Ivan Marchuk. The Genotype of Freedom

Ivan Marchuk, national artist of Ukraine, laureate of National prize of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko, honorary citizen of the cities of Kyiv and Ternopil, a member of the Golden Guild of the Roman Academy of contemporary art. The artist created more than 5000 paintings, which can be found on all of the world continents. For half a century of creative activity he had more than 150 monographic and 50 collective exhibitions. In the last three years the artist exhibited mainly abroad (Lithuania, Germany, Poland), performing the function of public diplomacy: affirming Ukraine’s place in European art context.

The painter was born on May 12, 1936 in the village Moskalivka in Ternopil region of Ukraine, in a family of famous weaver. Studied in Lviv College of Decorative and Applied Arts named after Ivan Trush at the Department of decorative painting as well as at the Department of ceramics of the State Institute of applied and decorative arts. In the mid-1960s, Ivan Marchuk arrived in Kyiv and found his way in the artistic space, which allowed the artist to say «I exist!». Further he faced the tough opposition of system, which ruthlessly suppressed all that did not fit into the dogmas of socialist realism. 12 years of immigration (Australia, Canada, USA). Since September 2001 after returning from exile, the artist has lived and worked in Kyiv.

Representatives of various disciplines trying to understand the secret of the phenomenon Marchuk and attractive power of his talent. The impact of his paintings on the viewer can be compared to the effect of 25 fps, which primarily acts on the subconscious. He creates his paintings in addition to landscapes and portraits, almost exclusively on the subconscious. The artist himself says about it: « I do not know in advance what I’m going to draw. I have one image, then other one. The hand leads me. The paintings come to my mind out of nowhere… ».

Marchuk invented a completely original technique «pliontanism» (from the Ukrainian «pliontaty» – weave, knit), which is teetering on the brink of man-made and technological complexity and through the filigree of performance and complexity it is almost impossible to reproduce.

The artist systematized his creative work in 11 cycles. The Genotype of Freedom exhibition at Mystetskyi Arsenal featured 150 paintings from cycles «The Voice of My Soul», «Landscape», «White planet 1», «White planet 2», «Still Life», «New Expressions», «A Look into Immensity».