fashion photography began in 1997. Since then, Yemchuk has contributed to Italian and Japanese Vogue, the New Yorker and West, and has shot advertising campaigns for Kenzo, Cacharel and Dries Van Noten. She was involved with Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan from 1995 to about 2003.
Throughout 2004, Corgan mentioned her frequently in his blog, and she also provided the cover art for his book Blinking with Fists.
Yemchuck has two children with actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
