Ivan Marchuk Turns 90: Selected Quotes on Freedom, Ukraine, Art and Life

Ivan Marchuk, Ukraine’s only representative among the Daily Telegraph’s “100 Living Geniuses,” turns 90. A People’s Artist who survived KGB persecution to achieve global acclaim, Marchuk invented “pliontanism” — a style reflecting nearly a century of lived experience. Working 365 days a year, he sees art as existence itself, not profession. His reflections on dignity, creativity, and Ukraine reveal an artist whose identity is inseparable from his homeland. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Ivan Marchuk. (Photo by Yuriy Kukharchuk) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google Artist Ivan Marchuk, the only Ukrainian included in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph’s list of the “100 Living Geniuses,” turns 90 today. To mark the anniversary, Kyiv Post presents a retrospective of his most powerful reflections. The artist, who invented the unique style known as “pliontanism” and journeyed from Soviet persecution to global acclaim, speaks of personal dignity, relentless work ethic – 365 days a year – and the singularity of Ukrainian land. Marchuk long ago transcended the boundaries of Ukrainian art to become a figure of global cultural significance. A People’s Artist of Ukraine, Shevchenko Prize laureate, and the only Ukrainian named among the “100 Living Geniuses,” he endured KGB persecution and years of isolation before achieving international recognition and record-breaking sales on the global art market. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . His life mirrors the history of the 20th and 21st centuries: Soviet repression, late recognition, travels across continents, New York before and after Sept. 11, 2001, a return to Ukraine, and later a forced life in Austria after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In each of these periods, Marchuk remained above all an artist – a man for whom art was not a profession, but a way of existence. A professional painter, Marchuk created his own unique artistic language – “pliontanism,” a slang word from his native village meaning “tangled hair.” The style resonates deeply with everything the artist experienced over nearly a century of life. At times, pliontanism resembles an anatomical weave of blood vessels or nerve fibers. Other Topics of Interest Olena Grom: ‘After 2022, Simply Showing War Is No Longer Enough’ Acclaimed Ukrainian photographer Grom tells Kyiv Post about her multimedia project “Pietà,” children shaped by war, and ethical responsibility of photography in an age of profound pain. Over the course of my journalistic career, I personally recorded five interviews with Ivan Marchuk – from our first conversation in 2001 for Dzerkalo Tyzhnia and the BBC Ukrainian Service to an interview for Kyiv Post in February 2026. For the artist’s 90th birthday, Kyiv Post publishes a retrospective of his most striking statements — on freedom, pride, work, Ukraine, and art that outlives empires. “I have never imposed dialogue on anyone, and I never will. I am not used to seeking help from others. I am a proud man – perhaps too proud. Every person should have pride and a sense of dignity.” “I am not a pessimist. I am a realist. I simply see everything – I feel it with a sixth sense, or perhaps something beyond that.” “No social system, no regime can change me as an artist. I remain who I have always been.” “What I have done – no one else can do except me.” “I work 365 days a year. I have countless plans. I thought the desire to work would fade with age – instead, it only grows stronger. My creative range keeps expanding, and I can exist in 10 different dimensions, as different artists within one person.” “My credo is to never waste time. To work even more. Because I am insatiable.” “Work nourishes my life.” “I gave myself one instruction: to be an ‘abnormal’ artist.” “Not style. Consciousness. Style is how you do something. But I have different ways of thinking. Fifteen different Marchuks.” “A colleague once saw my graphic works and said: ‘You would illustrate the Bible brilliantly.’ I replied: ‘Why would I? I am writing my own Bible.’” “I dislike literalness in art. At first everything is perceived emotionally, then it must pass through the laboratories of the subconscious.” “The images embodied on canvas remain in dialogue with me. Paintings are traces of my presence in this time and space. They will remain when life itself is gone.” “Luxury, on a philosophical level, is the ability to do what you truly want.” “Happiness is creativity – the hours when I paint.” “The joy of being in nature, observing insects, flowers, grass, lying in tall fields and watching clouds drift by, finding new images for my paintings within their shapes…” “Painting consumed me so completely that if I ever became distracted, it would grow jealous. That is why I never had a wife. I cannot devote myself to one woman, because painting is the meaning of my life.” “Happiness is when you live, when you work, when you have not lost the ability to rejoice and to love.” “The greatest achievement of my life is life itself. It is unique. I am obsessed with life and I love everything around me. I love doing good for others.” “Ukraine is my land. Period.” “I never painted foreign land. Not because it was worse – but because it was not mine.” “Ukraine produces more talent per square meter than any other country in the world.” “If Ukraine were governed wisely, it would have long ago been leading the world.” “The human soul is eternal. And art is eternal too.” Myroslava Makarevych has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and editor. She has worked for BBC Ukrainian Service; for a number of publishing houses in Ukraine, like HFS (ELLE Ukraine), Edipresse and Sanoma Media (Sensa.Ukraine editor-in-chief). She collaborates with various socio-political media including zn.ua; nv.ua. She is the author of 7 original fairy tale books for children, and 3 publicist books.