Featured Artist: Alexander Gutyrya - Spiritualist Sculptor & Painter
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The artist Alexander Gutyrya was born in a Ukrainian town of Bakhmut that was founded in the early sixteenth century. The rich cultural and historic heritage of the town and the region as a whole had a great impact on development of the future artist. Alexander graduated from the Donetsk College of Applied Arts in 1985. He jumpstarted his professional career by participating in his first group exhibition at the Donetsk Museum of Arts the following year.
At that time, very few of the young artists had the privilege of exhibiting their works at such institutions. Since then, Alexander took part in numerous solo and group exhibitions domestically and abroad. His works are found in many private and public collections in Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Finland, USA and Canada. The year of 2004 was marked for Alexander with his arrival on the Canadian soil to become a part of the Canadian cultural mosaic. He presently works and resides in Toronto, Ontario as a Canadian citizen. When Alexander was a teenager his parents used to take him every year on a trip to the heart of Ukraine, the Poltava region, where his aunt lived. The woman worked at the tapestry factory and during Alexander’s visits she would take her beloved nephew along with her to work. Alexander enjoyed spending hours on end contemplating the process of creation of intricate tapestry patterns on fabric. Alexander learned this complex technique of weaving with great passion. This early interest in tapestry, specifically its exquisite patterns and color combinations, had laid the foundation for his unique artistic style. Alexander is a very diverse artist. He paints with oil on canvas and on wood, carves wooden plaques, does graphic art and creates sculptures. Creating sculptures is his real passion. When sculpting, he works with wood, sandstone, and bronze.
In his sculptures Alexander likes to incorporate such materials as mammoth ivory, marble and colored glass. These combinations of juxtaposing materials create powerful effects that greatly enhance the aesthetic and philosophic value of the artist’s work. Alexander Gutyrya’s organically stylized sculptures are figurative and characterized by abstraction. The voluptuous forms of his works are multidimensional in what they convey. It can be a certain mood, specific moment in time, a thought or an idea. All these aspects of the artist’s inner world are conveyed in his works either simultaneously or in portions. However, beneath the surface of each work one thing remains constant: the storytelling is always unique, unforgettable and captivating.
Alexander Gutyrya EDUCATION
1983 – 1985 Donetsk College of Applied Arts, Donetsk, Ukraine Decorative Arts Major
Alexander Gutyrya SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005 “The Return”, KUMF Gallery, Toronto, Canada 1999 The Laurie Gallery, Toronto, Canada 1999 Solo retrospective, The Museum of Archives, Edmonton, Canada 1999 Solo retrospective, The KUMF Gallery, Toronto, Canada 1998 Die Werkstatt Kunstgalerie, Baierbrunn, Munich, Germany (Two-men exhibition) 1994 The House of Arts, Mashonmadjarovar, Hungary 1993 The Mariott Hotel, Budapest, Hungary (Two-men exhibition) 1993 The Gallery of Modern Art, Kiev, Ukraine
Alexander Gutyrya MAJOR GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2009 “The Culture of Tripillya”, Ukrainian Embassy in Canada, Ottawa, Canada 2006 “Toronto Art Expo”, Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, Canada 2000 “The Third International Biennale”, The Marine Gallery, Odessa, Ukraine 2000 “The Millennium”, The KUMF Gallery, Toronto, Canada 1996 “The Steppe Shore”, The Ukrainian State Museum, Kiev, Ukraine 1992 “The Pacific Ocean Exhibition”, The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Vancouver, Canada
Alexander Gutyrya COMISSIONS
2003 Donetsk, Ukraine, Public Art Commission – created three sandstone sculptures which located on the territory of the recreational park zone (“Park Ilicha”) 2000 The Seaport of Odessa, Odessa, Ukraine – created two wooden sculptures 1999 The Symposium on Sculpture, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada – created a wooden sculpture, “Cossack Mamai”, for the sculpture garden, commissioned by the Ivan Franko Home for the Aged
Alexander Gutyrya COLLECTIONS
Since 2000 The Ivan Franko Home for the Aged, Mississauga – five paintings, oil on canvas Since 1996 The National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kiev – “Silence”, a wooden sculpture Since 1992 The Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Vancouver – “Sviato” (“The Feast”), a carved wooden plaque
Alexander Gutyrya WORKS SOLD AT THE AUCTIONS
2008 Still Life work (oil on canvas) sold at the Gardens of Versailles, A French Affair Auction & Gala, Portland, Oregon 2006 “Cossack Mamai” graphic work sold at the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, Toronto
Alexander Gutyrya PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
2005 Member of the Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada (USOM) 1993 – 2004 Member of the Ukrainian Professional Union of Painters