Serhii Minakov (pictured left), Professor at the Welding Department of the Institute of Materials Science and Welding at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, has achieved a remarkable fusion of his professional skill in welding and his passion for art.
His works of sculpture, particularly To the Future! piece and the Through the Ages series of welded sculptures, have received international recognition within the welding community. These artworks were featured in the 2023 and 2024 Digital Collection Welded Art Photographic Exhibition – Sustainable Development Goals, a part of the International Institute of Welding’s latest National Welding Capability Project.
The project directly aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, so that strategies can be applied by a country, including the implementation of a flagship program with a single global focus “to assist the country to establish, maintain and improve its national welding capability and advance its UN Sustainable Development Goals”. The program can involve many initiatives, all focused on the single global goal.
Minakov’s To the Future! sculpture, showcased in 2023, is related to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), while his Through the Ages series, exhibited in 2024, highlights lifelong learning as one of the key elements of SDG 4 (Quality Education).
Specifically, Minakov’s techniques for producing the Through the Ages sculptures included computer photo processing (adaptation of a real photo in graphics) and the creation of a 2D model of a sculpture. He used thermomechanical wire straightening, cold forging of the figures, mechanical cutting, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding and brazing with CuSi3 solder.