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About - Exhibition archive - 2015

Serhii Dryha’s exhibition “Childhood Celebration"

On 2 June 2015 an exhibition of works by artist and countryman Serhii Alimovych Dryha “Childhood Celebration” opened in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the artist and the celebration of International Children's Day.

It is quite natural and logical to present artworks by this very artist to International Children's Day. And it is not only that Serhii Dryha is a brilliant representative of the remarkable group of artists countrymen, who glorified their small homeland far beyond its boundaries. This is one of those artists whose peculiar manner of creating art and an incredibly bright (almost - of fire) choice of colours created a unique creative "I" of the master that makes it easy to distinguish his paintings from the works by other artists. It is clear that such bright works, imbued with a gamut of feelings and original fantasy of Serhii Dryha, please, first of all, people with poetic and romantic soul and, of course, children, for the style and themes of his works echo children's worldview, fantasies and dreams.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the exhibition “Childhood Celebration" in terms of the undeclared war of Putin's Moscovia against Ukraine, as the works presented fit the following definition of "optimistic landscape" and “cheerful art”. Because they are so sunny and optimistic, charge with positive energy, create certain mood, awake fantasy and imagination. In short, they function as an antidepressant, which is so important in recent days.

The author of these wonderful sunny pictures, Serhii Dryha, was born on 31 May 1960 in the village Holovanivsk of Kirovohrad region, and the future master of the brush’s childhood were spent in Kirovohrad.

In 1980 Serhii graduated from Odesa State Art School named after M. Grekov and started active exhibition activity, becoming a member of numerous national, union and international exhibitions.

International exhibition "Neva-95" (St. Petersburg, 1995), International Exhibition “Marine 96" (Odesa, 1996), personal exhibitions in Odesa Sea Gallery and “NaUyutnoi” gallery can be considered the most important exhibitions in the artist’s life that opened him to public. The artist repeatedly won prizes at international city biennale “Marine” and proved himself to be a wonderful marine painter.

Serhii Dryha’s works were repeatedly presented in foreign countries, among them Bulgaria, Belgium, the Netherlands. Many of his paintings are a part of numerous private collections in Europe, the US and Israel.

The fact that more than thirty works of the master are invaluable part of the museum’s collection link the artist to Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum. And three times (in 2012, 2013, and 2015) Serhii’s paintings were presented at annual Easter charity auction, which is traditionally held in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum, setting a record for fundraising for charity each time. Thus in 2012, the painting of the master "In Some; Certain Kingdom, in Some Certain State..." was the undisputed leader, being estimated at UAH 26,100. In 2013, a special bright appeal of the auction was two of his works “Lights of Rain" (UAH 14,500) and the "Red City" (UAH 10,000). This year two paintings by Serhii Dryha caused stir at Easter Auction: "Metamorphoses" (UAH 20,000) and "Quiet Corner" (UAH 15,000). Thus, the artist’s artworks mentioned above allowed to collect almost UAH 86,000 for charity, and it is difficult to overestimate the significance of this fact.

Serhii Dryha happened to develope into a professional artist in Odesa, where, by the way, he lives until now. This allows the citizens of Odesa (and not only) to call him Odesa’s artist. But it is fair to note that the artist does not forget his little homeland, does not betray his love for Kirovohrad, especially admiring the unique architectural buildings of his hometown. Serhii Dryha can be described as a man who is not chasing after titles, awards, membership in the Union of Artists of Ukraine, being satisfied with that artistic niche he managed to occupy.

The incredible way Dryha depicts light, water, and air in his paintings astonishes his fans.

The artist creates his works mostly in the open air, getting real pleasure from contact with wildlife. But in addition to this he includes his own imagination. As a result an interesting synthesis of reality and feelings and philosophical meditations of the master who seems to be beyond specific time and space, having quite a realistic basis though.

This is not the first exhibition project in the museum, representing the works of Serhii Dryha. In March 2012 there was opened his first solo exhibition, in September 2013 the exhibition “Lights of the Seaside Town” was held, moreover, the works of the artist are displayed at numerous thematic exhibitions presented in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum.

A series of paintings depicting picturesque corners of an enigmatic, mysterious, romantic seaside town, mostly at evening and night time, illuminated with the light of street lamps and windows of houses form much of the creative work of the master. It arose in the mind of Serhii Dryha under the influence of what he had seen and felt and become an original and beautiful mark of the artist. The author himself called it - "City D", which represents, above all, the seaside city of Bruges. Serhii Dryha also decodes it as “City of Dryha", or "City of Childhood." After all it is a kind of collective image of the seaside town, where one can guess features of Odessa, Marseilles, Venice, Naples, enriched by the artist’s fantasy. Moreover the pictures of these thematics include the artist’s love to everything archaic (to old architecture in particular), doomed to be ruined by an inexorable approach of the civilization.

These pictures include: “Odesa’s Tram” (1999), “Lights of Valkenburg” (1999), “Tavern Keeper’s Daughter” (1999), “Morning in Antwerp” (1999), “White City” (1999), “City Goes under Roofs” (2001), “Unfamiliar Dear Lights” (2001), “Owners of Roofs” (2005), “Night, the Sorceress” (2005), “Rainbow of the Southern Night” (2005), “And Snow was Falling in Odesa” (2007) and others.

The pictures “Cold morning” (1999), “Autumn Blues” (2002), “Vilkovsk Apple Trees” (2003), “Still Life with Apples” (2005), “Velvet Silence” (2010), “To the Sun” (2011) are penetrated with the harmony of nature, with stillness and calmness.

The atmosphere of celebration and joyful memories related to childhood is reflected in pictures "The Christmas Guest" (1999) and “Childhood Celebration" (1999). The latter gave the name to the exhibition, presented in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum.

Serhii Dryha’s artworks from private collections were given for displaying, and formed a part of the exhibition. An adornment of the exhibition was the artist’s picture “Evening City D” from the private collection of Director General of "Imex-LTD” Tamara Samiliak.

A big fan of Serhii Dryha, Director General of Drukmash-Center, LLC Liudmyla Shubina gave a few paintings for the exhibition.Among them: "Night Surf" (2011), "Amber Era" (2011), "The Beginning of a New Day" (2012), “According to Weather Forecasts" (2013). In Health Center "Drive", as opposed to temporary exhibition in Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum, the works of the artist can be viewed every day!

Oleh Yurchenko - senior research assistant of Kirovohrad Regional Art Museum