David Chichkan

David Chichkan
Давид Чичкан
Born(1986-04-15)15 April 1986
Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Died10 August 2025(2025-08-10) (aged 39)
Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine
NationalityUkrainian
StyleWatercolour graphics, posters, installation, street art

Davyd Chychkan, or David Chichkan (Ukrainian: Давид Ілліч Чичкан; 15 April 1986 – 10 August 2025) was a Ukrainian artist, anarchist and activist.[1][2]

Early life

Davyd Chychkan was born in Kyiv on 15 April 1986, into a distinguished artistic family. His father, Illya Chichkan, was a prominent figure of the Ukrainian New Wave and a member of the Paris Commune; his grandfather, Arkadiy Chichkan, was a celebrated nonconformist artist; and his great-grandfather, Leonid Chichkan, was a noted socialist-realist painter during the Soviet era. Largely self-taught, David developed his artistic approach independently, embracing social and political critique over formal art education.[3]

Political views

An avowed anarcho-syndicalist, and anti-authoritarian Chychkan was a member of the Autonomous Workers' Union between 2010 and 2016 and, from 2014, a member of the libertarian organization Black Rainbow. He founded the Libertarian Club of Underground Dialectics (LCUD)[4] in 2014, a research-based initiative examining the influence of right-wing ideology in Ukraine through artistic means. His activism was inseparable from his creative practice, seeing art as a critical tool for social transformation.[5]

Anarcho-syndicalist flag.

Artistic practice

Chychkan's artistic medium spanned watercolor graphics, posters, installation, street art, performance, and text-based works, often employing a bold, anti-elitist visual language reminiscent of political posters intended for public dissemination.[6] His imagery combined Ukrainian folk motifs such as embroidery and traditional costume with modernist geometry. In addition to blue and yellow, he introduced black (anti-authoritarianism, decentralisation), purple (feminism), and red (social equality, direct democracy) into a new Ukrainian visual canon.[7]

Participation in the Russo-Ukrainian War and death

Although health issues initially prevented his enlistment in 2022, Chychkan remained artistically supportive of Ukraine's defense. In 2024, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a mortar operator, motivated by his anti-fascist, anti-imperialist ideals. His decision to serve aligned with his lifelong resistance to authoritarianism and his belief that Russia embodied modern fascism.[8] At the front, he balanced combat duties with informal cultural and intellectual leadership among soldiers.

On 9 August 2025, Chychkan was fatally wounded repelling a Russian infantry assault in Zaporizhzhia Oblast; he died on 10 August, leaving behind his wife and infant son.[9][10]

Selected exhibitions

  • 2016 – ARTSVIT Gallery. “During the War.” Dnipro, Ukraine.[11]
  • 2017 – Kyiv Biennial. Visual Culture Research Center. Kyiv, Ukraine.[12]
  • 2017 – Visual Culture Research Center. “The Lost Opportunity.” Kyiv, Ukraine.[13]
  • 2018 – Biennale Warszawa. Warsaw, Poland.[14]
  • 2018 – Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art, “Permanent revolution.” Budapest, Hungary.[15]
  • 2019 – Semperdepot Gallery. “Between Fire and Fire: Ukrainian Art Now.” Vienna, Austria.[16]
  • 2020 – Bereznitsky Art Foundation. “Portraits that Speak” Kyiv, Ukraine.[17]
  • 2021 – ARTSVIT Gallery. “Alternative Hryvnia.” Dnipro, Ukraine.
  • 2022 – Lviv Municipal Art Center. “Ribbons and Triangles.” Lviv, Ukraine.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Davyd Chychkan / Давид Чичкан - M HKA Ensembles". ensembles.org. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  2. ^ "David Chichkan, Ukrainian artist whose anarchist beliefs informed his work, 1986–2025". artreview.com. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  3. ^ Гузь, Уляна (11 August 2025). "Ukrainian artist Davyd Chychkan, son of world-famous Illia Chychkan, dies repelling Russian assault on Zaporizhzhia front". Rubryka. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  4. ^ "David Chichkan. How to Make the Radical Left Art in Ukraine". www.wuk.at. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  5. ^ "David Chichkan | GaleriaLabirynt". Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Davyd Chychkan / Давид Чичкан - M HKA Ensembles". ensembles.org. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  7. ^ "David Chichkan | GaleriaLabirynt". Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  8. ^ Tsurkan, Kate (11 August 2025). "'For him, Russia exemplified modern fascism' — Ukrainian anarchist artist killed fighting on front line". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  9. ^ Landenberger, Yelizaveta (11 August 2025). "Ukrainischer Künstler Chichkan ist tot: Agitator für die Freiheit". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  10. ^ Культура, Суспільне (10 August 2025). "Давид Чичкан загинув на фронті". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  11. ^ "DURING THE WAR. DAVID CHICHKAN". Artsvit. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  12. ^ "The Kyiv International – Kyiv Biennial 2017 | Центр візуальної культури" (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Exhibition by Davyd Chychkan "The Lost Opportunity" | Центр візуальної культури" (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Uspołecznianie, 2018 — Biennale Warszawa 2022". 2022.biennalewarszawa.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  15. ^ "Permanent Revolution. Ukrainian Art Today | Ludwig Museum". www.ludwigmuseum.hu. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Between Fire and Fire. An exhibition about Ukraine of today opens in Vienna". Ukrainian Institute. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Portraits that speak". Bereznitsky (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Davyd Chychkan "Ribbons and Triangles"". Львівський муніципальний мистецький центр. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
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