"Culture is the source that connects and unites peoples"

    Nadiya Martynenko is a well-known Ukrainian artist with her own distinctive style. She currently lives and works in Chernihiv. We are very pleased to present her art in America. 

    Nadiya Martynenko has been painting since childhood and studied at the Crimean Samokysh Art School’s. Nadiya Martynenko was awarded a medal of the Ministry of Culture. In 2018, Nadiya Martynenko received the Mychajlo Kotsybinskiy Medal. She has participated in more than 50 solo and joint exhibitions in Ukraine and abroad (Austria, Israel, Canada, Germany, Turkey, the USA). Her solo exhibition "Being of the Sacred" in 2019 at the Taras Shevchenko Museum became one of the landmark events in Kyiv's art scene.

    Nadiya Martynenko's artworks are kept in museums in Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Odesa, Toronto, and in private collections around the world (Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the USA).

    In an interview, Nadiya Martynenko talked about the constant need to improve herself and look for new directions, images, and new artistic means. Here are her words: "We think with images, connecting the past with the present, the present with the future, flying with our thoughts in time and space. But these images are not concrete, and perhaps they should not be, given our imperfections. The ethnic image connects us with the vibrations of the Nation, with the ethnic group, and with the Earth of this ethnic group, which may be essential for this Earth, as well as our peace of mind and health." 

    The themes of the family, of “Berehynia” (the word "Berehynia" comes from “berehty” (Ukr.) − "to guard", “to protect”, “to keep” and is used for a female person; it has no direct match in English), and of native nature − are themes the artist has addressed throughout her career. Each of her works is illuminated with love, warmth, attention to symbols, wisdom and gentleness of the artist, who is a guardian of the traditions of her native land.

    The image of a woman, a “Berehynia”, has a significant place, perhaps even a culminating value in Nadiya Martynenko's work, because in her opinion: "The Ukrainian Woman is the Protector of the Family, the Protector of ancestral and family traditions, and sometimes the head of the family."

    Around the 2010s, the artist researched traditional ancient costumes from different regions of Ukraine and created a series of women with headdresses. This cycle was successfully presented at many exhibitions in Ukraine. One of the works found its home in the Taras Shevchenko Museum in Toronto, Canada.

    This is how Nadiya Martynenko puts it: "Berehynia” is essentially an image of the Mother. The Mother of all living things, caring, loving, fair, who can help, and sometimes just guide and suggest the right decision. Women have long preserved and passed on to the next generations the knowledge of living happily on Earth, of loving themselves, their husbands, children, and nature; of building harmonious relationships with others, i.e. of how the universe works and how all living beings on Earth interact with each other.

    The image of “Berehynia” is as endless as life itself; it carries ancient knowledge and wisdom and is filled with new information and new energies! Just as a river flows − sometimes narrowing to avoid obstacles, sometimes spreading along the banks when it overflows − so the “Berehynia” in the soul of every woman needs to know where to direct her energy."

    Nadiya Martynenko (Mai 2023): "I would like to thank the people of the United States for their support in our fight against the russian aggressor. 

   I would also like to add an important thing: In my opinion, the best way to know a nation and its traditions is through its culture.  Culture is the source that connects and unites peoples."