Information about the work
The truly historical work Chermet [Chermet] (masonite, tempera, 1989, acquired for the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum collection from the author in 1990) is about Mazur’s “studio” in the 1980s at Vtorchormet (ferrous metal scrap collection base) in Khmelnytskyi. During that period, he created sculptures from scrap metal that became some of the visual markers of the city. Mykola Mazur’s monumental work in the city began in the late 1970s when he received an order from the Khmelnytskyi Regional Department of Internal Affairs to build a children’s playground in the city park. This was followed by other playgrounds and sculptural groups inside and around cinemas and hotels.
The composition appears somewhat chaotic, but its purpose is to show how images are born out of chaos. The materials for the sculptural compositions were scrap metal – pipes, wheels, springs, worn-out engines. Thus, bright and somewhat surreal beasts, cars, motorcycles, a helicopter, a steam locomotive, a cosmonaut, and abstract compositions began to emerge in the urban landscape. The uniqueness of these sculptures lies in the fact that they are made from worn-out pipes, wheels, springs, pistons, bearings, tanks, and engines that are unsuitable for further intended use. Mazur was one of the first in Ukraine to use the method of upcycling in his work – an ecologically ethical creative process of transforming waste, old, or unnecessary things into new products that have higher value, better quality, or greater utility than the original material. Aside from its creative potential, this approach gives things a “second life”, reduces the amount of waste, and minimizes ecological impact.
Hardboard, tempera. 62 × 43
