Renowned Ukrainian artist and deputy of the Odesa Oblast council, Oleksandr Roitburd, has died at the age of 59 following a long-term illness, according to his family.
An Odesa native, Roitburd was part of the Ukrainian new wave artistic movement, his works incorporated postmodernist, surrealist, and mythological elements. The artist’s work was exhibited across the world, appearing in galleries in Venice, Berlin, and New York.
Roitburd worked as the director of the Odesa art museum and the Marat Gelman gallery in Kyiv. Roitburd’s artwork often featured explicit and surreal imagery. His works included a mix of formats and artistic styles, often featuring video and photo projects in his exhibitions.
The Odesa artist was also politically active as a strong voice for Ukraine and actively participated in the EuroMaidan Revolution that ousted Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. As a member of the Odesa Oblast council, he frequently clashed with the pro-Russian opposition. Following his dismissal from the post of Odesa museum director, thousands rallied to demand his reinstatement.
Art critic Kostiantyn Doroshenko, in an homage published on Facebook, described Roitburd as having “boldly created whole symphonies from concepts, resources, from people of a variety of political, aesthetic, and ideological views. He folded mountains, punched walls, and destroyed stereotypes.”
“He became a titan of Ukrainian culture and society in our time,” Doroshenko wrote.
