Anatolii Stepanenko

Anatolii Stepanenko (1948) — is a Ukrainian multidisciplinary artist. He works in the fields of performance art, film directing, and conceptual photography. Contemporaries call him "an artist beyond taboos": he was a participant in the hippie and Kunta yoga movements. He is considered the founder of the cyberpunk style in Ukrainian painting. His art reflects key transformations in Ukrainian consciousness from the mid-1970s to the present day.  

His work is particularly focused on the individual, their relationship with the virtual world, and the legacy of progress. Stepanenko’s style is distinguished by carefully structured compositions, clear silhouettes, and a rich, personal language of symbols.

The painting "Caution" conveys a state of tension and also represents the modernist metaphor of the "third eye." In modern art, this metaphor signifies a spiritual vision of the world. The composition is designed in such a way that the viewer senses an invisible boundary between safety and risk, reinforcing an overall meaning of restraint and anticipation. The imagery and forms may suggest the necessity of choice, adaptation, or cautious observation of the changes happening around us.

The late 1980s in Stepanenko’s work marked a period of psychological exploration and emotional expression. His works from this time are filled with subtle subtexts that reflect broad societal transformations while remaining deeply personal and universally relevant in their themes.