An exhibition of the Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Zhivotkov was opened in Italy

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An exhibition of a Ukrainian artist opened in the Italian city of Padua Oleksandr Zhivotkov – Le tavole sacre dell’Ucraina (“Sacred Tablets of Ukraine”).

The exhibition in the Galleria Civica Cavour gallery presents 33 works created by the artist after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Since February 24, most of the works created by Zhivotkov in the Kyiv workshop are dedicated to the places of war tragedies – Buch, Mariupol, Irpen, Kherson, Vinnytsia.

In the comment UP. Culture
co-curator of the project Tatyana Voloshyna calls this exposure “a perfect expression of the Ukrainian contemporary artist regarding the terrible events of the war in Ukraine“.

“The exhibition in Padua is a logical continuation of the exhibition project “Vivtar. Zhivotkov”, which was presented together with the National Center “Ukrainian House” in March 2023 and strongly resonated in the hearts of Ukrainian viewers“, Voloshina notes.

The Municipality of Padua helped organize the Stedley Art Foundation exhibition. “Zhivotkov remained in his hometown after the start of brutal aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. Currently, he works in his workshop in Kyiv, which is under Russian rocket fire. Therefore, his works are deeply imbued with a huge tragedy that the Ukrainian people are going through“, adds the cultural adviser of Padua Andrea Colazio.

According to Voloshina, among the visitors of Zhivotkov’s exhibition in Italy are representatives of Italian culture and art, as well as many Ukrainian immigrants, for whom the project is a reminder of the struggle in their homeland: “Common impressions from the exposition demonstrate the importance of cultural exchange, as well as the relevance of art as a means of expression and perception of complex historical realities”.

The curator notes that in addition to the works of the last two years, there are also works from the Maidan times. “It is especially important that the exhibition, in addition to the works of the last two years, presents the works on which Oleksandr Zhivotkov worked hard during the tragic and heroic winter of 2014“, she says.

The exhibition Le tavole sacre dell’Ucraina in Padua can be viewed until March 31. Free admission.

About Oleksandr Zhivotkov

Oleksandr Zhivotkov
– a Ukrainian artist, a representative of the wave of postmodern art in Ukraine.

Together with his father and brother Serhiy, he created the “family school”, which is characterized by its characteristic features – monochrome and minimalism. In his work, he focuses on the tragedy of existence and the ethical ideals of humanity.

For the first time, he showed his works abroad at the “Ukrainian Art” exhibition in Helsinki in 1992. To date, Zhivotkov’s works have been shown at 34 personal exhibitions in Ukraine, the artist has participated in 60 group projects in Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Great Britain, France, Finland, Germany, Austria.

The exhibition project “Vivtar. Zhivotkov”, which was presented at “Ukrainian House” in March 2023, was nominated for the Taras Shevchenko Award.