A Ukrainian sculptor who fled to Britain after his studio was destroyed has been admitted to the Royal Society of Artists.
After the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, Alex Ridagovsky was forced to leave Kiev with his wife Dasha Nepochatova and 16-year-old stepdaughter.
The sculptor told the PA news agency that friends had sent him photos of his bombed studio. Ridagovsky, whose words were translated by his wife, said:
“Right now I am far away from my homeland and it seems to me that I am living a different life, so I try not to think about it, deny it, push this pain deep into my consciousness and force myself to do more.” I try to give them time and reflect.”
He continued: “Starting from scratch here in the UK as a refugee, it was really important for me to stay in this profession because I felt like I had lost my voice and my language. I had lost my professional identity. Masu.
“When I came here, I felt disconnected from my life and just felt empty.
“Compared to Ukraine, I knew the local market and society, but here I was invisible and no one knew about me. So the first step was to let people know about me. It was about showing up to be seen and stand out.”
He said becoming an honorary member of the Royal Society of Artists was an exciting and unexpected surprise. “It was my birthday too when I learned the news, so it felt like a birthday present.”
Ridagovsky is Bexley Winter Sculpture ParkLocated in south-east London, he won one of five residency awards for indoor sculpture last year at Lucca Biennale Cartagia, the art world’s biggest event for paper art and architecture. His sculpture “Swallow Flight” will be exhibited in Lucca, Italy.
“The piece is made of cardboard, and the sculpture assumes an acrobatic posture called a swallow, figuratively with her feet in the past and her head in the future, but with open arms to balance herself in the present.” “It shows that we are doing that,” he said.
Another work, Tightrope Walker, will also appear in November along with nine other sculptures by other artists on a new public art trail commissioned by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
