Symbol of Solidarity: Kyiv’s Brodsky Synagogue Honors Terror Victims with Aljoscha’s Installation

Contemporary Ukrainian and international sculptor, participant of the “Gardens of Dreams” project, Aljoscha, presented the “Solidarity With the Victims” installation on October 29, 2024, at the Brodsky Synagogue in Kyiv, Ukraine. The installation was created in memory of the Israeli victims of the terrorist attack on central and southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Aljoscha designed, created, and composed the installation, which consists of 1,332 delicately crafted “torn transparent petals.” Each petal symbolizes a life brutally cut short by terrorism, conveying collective pain and fostering hopes for bioethical abolitionism. Gathered in groups of twelve, these petals form individual transparent bioethical sculptures, which together make up 111 larger communities. This poignant installation aims to overcome aggression and inspire compassion, empathy, and kindness.

The entire composition of 1,332 petals symbolically conveys the magnitude of tremendous loss, while the transparency of the elements fills viewers with an eternal emotion, akin to tears shed for this vast grief. The installation, created as a reflection of pure light, serves as a profound metaphor for the collective sorrow we experience.

Aligned with the principles of bioism and considering the synagogue’s historic architecture, the overall form of the installation was composed on-site. Partially melted from lightweight acrylic glass, each of the petals stands as an individual embodiment of the life it symbolizes.

Aljoscha’s transparent, floating bioethical installation embodies a future-forward philosophy of paradise design. It is a tangible expression of our aspiration for a society that fosters empathy over aggression, kindness in the face of adversity, and unwavering solidarity in shared human experiences and achievements.

By presenting this serene and silent artwork, the Brodsky Synagogue connects to the broader Ukrainian and international communities, sending a message to the victims: “You are not forgotten.”

“This installation is a lasting symbol of our continued support for those affected and our unyielding pursuit of peace in the face of hardship. The first part of this humanistic project, “Solidarity with the Victims,” was installed in the Tribeca Synagogue in New York in May 2024.” – Aljoscha

“The tragedy that occurred on October 7, 2023, has left a profound mark on the collective memory of the world… Aljoscha’s installation not only commemorates the victims but also marks an important milestone for the Brodsky Synagogue, which has opened its doors to contemporary art for the first time. The Kyiv Synagogue continues the artist’s ‘solidarity’ through art: a similar work was previously exhibited at the Tribeca Synagogue in New York”, – Andrii Adamovskiy, philanthropist, collector, and founder of the Adamovskiy Foundation

The installation at Brodsky Synagogue was created with the support of the Adamovskiy Foundation and M17 Contemporary Art Center (Kyiv).

Aljoscha (Oleksiy Potupin, born in 1974, Ukraine) is a contemporary artist and sculptor who explores visual possibilities of synthetic biology and the new aesthetics of biofuturism and bioethical abolitionism. His organic sculptures made of acrylic glass and metal are an attempt to create a map of the organic life of the future – what the author calls bioism. He lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Over the past three years, he held scores of solo exhibitions, his works were showcased at TEFAF art fairs in New York and Maastricht.

Recently his work was presented at the exhibition ‘Gardens of Dreams’ at the M17 Contemporary Art Center (Kyiv, Ukraine). The exhibition project ran until October 20, 2024, featuring international and Ukrainian artists such as Cao Fei, Refik Anadol, Aljoscha, Anatoly Gankevich, Megumi Ohata, Wolfgang Stiller, and Anna Myronova. Attracting over 12,000 visitors, the project explored imaginary worlds, perspectives on human coexistence with artificial intelligence, the expanding horizons of synthetic biology, and the interplay between virtuality and reality. It also served as a metaphor for a “temple of the future,” which is being built today and is not solely constructed by humans.

In 2020, the artist received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and most recently, in 2022, from the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony and Goethe Institut in Dresden, Germany. He is the recipient of Perron-Kunstpeis, Wilhelm-Morgner-Preis, winner of the award given by Fundacion Bancaja in Valencia, and many others. His works can be found in such museum collections as Tate Modern in London, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin, the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio, The Getty Center in Los Angeles, the State Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki.