During the Nazi occupation of Kyiv, Malakov worked as an assistant at the Production and Art Workshops, creating postcards and various drawings, including caricatures. The war, which left a painful imprint, became one of the central themes of his art.
Malakov worked in the techniques of drawing, watercolor, printmaking, and pen, combining profound realism with vivid imagery, inventive composition, and meticulous attention to detail. His works are distinguished by striking individuality, exceptional craftsmanship, and rich creative imagination.
Throughout his life, Malakov depicted the adventures of Akulkin — an imaginary little man of eccentric appearance: round-headed, round-nosed, always smiling and kind. The artist often drew inspiration for these scenes from his own biography.
His works are instantly recognizable for their abundance of documentary-precise depictions of everyday objects, military equipment, as well as flora and fauna. The artist possessed an extraordinary sense of observation — inviting his viewers to sharpen their own perception of the surrounding world in order to absorb the essence of a historical epoch or a particular event.
Malakov’s studio could be regarded as a museum: helmets, shells, trench lighters, coins, labels, parts of airplanes, tanks, and vehicles — “exhibits” abounded. Yet that was not all: model airplanes and tanks, old goblets with pewter lids and Gothic inscriptions, a ship’s steering wheel, a compass, a chair fashioned from a fragment of a wooden airplane propeller, and countless books. This deep fascination with the material world inevitably found reflection in Malakov’s art. In addition, the artist loved animals, children’s games and amusements, folk humor, and ancient rituals. He enjoyed going to the theater and the circus and valued social interaction. But above all, he loved to work and to create.
Malakov’s works were exhibited in Poland, Germany, France, and other countries, attesting to the international recognition and respect for his talent. His pieces are preserved in the collections of the National Art Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv, the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine, as well as other art museums.