A 49-year-old whose life and art span the late Soviet era and the three often tumultuous decades that have followed since independence in 1991, Kolyada draws inspiration from "everywhere" -- and then, putting the tip of a Bic to plain construction paper, draws images he says depict Ukraine's underbelly.
They portray the ills of society, the depredations of the state, and the aspects of life that hurt Ukraine's image abroad, such as greed, corruption, sex tourism, poverty-associated labor migration, alcoholism, and, as he sees it, criminals in parliament.
He calls it "zhlob" art. The term is tough to translate deftly, with meanings ranging from 'parasite' to a rude, narrow-minded goon. But Kolyada's works are full of such "anti-heroes," whether it's a venal oligarch or a thug the oligarch uses as paid muscle to execute the forcible takeover of a company.
"It's a person who is uncouth and behaves belligerently in society," he said. "Like they don't pick up trash after themselves…in the criminal world they roll drunks for money…and later these people enter politics and while in power they foster corruption by continuing the practice of stealing" from the state budget.
It's a societal symptom that "starts from the bottom and goes all the way to the top," Kolyada added.
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https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-kolyad ... -underbelly/31328754.html
EDITOR'S NOTE: I first met Kolyada about 15 years ago when I was editor of the Ukrainian Observer monthly magazine. I ran a feature on his work and we have been good friends ever since. If you are interested in seeing a vast array of Kolyada'w work, go to: https://www.saatchiart.com/Kolyada