Ivan Zubaka näitus „Tee minevikust olevikku“

On Friday, 7 March at 5.00 p.m., the Ukrainian born artist Ivan Zubaka opens his solo exhibition Path from Past to Present at Vabaduse Gallery.

The idea of creating sculptures and prints from small components and found materials gathered over time first occurred to Ivan Zubaka about 30 years ago. At the Vabaduse Gallery exhibition, the artist displays some of his earlier sculptures combined from these fragments, as well as prints that he has started to make only recently.

Ivan Zubaka: What fascinates me most about these works combined from separate details is the unpredictability of the result. The human brain is designed in a way that when confronted with a task, we usually try to find the answer from our already existing card catalogue, in the form of something familiar, something that we have already heard or seen. However, with this kind of a creative method – arising from the material itself – the outcomes are always unexpected and surprising, and the plasticity of the work process helps to reach non-standard solutions. This results in works charged with feelings, emotions and moods that gain a life of their own in the eyes of the viewer. What I find the most valuable, is that the artist never repeats the already seen universe but rather complements it with new possibilities.

Ivan Zubaka (b. 1960, Western Ukraine) is an artist who works mainly in the fields of printmaking and sculpture, having developed a unique artist’s technique using various metal fragments and found materials to create two-dimensional collages. Zubaka has been living and working in Estonia since 1982. He studied at the Uzgorod School of Applied Arts (1976–1980) and at the sculpture department of the State Art Institute of the Estonian SSR (1982–1989). He has worked as a lecturer at the Faculty of Design of the Estonian Academy of Arts, as well as at the Euro University and the Euroacademy. The artist has received several annual awards from various cities in Estonia, including the most recent recognition in 2024 – the Order of Merit of the City of Viljandi. Zubaka has participated in many group exhibitions in Estonia and abroad, his last major solo exhibition took place in the Tallinn Art Hall Gallery in 1997.

The exhibition Path from Past to Present will remain open until 2 April 2025.

Thank you: Tiiu Kirsipuu.

The gallery is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, and Liviko Ltd.

Vabaduse Gallery is managed by the Estonian Artists’ Association.

Additional information:
Vabaduse Gallery
Tel: +372 5805 0009
E-mail: vabaduse@eaa.ee
Vabaduse väljak 6
10146 Tallinn
Mon–Fri 11.00–18.00
Sat  11.00–17.00

Image: Zubaka, Ivan. Love Quadrangle, 2024. Metal, artist’s technique.