Mechanical Butterfly

Each of us feels that the surrounding world is dominated by mediocrity. Each tries to solve this problem his own way. Some hasten to paint this world with bright colors, others break stereotypes by refusing to discard gray shades, instead trying to penetrate them, seeking a new play of lines, shadows, and forms. Artist Yury Vakulenko with his recent display at Kyiv’s gallery Nef belongs to the latter category. His works are a bit mysterious, making one fantasize and recall things, because they are like dreams. Not nightmares of the subconscious, but a light play of imagination. A paper ruble hanging on the drying line, toads with shining legs traveling on a mechanical butterfly, old houses and old trees floating in the mist, a tired funny hippo resting under a transparent arch with a tree that looks as though made from crystal. Yury Vakulenko invites each of us to remember our favorite tales; he knows better than anyone else that intuition and inspiration will inevitably lead to success. He was born in Nizhni Tagil and spent his childhood and youth in Baku, served in the army, at the Zabaikalye military district. After demobilization he decided to get enrolled at the Mukhina Institute, but several days before the deadline of submitting the required documents he changed his mind and came to Kyiv, a city he had visited only once previously while at school. It must have been that combination of intuition and inspiration and his choice proved correct. At present, Yury Vakulenko effectively heads a restoration and expert examination center he founded ten years ago at the National Kyiv Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve. He is an art restorer, a noted expert on antiquities, and a college teacher. “Every day proves that you don’t belong to yourself,” he says, “meaning that someone else needs you all the time. This awareness is a strong creative impetus.”

Of course, another powerful impetus comes from works of art he restores, sometimes quite unique. He works to revive the true visage of creations dating back hundreds of years. He cannot deviate from the original line even by a millimeter, and nor can he alter the slightest shade, the minutest detail. Daily contact with ancient works of art does not allow him to be careless when creating his own. It is like assuming an obligation towards past generations. And so every drawing and painting is led to perfection. Only thus can he keep his mechanical butterfly airborne.