Controversy arises in Odesa over project of monument to Lesya Ukrainka

The winning design of the monument to Lesia Ukrainka was presented in Odesa, which caused controversy among the public and experts. Critics point to possible plagiarism and the sculpture's dubious artistic value, while some citizens are outraged by the lack of transparency in the competition.

This was reported by Intent correspondent Natalia Dovbysh.

On February 10, a presentation of the project for the monument to Lesia Ukrainka took place in Odesa. The winner of the competition, which officially ended on February 4, was a creative team consisting of sculptor Mykola Bilyk and architects Andriy Korstruba, Maria Matushenko, and Oleksandr Vovk. The presentation sparked discussions among the public and experts. The new sculpture has already sparked discussions about the transparency of the competition and its artistic quality.

One of the contestants, architect Mykola Chepelev, noted that the controversy arose because there are people who do not like the results of the competition. According to him, they are not satisfied with what they saw in the projects of the participants and winners. He also noted that the project's critics have some arguments about plagiarism, the composition of the jury, and that the public was not involved in the selection of the winners. The architect also added that he, as a participant in the competition, had no complaints.

One of the participants in the discussion, public activist Natalia Delieva, noted that on January 14 she inquired at the Department of Architecture about the competition. She was assured that before the winner was chosen, all the entries would be made public so that the public could review them and express their opinions. However, this did not happen.

The decision was made for us and without us. Perhaps our views coincided with the jury, perhaps this option is really the best, but why didn't the community have the opportunity to see all the works?" Delieva emphasized.

Odesa journalist Olena Balaba drew attention to possible plagiarism: according to her, the new monument repeats the pose from the work of Soviet sculptor Galina Kalchenko, with only the details of the scarf changed.

"I can't believe that the jury members and organizers of the competition were unaware of the existing sculptures," Balaba said.

Art critics also questioned the artistic quality of the works. For example, art critic Alice Gott called the winning project a "sculptural prank" and noted that competition works of this level are usually not allowed to be implemented.

In normal competitions, really worthy projects are selected in several stages. "Here, everything is done formally: the money is spent, the gestalt is closed, and officials don't care about artistic value," the critic added.

According to the explication, the monument combines "classical traditions and powerful ideological content." The authors state that it should not dominate the space of the park, despite the use of textured granite, which, according to them, ensures monumentality and durability. However, as the critic noted, the illustrations show the sculpture's dominance over its surroundings immediately, which caused criticism from urbanists and citizens.

The competition for the best design proposal for the monument to Lesia Ukrainka and the improvement of the surrounding area was announced in August 2025. Professional architects, sculptors, designers, students of relevant institutions, design organizations, and teams of authors were invited to participate. The competition was held in one round until January 30, 2026. UAH 350 thousand was allocated in the 2026 budget for the competition. The park where the monument is to be erected was renamed in honor of Lesia Ukrainka in July 2024.

Анна Бальчінос