Biography

At last, painter sculptor Alexander Gutyrya’s enthralling vision of life, death and the human condition is available in a single space. Born in Bakhmut, Ukraine, Mr. Gutyrya embraces wood, sandstone, and bronze in sculpture, and visceral tones, both hot and cold, in oil on canvass and wood. Whether in paint, or in the round, his works convey to the eye what so many feel in the heart, but rarely express. They quite simply pulse with the personal, freed from the constraints of the private life.

One need only look at the intersecting threads lacing through the scenes to discern his fascination with the intricate patterning found in tapestry. The art of weaving, taught him by a beloved aunt on visits to the factory in the Poltava region of Ukraine where she worked, informs his technique to this day. Sinuous and sensual, the vigorous patterning learned from the woven thread is realized in an entirely new form. Allegorical figures highlighted by spiritual themes are modern, yet timeless; likewise, the landscapes that connote “home” -- at last found -- or still sought after.

Arriving in Canada in 2004, Mr. Gutyrya carries the spirit of his roots forward in sculpture both colossal and demure. Characterized by mammoth ivory, marble and coloured stone to enhance and exaggerate surface texture, the artist’s figures are as much a part of the land as they are the human psyche. Lustrous, raw and beautiful, each piece “speaks” to the internal, coaxing forth the emotion that simmers below.

Graduating from the Donetsk College of Applied Arts in 1985, Mr. Gutyrya’s first exhibit at the Donetsk Museum of Arts marked an honor accorded few emerging artists at that time. Since then, his work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions, finding their way into private collections in Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Finland, the United States and Canada.

Evocative, unique, unforgettable: This is Alexander Gutyrya.

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