Andrii Hurenko is always different but yet recognizable for his artistic way of thinking. Many know about him from the ethno festival “Sheshory”: he has been the curator of the land-art program of the festival for quite a few years now.
“At first I tried to imitate my favourite artists ranging from Albrecht Duerer and Michelangelo to abstract espressionists. I am not doing this any longer, however I still continue to learn – every artist is learning throughout his life,” Andrii HURENKO told about his creative work.
Hurenko’s paintings are classic in composition, and, at the first glance, traditional in creative approach. However, there is author mythology free from the already known cultural coordinates hidden behind the outer visibility. Hurenko as if deliberately misleads the viewer suggesting a familiar form. But the content of each work requires individual associative identification. One can recall Greek myths, legends and traditional stories of the East, Scandinavian or African epic, however they will be only somewhat related to the works of the author, to the extent the viewer can draw a clear line between a dream and reality.
Art critic Viktoria KUDRIAVTSEVA characterizes the work of the artist by saying: “In the new series ‘Morphology of Dusk’ Hurenko again turns to the poetics of myths. Following the bizzare weaving of an ornament, the rythm of which the artist reduced to the level of a ritual, you can get into a timeless dimension. Here the space beyond the rectangle of the canvas gives an opportunity to find unique stories for imageis of ‘dusk world.’”
“I love to paint human body. It expresses emotions much more than human face. In life we are used to wearing masks, but our bodies can not lie. In ‘Morphology of Dusk’ I wanted to provide source of pleasure for the eye and not only for the mind – the pleasure of observation. During this trip anyone can become a pioneer, giving names to creatures, plants, and lands,” the author commented on his new exhibition.
The exhibition is open at the “ABC-art” gallery (10B Vozdvyzhenska Street, Kyiv) until December 8.
The Day’s FACT FILE
Andrii Hurenko was born in 1970 in Kyiv. By education he is a designer-artist. During his third year at the Kyiv Industrial Institute he realized that fashion design is not his calling, but painting, with no intermediaries between the artist and the result, was exactly what he wanted to do. Hurenko chose one of the most difficult techniques – multilayer painting. His paintings can be found in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Sweden, the USA, Australia, and Croatia.
Photo replicas provided by the author
