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Light Used
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Vitalij Zdebskij

b. Yenakiieve, Donbas Region, Ukraine, 1981

y. active 2008 - present

"Unmatched Weapons"

acrylic, markers, color paper, 19.7 x 10.2 in

Created on April 23, 2022

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See all of the works in the exhibit HERE

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At the time of painting, the artist was in Pavlivka village in south-western Ukraine in his house. He did not have to flee and remained at home.

$1,500

All proceeds go to help artists in Ukraine and to foster US-Ukraine cultural ties and cooperation. Please use Contact Form or see restaurant staff if you are interested in purchasing.

This piece is a play on a fairytale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen: “The Emperor's New Clothes”. Putin is in the center and says into the phone that his weapons are unmatched around the world. Little does he know that his so-called second most powerful army is falling apart in the meantime. In the top left corner there is an already infamous Turkish-made drone - Bayraktar, that was so successful in bombing Russian forces at the beginning of the current invasion. The hat on Putin’s head is a half-sunk Russian warship Moskva. To the right, the former British prime minister and a good friend of Ukraine Boris Johnson is lighting up the phone cable rendering all orders to deploy new weapons useless. On the bottom, in an homage to an infamous painting “Dance” by Henri Matisse, five of his main ass-kissers are dancing around him: two international advisors, his press secretary, and two propaganda czarinas. Just like in the fairytale, Putin is standing with a proud look on his face not realizing that he is completely naked and his rocket is at half-past-six. Those around him are naked as well but have to praise him because without Putin they are nothing. Putin’s pale skin compared to the others is a reference to him spending much of his time in a remote bunker terrified of an attempt on his life or getting sick. The telephone booth that Putin is in says “Nuthouse” emphasizing the horrific absurdity of the situation that he created for the whole world and for himself.

Vitalij is a graduate of the Donetsk College of Arts and Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Art. He is inspired by pop culture and world events. His specialization is graphic art, but he is just as comfortable with collages and assemblages. He participated in many exhibitions around Ukraine, most notably Euro 2012 and the Union of Artists of Ukraine.

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