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Vitalij Zdebskij

b. Yenakiieve, Donbas Region, Ukraine, 1981

y. active 2008 - present

Incompetent Loser

acrylic, markers, color paper, 19.7 x 10.2 in

Created on April 17, 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.

$1,300

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 painting in the series tries to expose the Orwellian idiocracy that is ruling Russia at this time with no realization that something might be going the wrong way. The main character here is the Russian dictator Putin as a child. He is in a Soviet pioneer (Boy Scout) uniform hinting at his upbringing and archaic thinking. The toy tanks to the left underscore his disregard for human life just as any kid does not care for the “life” of his toys. 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.

He is talking to someone who is now asking him : ”What happened to the Moskva (meaning the warship Moskva)?”.  Putin’s response is: “Everything is according to plan - she sank!”, while looking at the drawing of a sinking ship. There are a few themes that are touched upon here. The artist is poking fun at the Russian army that created this upside down world where every loss is presented as something else. Where ships are not sunk but are “promoted” to submarines, the army retreats only as a gesture of goodwill, and instead of explosion the word “clap” is used by the Russian press. However, there is a more sinister meaning in Putin’s words. In the beginning of his rule, in the year 2000, a large submarine Kursk sank in the north seas burying everyone on board. There was a speculation that it might have been a premeditated disaster. Few years later, when asked in an interview by Larry King about what happened to the Kursk submarine, Putin responded curtly and with a visible smirk: “She sank.” A goose at the bottom that is angrily pulling on Putin’s shorts is an illustration of a news-bit that was shown on major TV networks in Russia at the beginning of the current invasion. It was claimed that Ukraine under the guidance of the US was developing fighting geese that would take down Russian planes. The only voice of reason here is a boa -  symbol of wisdom. The boa is taken out of the old Soviet cartoon and is in a state of shocked despair stating: “Such an incompetent loser”.

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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

​

See all of the works in the exhibit HERE

​​

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.

$1.300

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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