David Chichkan
Ukrainian artist, anarchist and activist (1986–2025)

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
StyleWatercolour graphics, posters, installation, street art
ChildrenNestor Chichkan

David Illyich Chichkan (Ukrainian: Дави́д Іллі́ч Чичка́н, romanized: Davyd Illich Chychkan; 15 April 1986 – 10 August 2025) was a Ukrainian artist, anarchist and activist.[1][2]

Early life

David Chichkan 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 Chichkan 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] In 2016, Chichkan exhibited works he had created depicting the history of the Ukrainian anarchist movement. One piece, titled "Revenge", depicted Symon Petliura's responsibility for antisemitic pogroms during the Ukrainian War of Independence, followed by his subsequent assassination by the Jewish anarchist Sholem Schwarzbard.[6]

In February 2017, he held an exhibition titled "Lost Opportunity", which depicted the Euromaidan as an unsuccessful social revolution and criticised the nationalist and anti-communist policies of the post-revolutionary government.[7] The exhibition was attacked by far-right activists, who accused Chichkan of "separatism" and pro-Russian sentiment.[7][8] The attackers destroyed Chichkan's artwork and tagged the walls with graffiti; images of the attack, which was caught on CCTV, circulated widely in the Ukrainian media.[8]

Artistic practice

Chichkan'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.[9] 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.[10]

Artist's work from the exhibition «Ідентифікація. Інтерпретація. Репрезентація». Zaporizhia, Ukraine, 2023.

Participation in the Russo-Ukrainian War and death

Although health issues initially prevented his enlistment in 2022, Chichkan 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.[11]

On 9 August 2025, Chichkan was fatally wounded repelling a Russian infantry assault in Zaporizhzhia Oblast; he died on 10 August, leaving behind his wife and infant son.[12][13] During his funeral, the chief of the Russian Volunteer Corps, Denis Kapustin, confronted and assaulted openly gay serviceman Viktor Pylypenko.[14][15][16]

Selected exhibitions

  • 2016 – ARTSVIT Gallery. “During the War.” Dnipro, Ukraine.[17]
  • 2017 – Kyiv Biennial. Visual Culture Research Center. Kyiv, Ukraine.[18]
  • 2017 – Visual Culture Research Center. “The Lost Opportunity.” Kyiv, Ukraine.[19]
  • 2018 – Biennale Warszawa. Warsaw, Poland.[20]
  • 2018 – Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art, “Permanent revolution.” Budapest, Hungary.[21]
  • 2019 – Semperdepot Gallery. “Between Fire and Fire: Ukrainian Art Now.” Vienna, Austria.[22]
  • 2020 – Bereznitsky Art Foundation. “Portraits that Speak” Kyiv, Ukraine.[23]
  • 2021 – ARTSVIT Gallery. “Alternative Hryvnia.” Dnipro, Ukraine.
  • 2022 – Lviv Municipal Art Center. “Ribbons and Triangles.” Lviv, Ukraine.[24]
  • 2025 – Galeria Labirynt. “Voices From Ukraine.” Lublin, Poland[25]
  • 2025 – NAMU. “Different Places”. Part 2. Kyiv, Ukraine.[26]

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. ^ Gilley, Christopher (2017). "The assassination of Symon Petliura and the trial of Scholem Schwarzbard 1926–1927: A selection of documents". East European Jewish Affairs. 47 (1): 108–110. doi:10.1080/13501674.2017.1313660.
  7. ^ a b Puleri, Marco (2018). "Values for the Sake of the (Post-Soviet) Nation: Patriotism(s) and the Search for the 'True' Self in Ukraine". Southeastern Europe. 42 (3): 350–375. doi:10.1163/18763332-000012.
  8. ^ a b Kulchynska, Lesia (26 October 2022). "Violence is an Image: Weaponization of the Visuality During the War in Ukraine". Institute of Network Cultures. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Davyd Chychkan / Давид Чичкан - M HKA Ensembles". ensembles.org. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  10. ^ "David Chichkan | GaleriaLabirynt". Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Культура, Суспільне (10 August 2025). "Давид Чичкан загинув на фронті". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  14. ^ Mikhailov, Dmitry (18 August 2025). "Ветеран ЗСУ Пилипенко заявив про сутичку з командиром РДК через ЛГБТ-прапор на похороні художника Чичкана". Suspilne Media (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Сутичка через ЛГБТ-прапор: ветеран Віктор Пилипенко і командир РДК Денис Нікітін побилися на похороні Давида Чичкана". Zmina News (in Ukrainian). 19 August 2025. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  16. ^ Potter, Nicholas (12 September 2025). "„Wenn die Ukraine verliert, sind wir die ersten Opfer"". Die Tageszeitung (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  17. ^ "DURING THE WAR. DAVID CHICHKAN". Artsvit. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  18. ^ "The Kyiv International – Kyiv Biennial 2017 | Центр візуальної культури" (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Exhibition by Davyd Chychkan "The Lost Opportunity" | Центр візуальної культури" (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  20. ^ "Uspołecznianie, 2018 — Biennale Warszawa 2022". 2022.biennalewarszawa.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Permanent Revolution. Ukrainian Art Today | Ludwig Museum". www.ludwigmuseum.hu. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Between Fire and Fire. An exhibition about Ukraine of today opens in Vienna". Ukrainian Institute. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  23. ^ "Portraits that speak". Bereznitsky (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  24. ^ "Davyd Chychkan "Ribbons and Triangles"". Львівський муніципальний мистецький центр. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
  25. ^ "Voices From Ukraine - Announcements". e-flux. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  26. ^ namu.museum (24 November 2025). ""Different Places". Part 2". namu.ua. Retrieved 26 December 2025.

