Aug. 1 marks the 95th birthday of Oleksandr Dubovyk, one of the defining figures of Ukrainian modern art. This August, visitors of the Bouquet Kyiv Stage will step inside The Triumph of the Bouquet, the largest exhibition ever devoted to one of Ukraine’s most influential living artists. Spread across five halls of the Khlibnya Gallery at St. Sophia of Kyiv, the immersive project combines painting, drawing, philosophy, music, and digital technology to trace more than six decades of Dubovyk’s artistic journey.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Oleksandr Dubovyk with his wife Iryna. (Image via Myroslava Makarevych) Yet the exhibition offers far more than a retrospective. It opens the door to a way of thinking that has occupied the artist for a lifetime. For more than sixty years, Dubovyk has followed his own path. As one of the defining figures of Ukrainian modernism and a member of the generation of the Sixtiers, he developed a visual language that stood apart from the ideological demands of Soviet culture. Instead of political narratives, he created a universe of symbols, signs, and philosophical metaphors that continues to evolve today. The territory of freedom Dubovyk has travelled widely. Over the years, he was repeatedly invited to remain in Europe and the US, but he always returned to Ukraine.