Oleksii Zolotariov (1985) is a Ukrainian artist who works with monumental sculpture and explicitly anchors his practice in the public space of Kyiv. His works are not autonomous objects, but spatial interventions — physical beacons that engage in dialogue with architecture, history, and the city's collective memory.
Zolotariov's sculptures constitute a contemporary homage to the avant-garde of early twentieth-century Europe. Influences of Constructivism and Suprematism are palpable in his powerful geometries, dynamic lines, and clear volumes. Yet his works are not nostalgic quotations: he translates the radical formal language of the past into a current context, in which urban identity and societal resilience take center stage.
His monuments combine abstraction with symbolic charge. They sometimes appear to be constructed from shifted planes or stacked masses that suggest tension and movement. Light and shadow play a crucial role; depending on the time of day, the work transforms subtly, ensuring it is constantly interacting with its surroundings. By integrating sculpture into the daily life of the city, Zolotariov creates places of reflection and orientation. His oeuvre demonstrates how monumental art can not only commemorate but also point forward—rooted in the avant-garde tradition, but aimed at a new, future-oriented urban imagination.
