Established in 1823 to provide an alternative to the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) currently comprises over 100 elected members, showcasing their work annually at the Mall Galleries in London.
ADVERTISEMENTAlex Lidagovsky, a Ukrainian sculptor who fled to UK when his studio was destroyed, has been granted membership into the prestigious Royal Society of British Artists.
The 63-year-old artist left Kyiv with his wife, Dasha Nepochatova, 16-year-old stepdaughter and his pets, following Putin's announcement of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022.
In an interview with the PA news agency, Lidagovsky, now settled in London, revealed that his friends had sent him images of his bombed studio.
“Now, because I’m so far away from my country and it looks like I live another life, I try not to think about it, to deny it, to drive this pain into the depths of my consciousness and give myself more time to reflect on it," said Lidagovsky.
He added: “Starting from scratch here in the UK with the status of a refugee, it was very important for me to stay in the profession because I felt like I lost my voice and my language, so it was important for me not to lose my professional identity."
Lidagovsky, who had the opportunity to exhibit his artwork at the Winter Sculpture Park in Bexley, south-east London, last year, recently clinched one of the five residency prizes for indoor sculpture at the Lucca Biennale Cartasia, the premier event in the art world for paper art and architecture.
“Compared to Ukraine, I knew the market and society there, but I was invisible and nobody knew me here so the first step was to show up to let people see me and become visible," Lidagovsky told PA News Agency.
Reflecting on his RBA membership, Lidagovsky expressed his gratitude for the "exciting" and "unexpected" surprise. “I also found out the news on the same day as my birthday, so it felt like a birthday gift.”
“I am extremely thankful to my friends and colleagues in Britain, as well as the British Government and World Jewish Relief, for giving me the chance to stay true to myself and my profession and continue to fight for my country, Ukraine," he remarked.
This year's annual Royal Society of British Artists exhibition was held from 29 February to 9 March 2024.
