Stepan Ryabchenko (born October 17, 1987) is a Ukrainian new media artist.^[6] His work includes digital art, conceptual architecture, sculpture, graphics, photographic art and light installations.^[7] In his artwork, the artist creates his own digital universe with its heroes and mythology. Known for his monumental prints, sculptures and video-art installations of non-existent characters, including Virtual Flowers, Electronic Winds, Computer Viruses, etc.^[8]

Stepan Ryabchenko was born on October 17, 1987, in Odesa, in a family of artists. His father, Vasiliy Ryabchenko, is one of the key figures in contemporary Ukrainian art, and the New Ukrainian Wave;^[9] Stepan's grandfather, Sergey Ryabchenko, was a Soviet and Ukrainian graphic artist.^[10][11]

Ryabchenko graduated from the Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture in 2011 with a master's degree in Architecture.^[12]

From 2020, Stepan Ryabchenko is the chief curator of the Art Laboratory creative organization.^[13]

In 2020, the artist represented Ukraine at the International Changwon Sculpture Biennale in South Korea.^[14]

In 2021, he was included in the list of the best digital artists in the world.^[15] In the same year represented Ukraine at the Expo 2020 in Dubai.^[16]

Lives and works in Odesa.^[17]

Stepan Ryabchenko uses a broad range of computer software and digital technologies^[18] to create large-scale digital prints, animations, sculptures, light installations, and videos representing his own digital universe, populated with fictional characters, surrealistic plant and animal forms, and visualizations of computer viruses.^[19] His futuristic visual language, which moves between abstract and figurative forms, explores our relationship to virtual spaces and the natural environment.^[20]

Stepan Ryabchenko's works have been exhibited at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest,^[21][22] Albertina Modern in Vienna,^[23] Moderna galerija in Ljubljana,^[24] Art & History Museum in Brussels,^[25] MAXXI in Rome,^[26] Saatchi Gallery in London,^[27] Krolikarnia in Warsaw,^[28] Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb,^[29] Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava,^[30] Art Centre Silkeborg Bad in Silkeborg,^[31] Manege and Gostiny Dvor in Moscow,^[32] Ars Electronica, etc. His works have also been exhibited in many places in Ukraine, including PinchukArtCentre, Mystetskyi Arsenal,^[33][34] National Art Museum, Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art,^[35][36] National Cultural Center "Ukrainian House",^[37] M17 Contemporary Art Center,^[38] National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, etc.^[39]