Oleksii Koval Surface, Metal, Fire: Enamel as a Living System

Session 1: Friday July 24, 10:45am-12:45pm ET

Session 2: Tuesday July 28, 10:45am-12:45pm ET

This seminar is dedicated to enamel as a complex, multilayered system in constant transformation.

The main goal is to demonstrate that enamel is not a collection of techniques or accidental effects, but a controlled system of processes that can be consciously used, reproduced, and developed.

The key focus is on expanding artistic thinking through the material.

Born on October 16, 1977 in the city of Kyiv.

Since I spent my childhood in Berminvody in the Kharkiv region, where everything was big: trees, grass and, of course, adventures, I learned to love nature and everything beautiful from an early age. And visiting the Kharkiv Art Museum, I was inspired by the outstanding works of famous artists from an early age. It was then, through drawing and observation, that my personal knowledge of the world began. Museums, open-air museums, isostudio and children's art school No. 5 became the first steps on the way to becoming a professional artist.

I came to the enamel technique consciously already in adulthood. It so happened that I had the idea, the composition and the material, but I was looking for artistic means through which I could fully express my thoughts. While traveling the world, studying the art of other countries, I saw samples of incredible colors and textures of enamel and realized that it is through this technique that I want to express my creative ideas.

Today, I have completed personal exhibitions in museums of Ukraine and the world, participation in collective exhibitions and 2 author's cultural and educational projects: "Language of Enamel" and "Enamel. History. Ukraine. World", which were presented in different countries of the world. I take part in symposiums on decorative arts in Ukraine and abroad.