Nikita Kadan: Artist's Path

Born in 1982 in Kyiv, the artist attended the National Academy of Fine Art, graduating in 2007. Nikita Kadan’s biography includes his role as a member of the artist collective R.E.P. (Revolutionary Experimental Space) and a founding member of Hudrada (Artistic Committee), a curatorial and activist collective. 

Nikita Kadan’s artworks were featured in the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. Additionally, Kadan's works have been featured in numerous group exhibitions held at various museums and galleries worldwide, including Albertinum and Hygiene Museum in Dresden, Central Post Office in Kaunas, Asortymentna Kimnata in Ivano-Frankivsk, Castello di Rivoli in Turin, PinchukArtCentre in Kyiv, mumok in Vienna, and many more. 

Moreover, in 2024, the Biennale Matter of Art commissioned him, along with artists like Kateryna Lysovenko, Marta Popivoda, Alicja Rogalska, and others, to create new works for the event.

Nikita Kadan’s Art: Exploration of Political Identity and Memory

The artist’s practice spans installation, sculpture, painting, and graphic art, often developed through interdisciplinary collaborations with historians, architects, and human rights activists.

He blends his activist work in Kyiv with his artistic practice, creating pieces that use historical contexts to address contemporary issues. By drawing on architecture and history, he examines the legacy of the Soviet Union and the effects of recent events in Ukraine. 

The artist explores the complex interplay between the post-Soviet rethinking of 20th-century experiences and areas of collective amnesia. His work addresses the tension between internationalism and nationalism, as well as the relationship between historical and contemporary narratives. 

For example, one of the central questions raised by his work, “The Beautiful Colonizer,” is whether the Soviet period of Ukrainian history can be considered 'colonization' and how relevant it is to view the country’s post-Soviet present through post-colonial lenses.

Nikita Kadan’s technique involves combining various visual methods and layering images drawn from Ukrainian social history, past and present political propaganda, and art history. In his art, he uses various materials, such as ceramic plates, posters, soil, bronze, wood, metal, plaster, glass, lightboxes, charcoal, and more.

Nikita Kadan’s Paintings for Sale: Discover his Artistic Vision

The artist’s body of work includes graphic pieces, oil paintings, architectural sculptures, and installations. Works on paper include “Landscape with the Replaced Part” (2023), “Shadow on the Ground” (2022), “Minska Station” (2021), and many others. Among Nikita Kadan’s paintings are “The Mask” (2021), “The Beautiful Colonizer” (2020), “Poet I (Vasyl Yermilov)” (2020), and more.

Nikita Kadan’s art for sale includes numerous options. From bold paintings to intricate graphic pieces, Nikita Kadan’s prices for works fall within a range, offering a unique opportunity to invest in contemporary art that engages with political, historical, and cultural themes.