Nikita Kadan reshapes the Soviet-era hero-tipped plinth sculptures into heroless sculptural pedestals
(Artdaily.org)

In his work, Ukrainian artist, author, and political activist Nikita Kadan (b. 1982) deals with current sociopolitical developments in his home country. His installations, objects, drawings, and videos prove him to be a critical observer and interpreter of the changes and the links between communist past and neoliberal present. At the center of Nikita Kadan’s Project of Ruins is his exploration of the role of avant-garde art during the Soviet period in Ukraine and its significance for the present day as well as the public response to it. Kadan lets unstatued pedestals rise all the way to the museum ceiling. In his installation at mumok, he reshapes the Soviet-era hero-tipped plinth sculptures into heroless sculptural pedestals, thus illustrating the suppression of political heritage in Ukraine on the example of the demolition of Communist monuments. The