Zhanna Kadyrova. “Plumber Tolya.” 2004–2005. Reinforced frame, ceramic tiles, cement, polyurethane foam. 60 × 172 × 30 cm

Job Description

In this work, Kadyrova begins working with ceramic tiles — the foundation of Soviet monumental art, particularly mosaics in public spaces, as well as a standard facing material for both exteriors and interiors of buildings. This was her first work with a material that later became one of the main ones in her practice. Thus, she created the sculpture of a plumber — one who works with a similar material and installs it in bathrooms. The artist challenges the image of the titanic worker, popular in Soviet culture: she depicts him as bent and gloomy, and often places the figure in the corner of the exhibition space. The artist also mentions that she borrowed the bright colors from mosaics, as she sought to move away from the monochrome solutions that mostly prevailed in the art school where she studied. 

The sculpture “Plumber Tolya” can be considered a precursor to later postcolonial expressions in contemporary Ukrainian art of the 2010s and beyond, which work with the reinterpretation of the Soviet legacy and, in particular, the ideological hero (among them — Lesya Khomenko, Lada Nakonechna, Mykola Ridnyi, Larion Lozovyi, Anna Shcherbyna, and others). 

Kadyrova began creating the sculpture before the Orange Revolution but had to stop because she did not have a workshop. She was able to complete the project after a break in 2005, when members of the “R.E.P.” group, including Kadyrova, received space at the Center for Contemporary Art at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.