Debris

Misha Alekseienko is a contemporary artist, a founding member of the artist collective "JOD" (2013) and the art squat "Hayat" (2011). 

Summary of Misha Alekseienko

The artist works with a variety of media in his artistic practice, placing significant emphasis on the aesthetics of interaction. Misha Alekseienko’s art explores the intersection of myth and reality, while also investigating the influences of the past in the post-Soviet space.

Biography of Misha Alekseienko

The artist was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1989. He graduated from the National Academy of Visual Arts and Architecture in Kyiv in 2013. He is a co-founder and curator of the independent art space "Apartment 14" (2016).

Alekseienko has received numerous awards, including the MUHI Award for Young Ukrainian Artists in 2017, a special prize at the International Festival of Video Art "NOW & AFTER '14" in 2014, the main prize of the M17 Sculpture Prize — the country's first professional award for three-dimensional art — in 2020, and the Audience Award at the PinchukArtCentre Prize in 2022. In addition to that, the artwork of Misha Alekseienko has been featured in numerous exhibitions. 

He lives and works in Kyiv.

Misha Alekseienko’s Famous Paintings: Exploring the Artist’s Legacy

The artist has created numerous projects in a variety of media. Misha Alekseienko’s original paintings include works from the “Debris” series and pieces from the Series "Blood of Geometric Shapes" among others. 

As the artist explained, his project “Debris” emerged after his expeditions to document the situation in the towns of Kyiv region liberated from occupation. Among the various damaged objects, the artist often finds shattered crystal vases and glasses. He gathered these fragments, which transformed into artifacts, witnesses of the horrific events, and carriers of memory, in an effort to restore the original form of these fragile, broken objects by reassembling them.

Using watercolor and black pencil on paper, Alekseienko drew these objects. He noted that drawing is one way to document the irrevocably altered form — a form of comfort invaded by war. Misha Alekseienko’s paintings for sale, including pieces from the “Debris” series, are available at auction on the UFDA website. 

Misha Alekseienko’s Art Style

The artist builds his artistic practice on principles close to the aesthetics of interaction, where the direct involvement of the viewer is an important and inseparable part of the artwork. As Misha mentioned, his practice is also associated with the reinterpretation of the Soviet past through objects, particularly crystal. 

For example, for the М17 Sculpture Prize, he created an artwork “Crystal Dream,” using crystal and glass objects. The work is dedicated to the habit of Soviet people collecting utilitarian items, such as dishes, but not using them; instead, they keep them in a closet like a museum until a special occasion. In an interview with Bird in Flight, Misha emphasized that his work is not about a love for the Soviet era, but about uncertainty regarding how we should address the Soviet legacy.