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Vyacheslav Didkovsky is a Ukrainian sculptor who makes stunning statuettes, including for our online store. But, despite the exceptional skill he shows when creating his masterpieces, there is not much information about the creator himself on the Internet. Therefore, we decided to record a short interview with Vyacheslav Didkovsky to reveal to the visitors of our online store the personality of the person behind the creation of wonderful and original statuettes. Some of them raise the topic of kobzarism, others reveal the beauty and subtlety of the flute's sound, and still others are dedicated to the theme of family.
On the uniqueness of the technique of working with copper, your dynasty of masters and the state of art in Ukraine
1. I read that you are a hereditary metal artist. Could you tell us more about your dynasty of craftsmen?
The choice of my profession was largely determined by my family, in which my grandfather, Onufriy Didkovsky, was a rural but very skilled blacksmith, as they say, the local "Lefty". For that time, making forged carriages and inlaying old Austrian rifles, living in a small village in the Zhytomyr region, was a real curiosity. This love of craft was also passed on to my father, Mykola Didkovsky.
2. I also learned that you prefer copper, although even in our online store there are your works made of bronze. If so, why copper, and not bronze or any other material?
Copper sculpture was the beginning of my creative life, although there are many techniques and genres in which I worked. Starting from book graphics, in which I am considered one of the best in Ukraine, painting, etchings, jewelry as a certified jeweler.
3. You have a unique technique for soldering sculptures from sheet copper. Can you explain what makes it unique as if an eighth-grader were standing in front of you?
A sculpture made of soldered copper, despite its visual decorativeness, has a jewelry sophistication. The use of a huge number of small details, textures, and openwork distinguishes it from classical bronze sculpture. It is original and exclusive due to the impossibility of exact repetition. Not every sculptor of the classical genre can do this sculpture due to the technical complexity, which takes a lifetime to master. And this is a specific tool and equipment that must be made only by yourself, since they do not exist in nature. This genre is not taught in art universities, with the exception of general jewelry technologies.
4. Your favorite sculptor who influenced you the most. Maybe not even one.
In my youth, when I read Irving Stone's book "Pain and Joy" about the life and work of Michelangelo, I had a revolution of consciousness, and since then I have been in art. And in general, a lot of real titan artists inspire me to create.
5. Have you tried yourself in another genre? Maybe in painting or another creative field? And what, in your opinion, is the state of art in general in our country? Share your thoughts on the state of sculptural craftsmanship in Ukraine. What is good, and what would you like to see better?
In art, there is the concept of art culture - this is the main criterion that determines the state of affairs. Today, we have an almost deplorable result. The situation is maintained by real artists, they are often in the shadows, but it is their invisible presence that helps preserve the spirit of true art. The very model of modern life has increased the cynical component and thereby reduced the role of art in human life. Art must become the national idea of Ukraine, otherwise Ukraine has no prospects in any area of human life.
«A nation that teaches its children to draw and write, to read and count, will surpass all others in science and crafts» Denis Diderot.
6. You work in a variety of styles. There is even work in the steampunk style. Do you have one or more favorite styles?
I like a lot of styles, and not because I can't decide, but because it enriches my inner world. Our life is limited in time and I want to spend it not on bourgeois noise, but on creating new interesting and expressive forms. All styles are good, the question is only in the professional approach to them.
7. What do you consider your best work so far? After which you told yourself like Blok once: «Today I am a genius».
I am someone who loves art in itself, not myself in art. My mission in this world is to create as much beauty as possible, without vanity and counting myself among geniuses. My genius will be determined by the future generation, if there is a reason and meaning for it.
8. What are your next creative plans?
I have drawn hundreds of interesting sketches of future works. I plan to live to realize most of them.
The biggest dream is connected with the recovery of society, and everything else would come true automatically. An ideal model of existence, like "Auraville" (an international city in southern India, founded in 1968. According to the creators, the city should become an experiment in creating an international community of people living outside politics and religious preferences - author's note) - this is a dream for a creative person.
9. What is your biggest creative dream? So ambitious that it is practically on the verge of impossibility. For example, to exhibit in the Louvre or to build a museum in Ukraine dedicated mainly to your works?
Exhibiting in the Louvre is an extremely boring story, on the verge of blasphemy and cheap PR, it is not worthy of real artists.
I would like to see art galleries, art venues of various levels opened in Ukraine for a start. Active artistic life, museums are a very sad sight. I am not a fatalist, but I look at things realistically and meaningfully.
