Surrealistic Fine ART of Juri Jakovenko, born in Belarus in 1965. In 1992 he graduated from the Academy of Art in Minsk. Since 1994 he is member of Belarus Art Union and in 2001 he began teaching at the Academy of Art in Minsk.

Juri Jakovenko – Illustrations aquarelle

The biography of Juri Jakovenko reflects the historic peculiarities of its time dynamism, mobility, communicativeness and at the same time devotion to the native land. He was born in 1965 in Russia, grew up in Belarusian Grodna, studied in Minsk and then returned to Grodna to live and to work. Not being originally Belarusian he became one by character, world outlook, spirit and always emphasized his belonging to Belarusian culture.

Choosing a profession was not an issue for Jakovenko, as the atmosphere of creative work was always present in his family: great grandfather, grandfather, father were fond of drawing. Creative energy accumulated with generations was fully expressed in Juri. When he was fourteen he knew exactly that art was precisely graphics for him. Juri graduated from Belarusian Academy of Arts. This education was classical, it consciously formed the future artist, made the basis of professionalism, helped to express individuality. The first exhibition in 1988 when the works of the student were presented on the republican level can be considered the beginning of creative biography of Jakovenko.

Artistic distinctiveness of this artist was formed gradually: the problem of individuality for him is a problem of creative growth, continuous search and coming over oneself. Having tried different graphic materials and techniques the artist had chosen for himself very laborious techniques etching, mezzotint and aquatint.

Juri Jakovenko is a very intellectual and sophisticated artist. He likes to create series of gravures united with personally significant topics: « Archipelago », « Signs », « Alchemy », « Runes ». He is attracted by the past where he searches for values harmonic to his world vision. Various historic cultural phenomena appearances of different cultures, epochs and civilizations trigger creating reflections of personal ideas. The artist firmly combines cultural signs, symbols and myths and creates his own world through his own perception.

Different artistic traditions are found in creative work of jakovenko which makes it difficult to refer him to a definite trend of contemporary art. His work is related to European medieval miniature and Bosch mystics, surrealism and symbolism, national traditions of Sarmatian portrait and historicism. The easiest way is to relate his work to postmodernism, though this unified notion doesn’t really reflect its essence. The artist is so original that for now it is impossible to find the right definition. Combining the best national and European cultural traditions the graphics of Juri Jakovenko creates the image of contemporary Belarusian art.

Sviatlana Yanchalouskaya,
Doctor of Philosophy
Translated by Sergey Burlyka (Source : Epreuvedartiste.be)

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