Early Life and Artistic Beginnings in the Soviet Union Igor Kopystiansky’s artistic journey began amidst the complex socio-political landscape of Lviv, Ukraine, then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Born in 1954, he grew up under the pervasive influence of Soviet ideology, where cultural expression was tightly controlled and Western art remained largely inaccessible. This environment fostered a spirit of subtle resistance within Kopystiansky, leading him to explore alternative artistic avenues beyond the confines of socialist realism. His early experiments centered around per…