Ukrainian artist Manzhos on Poltava's Shakespeare statue: from laughter to pain over falling visual standards
Ukrainian street artist Volodymyr Manzhos discusses the controversial Shakespeare monument unveiled in Poltava and explains why low-quality visual projects have become more common in Ukraine's public spaces during the war.
Ukrainian muralist Volodymyr Manzhos, known by his creative alias WaOne, has spoken out about Ukraine's first monument to William Shakespeare, unveiled in Poltava and now widely circulated online as a meme. The statue, whose depiction of the playwright's face has drawn comparisons to Jack Nicholson's character in "The Shining," sparked mixed reactions — initial laughter followed by disappointment and questions about how such quality ends up in public spaces.
Manzhos explains that during the war years, demand for memorial and visual gestures, including murals, surged sharply across Ukraine. This eventually led Kyiv authorities to temporarily ban new murals before introducing an approval procedure involving experts and city officials.
A cultural bubble and gaps in education
According to the artist, before the war Ukraine's art community existed in a closed "cultural bubble" with shared standards for judging quality. When many of its members left the country or fell silent, it became possible for virtually anyone, regardless of training, to pursue large-scale visual projects.
Manzhos argues the core problem lies in education. Unlike in France, where visual arts are consistently taught in schools, Ukraine inherited a "literature-centered" education system from the Soviet era, which prioritized text over visual culture — a pattern that persisted after independence, simply replacing Russian literature with Ukrainian.
He also notes a shift in public attitudes toward street art during the war: while his 2014 murals about the Maidan protests drew harsh criticism, similar work today receives overwhelming public support. Manzhos is recognized as one of the pioneers of Ukraine's mural and street art movement, with works displayed in several countries.
