Art object huge chairs in the Dnipro

Where did the huge chairs come from in the city of Dnipro?

Once in 2018, near the building of the Dnepropetrovsk National University named after. O. Gonchar unusual sculptures appeared on Gagarin Avenue. They were covered with black cellophane and no one knew what was there and what their purpose was.

Little by little, the veil of secrecy from these objects resembling chairs fell away. As it turned out, this new art object in Dnipro was donated to Dnepropetrovsk National University for its future anniversary. In 2018, Dnepropetrovsk National University turns 100 years old and the opening of the exposition is scheduled for October this year – just in time for the holiday.

What are those huge red chairs?

This composition is called “Lectorium”. 17 chairs of different heights, painted red and made of metal. They symbolize the lecture audience and are located on the site of the former fountain. The first chair stands alone and faces the rest – this is the chair of a professor giving a lecture. The rest are student chairs.

Moreover, the names of outstanding university students are written on the back of each “student chair”. They managed to reach the top in various branches of public, political and scientific spheres of life. On October 8, the object was solemnly opened and immediately applied to the back of each chair with white paint, references to prominent personalities, without naming the people themselves.

Here are the aliases:

• President of Ukraine;
• Prime Minister of Ukraine;
• mayor of Dnipro;
• Einstein’s opponent;
• professor at Harvard;
• space minister;
• academician;
• Hero of Ukraine;
• CEO;

There is also a nominal chair of Oles Gonchar, and three chairs with a modest name “student”. It is conceived in such a way that each of the university students can reach great heights (if they try hard!).

Each chair has a sticker with a QR code and a link to the website. On the site you can read information about the object, the history of the university and its outstanding students.

The author of the Lecture Hall, Nikita Shaleny, believes that the chair carries the meaning that you need a lot of patience in order to sit through the lecture and gain knowledge, and then apply it.

Indeed, you can sit on these chairs, take pictures, some even have steps attached to them for convenience. Giant chairs are embedded in the ground with concrete and there is a backlight under them. They look amazing at night!

How much did the chairs cost?

The installation cost 2 million hryvnia, the money was allocated from the city budget.

Art object chairs in Dnipro now

In 2022 the original coloring and inscriptions have not been preserved. Most likely they were already repainted and the student signatures were painted over. The website on the qr code is not working – the domain is free. It expired and was not renewed.

How to get there

Google Maps coordinates – 48.4332482, 35.0427154.

Address – Gagarin Ave. 72. Near the building of the building of the Dnipro National University – Faculty of Ukrainian and Foreign Philology.

You can get to the university by streetcar number 1 – the end stop “Transport University” and go up Gagarin Avenue to the Dnipro National University.

Transit by “Lectorium” goes by buses number 40, 87A, 101A, 109, 124A, 127, 134, 146A, and trolleybuses number 9, 16, 21, A. The stop is “National University”.

Favorite