Further reading

  • Barkhush, Amira (12 August 2025). "Russia Looted Ukrainian Artist's Masterpieces and Then Killed His Great-Grandson". United24. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Barkhush, Amira; Shandyba, Mykyta (24 August 2025). "For Him, Art Was Action: Honoring Ukrainian Serviceman, Artist, and Activist David Chichkan". United24. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Bellini, Jason (19 August 2025). "Ukrainians gather to honor an artist killed defending the country". Scripps News. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Costantini, Gianluca (20 August 2025). "David Chichkan: Art, Anarchism, and Resistance in Ukraine". Channel Draw. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • De Baere, Bart (2022). "Whatever the Future Will Be, It Is Made Now". Afterall. 54: 116–133. doi:10.1086/726606.
  • Desyateryk, Dmytro (18 August 2025). "Whole and free: farewell to artist, activist and Ukrainian soldier Davyd Chychkan". LB.ua. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Filipchuk, Liliana (2020). Art and Freedom of Expression in a Time of Conflict in Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Ukraine Policy Brief Series. Vol. 2. Freedom House.
  • Greenberger, Alex (13 August 2025). "David Chichkan, Ukrainian Artist Who Fought Censorship, Killed at 39 in Battle". ARTnews. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Guz, Ulyana (11 August 2025). "Ukrainian artist Davyd Chychkan, son of world-famous Illia Chychkan, dies repelling Russian assault on Zaporizhzhia front". Rubryka. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Haq, Nav; Cherepanyn, Vasyl (2024). "Dispatches: A Postcard Project by M HKA for the Kyiv Biennial 2023". Cultural Politics. 20 (2): 337–350. doi:10.1215/17432197-11160166.
  • Ivansky, Nikita (12 August 2025). "Anarchist artist David Chichkan killed in Ukraine". Freedom. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Kishkovsky, Sophia (13 August 2025). "Ukrainian 'artist of pain' David Chichkan killed on frontline". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Lesik (11 August 2025). "Artist Davyd Chychkan: Twenty Years in the Revolutionary Struggle". Ukraine Solidarity. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Moskalets, Vladyslava (2023). "How to Teach about Ukraine during the War: Notes in the Syllabus Margins". Ab Imperio. 2023 (1): 234–242. doi:10.1353/imp.2023.0015.
  • Tyshchenko, Kateryna (10 August 2025). "Artist Davyd Chychkan killed in action". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Kravchuk, Vira (12 August 2025). "Ukrainian artist who died fighting Russians: "True anarchists share their people's hardest struggles"". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Shevchenko, Andriy (18 August 2025). "Farewell to Artist and Soldier David Chichkan at Independence Square". Kyiv24. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Somchynsky, Kalyna (2020). Creating Resistance by Engaging Destruction: Three Contemporary Feminist Artists from Ukraine (MA). University of Alberta. doi:10.7939/r3-ar1p-j987.
  • "Barbaric Violence". Art Monthly. No. 404. March 2017. pp. 13–14.
  • "Artist Davyd Chychkan killed in action". Ukrinform. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • "Artist and soldier David Chichkan was killed on the front line". Odessa Journal. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • "Ukrainian Artist, Anarchist, and Soldier David Chichkan Killed on the Frontline". Arts Looker. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • "Ukrainian artist Davyd Chychkan has been killed at the front". EMPR. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  • Davyd Chychkan—information about the artist on the Kyiv Biennial website.
  • Davyd Chychkan—information about the artist on the Imagine Ukraine website.
  • David Chichkan—information about the artist on the MutualArt website.
  • David Chichkan—the artist's Facebook profile.
  • David Chichkan—the artist's Instagram profile.
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