Sergei Yakunin. Sculpture and Site-specific art

Sergei Yakunin’s place in Ukrainian contemporary art is defined both by the spirit of his work and the locations. The artist prefers to shy away from commercial projects, demonstrating a preference for large urban spaces and natural landscapes. Sometimes these settings are empty, sometimes they are teeming with people, but Yakunin’s work effortlessly reflects its specific locale: this is what makes site-specific art different from other art forms. This publication represents an overview of Yakunin’s work from 1970—2018 as a pioneer of Ukrainian site-specific art showing the artist’s development from easel painting, through environmental sculpture, installation, so-called land art, actionism and performance art. All of these are part of the wider definition of site-specific art — designed specifically for a particular location and constructed to explore the context in which it exists, integrated with the artist’s specific message.