Ukrainian Scenography at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Algorithms of Existence—Essential Meanings

Abstract

The article identifies the main trends in the development of Ukrainian scenography of the beginning of the 21st century, which are implemented by th artists of the national theatre in the complex reality and historical contexts. The author analyses aspects of psychological reformatting of Ukrainian scenography, the artists’ creative guidelines reevaluation under the influence of war and their ability to fully implement their ideas in the formats of theatrical performances, in the space of exhibition projects, installation performance practices formats, in easel works and teaching. The paper studies the projects’ conceptual characteristics and targets of Mariya Levytska, Andrii Aleksandrovych-Dochevskyi, Lyudmila Nagorna, Sergiy and Natalya Rydvanetskis, Bogdan Polishchuk, Inessa Kulchytska, Oleg Tatarynov, Yulia Zaulichana, Olesya Holovach, Olena Polishchuk, and other artists. The author defines the theatre artists’ positions in critical moments of Ukrainian history, identifies the figurative characteristics of the participants’ project installations as manifestations of the artists’ style and the phenomenon of artistic response to the Russian-Ukrainian war and analyses the main participants’ features of the creative development in artistic processes and their role in the evolution of scenography culture in Ukraine. Highlighted is the extraordinary role of theatre artists of the early 21st century as the successors of the national scenography school leading development concepts, in whose creative projects national consciousness is manifested and clearly defined constantly gravitating towards European values.