Flowers and fish

Andrey Kovalenko, Ukraine

Andrey Kovalenko “Action has magic…” (Goethe) Andrey Kovalenko was born on 20-th of October, 1976, in Odessa, Ukraine. His parents, the artist Yuriy Kovalenko and the artist Svetlana Kovalenko-Shvedova, surrounded him with love and care fr om the yearly childhood. Every summer Andriy Kovalenko spent in age-old town Pryluky. The unique beauty of the town, its distinctive character, traditions, picturesque nature with its mysterious forests and spiritual atmosphere formed inspiration as well as refined, particular perception of the future artist. In 1991 A. Kovalenko entered painting pedagogical department of Odessa State Art College named after M. B. Grekov (the teachers: O. B. Dekina, V. I. Ostasheva, E. P. Kuchinskaya, P. I. Borisyuk, K. V. Filatov). When he entered the art college, he was displaying no eagerness to painting. With the time the feeling of creative process, companionship of the art college mates (E. Petrov and A. Litovkin) gradually changed the world view of Andrey, he began to understand his mission. In 1996, a few months before defending diploma, the first personal exhibition of A. Kovalenko in the Exhibition Hall of the Artist Union of Ukraine took place. The diploma defense (the presentation of the paintings “Evening”, “Music”) was held under the scientific leadership of his teacher Valentin Andreyevich Zaharchenko. Upon graduation fr om Odessa State Art College named after M. B. Grekov, the artist went on journey to the cities of Kiev and St. Petersburg, following the results of which he decided not to enter further educational institutions, but to begin directly and fruitfully to embody his creative conceptions. In April, 2000, a personal exhibition of A. Kovalenko took place in Odessa Museum of Eastern and Western Art. In December of the same year Andrey won in the contest “Choose Your Dream”, and so was granted with organization and holding of a personal exhibition in the house museum of I. Kavaleridze (Andriyivskyy Descent, Kiev). Andrey’s father, Yuriy Andreyevich Kovalenko, sharp wittedly named the event “Andrey’s ascent”. The exhibition was a success; the artist’s paintings were purchased by Kiev collectors. Elated with success, being motivated with new positive emotions and impressions, A. Kovalenko set about working more persistently, finding new opportunities to express his perception of the world through the medium of his paintings. That time the prominent artworks “The Red Tram”, “The Storks”, “Autumn for Two”, “The Dream”, “The Mother of Forests”, “The Bridge upon the River of Dreams” were painted. The artist started co-operation with the art-club “Rakurs”, took part in a series of joint exhibitions and plain-airs. In 2005 A. Kovalenko was invited for co-operation and carrying on his creative labour in St. Petersburg, where he was engaged in artistic endeavour for a month. During this period the artist took part in joint exhibition of Petersburg and Moscow artists “The “Petersburg-Venice” Express”, (the gallery “National Centre”, St. Petersburg). These years A. Kovalenko gained acceptance of the art collectors (M. Knobel, S. Vernik, E. Demenyuk and the others), and demand for his artworks. One of Andrey’s paintings is in private collection of Yuriy Shevchuk, a leader of a popular rock band “DDT”. In 2008, the artist entered the National Artist Union of Ukraine. The same year another personal exhibition of the artist was held in Odessa Art Museum, which was successful in all respects. Four years on, in 2012, the same museum hosted the exhibition “Existensions”, where artworks painted during 2008-2012 were presented. Such colourful paintings as “Awakening”, “Middle-Winter”, “Once upon a Time”, “Fish-Day”, “A House of a Good Man” became the hallmark of this period. In 2013 the artist spent summer travelling in Poland (plain-air “Sakrum” in Tukhov city) and in southern Italy, wh ere the series of artworks were painted. As an outcome of his creative trips in spring of the next year the exhibitions took place in Odessa (in the gallery“Markoff” and artcafé “Salieri”). A. Kovalenko often visits Pryluky, the hometown of his father, wh ere at the suggestion of Pryluky Local History Museum named after V. I. Maslov the exhibition “Welcomed by the City” was held. A. Kovalenko carries on a fruitful and creative life, by taking up an active life and social position. He is a supervisor of the exhibition of Y. Kovalenko in the Museum of Modern Art of Odessa. A. Kovalenko goes on taking part in various art projects, plain-airs, co-operation with art galleries. The paintings of A. Kovalenko are in Odessa Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art of Odessa, Kiev house museum named after I. Kavaleridze, Kiev Art Museum named after T. G. Shevchenko, in private collections in Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Japan, USA.