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Alexander Zhyvotkov

Alexander Zhyvotkov is a prominent Ukrainian artist who burst onto the art scene as part of the Ukrainian New Wave movement in the early- to mid-1990s. Zhyvotkov’s unique style and deliberately minimalist technique together with his exceptional monochrome and melancholy poetic style make him stand out from the crowd.

Zhyvotkov’s work is immediately recognised by art lovers who especially value authentic work; the artist is famous for his dark backgrounds, expressive lines and shapes. Zhyvotkov’s art is always relevant as it uncovers the deepest spiritual links within history.

The artist stays true to his chosen medium which includes emotionally-charged carvings on wood, stone, and multi-layered cardboard. Zhyvotkov masterfully combines powerful ancient history with the fleeting events of today. His artwork goes back to the Neolithic pottery of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture, Scythian and Cuman stone idols, dark images of saints on folk Ukrainian icons and glittering fragments of Byzantian mosaics. Zhyvotkov uses the modernist approach to interpret ancient artworks. At the same time, his art tells a story of spiritual revival and the return of sacral meanings in the art, which was lost in the age of postmodernism and its uncertainty.

Works of THE ARTIST​