After a long absence this well-known Ukrainian sculptor presented a new
display hosted by the Museum of Russian Art in Kyiv, attracting a public
seldom seen these days.
Colleagues treat Yevhen Prokopov with something akin to reverence. Regrettably,
few other Ukrainian artists can boast of having their works displayed by
European and North American galleries. The Day asked the sculptor
for an interview published below.
Q: The new works on display are very different from your previous figurative
exhibits, particularly the excellent ballerina series of the 1980s. Why?
A: I did them practically overnight but it took me a very long time
to conceive each image. The previous exhibit, which I consider nonetheless
important, was held at the Ukrainian House in 1994. It showed quite a number
of figurative works and I think I overdid it. This time I tried to convey
the feeling of space and quiet and I believe that abstract forms best suit
this concept.
In America, we lived on an island with the shore covered by thousands
of shellfish washed up by the ocean. I collected a lot of them, picking
only shell fragments polished by water. Every coil secretes some primordial
idea of construction. One is aware of the presence of some superior logic.
I use such organic forms, adding more rigid, factual elements. The result
is something irrational, providing limitless variation opportunities.
Q: Switching from figurative to designer patterns isn't easy, is
it?
A: You're right. I held myself in check for a long time, knowing
full well that narrative figurative plasticity looks very outdated at the
end of the twentieth century. I did not want to force a change for a different
sculptural language. It took me ten to fifteen years to get rid of everything
taught by the academic school. Previously I was often criticized for what
they called a literary approach. Now I try to remain perfectly laconic,
and I think that what I am doing now is pure sculpture, without any narrative
elements. I reached this stage through African sculpture and the works
of Henry Moore. One has to make the entire history of culture felt in a
most modern form, not just an empty avant-garde abstraction. Very many
sculptors try to adapt their works to modern trends, but I will always
tell a Moore from any imitation. The man in the street will regard both
as just pieces of clay, but a real Moore always has its mystery of composition,
whereas an epigone does it mechanically.
Q: Your works are quite popular in Europe and the United States.
How do you benefit from those exhibits? Are they interested in Ukrainian
art?
A: In the late 1980s when I started exhibiting my works there
most gallery owners had no idea where Ukraine was located and my personal
observations show that they are not very interested in folk art.
In America I was amazed to discover that culture is simply nonexistent
to 99% of the populace. They want every work of art to imitate reality,
that's all. Be it gypsum or plywood, it must look like Venus de Milo or
an Italian palace. However, there is a group of very rich individuals across
the world who are quite fond of and collecting modern art. And they come
to America, because it is the center of modern art and it has the best
museums. It is also an amazing architectural-plastic urban medium, a fantastic
opportunity for the sculptor who can "implant" his own projects here. Such
projects are financed not by the state but by private firms, charitable
foundations, and large museums.
Q: What about your Kyiv exhibits, considering that here you have
no such opportunities?
A: I am Ukrainian, this is my native land. I live and work in
my studio here. Abroad I display works made in Kyiv. This is quite expensive,
but I can't do it any other way. I was born here, emerging from this environment,
from contacts with talented sculptors whose opinion I hold dear. I know
that the best critics are at home, because we are more frank with each
other. And more demanding. They will say, "This isn't bad, but..." and
then crucify you. They praise you in Europe and America, but their critics
mostly share their own views and emotions. Besides, I don't want to be
forgotten here, which makes this exhibit especially important; it shows
my attempt to use designer principles in an elegant presentation.







