150 square metres of history: a mural in honour of Mykola Arkas has been completed in the centre of Mykolaiv

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

On Monday, 15 June, a group of artists completed a mural dedicated to Mykola Arkas. The artwork, featuring a portrait of the prominent Ukrainian public and cultural figure and native of Mykolaiv, has appeared in the city centre on the end wall of the «Kontinent» hotel.

This was reported by a correspondent for NikVesti.

Mykola Arkas is depicted alongside his notable works — the book «History of Ukraine-Rus» and the character of Kateryna, whom he brought to life in the first Ukrainian opera based on a poem by Taras Shevchenko.

The mural covers an area of around 150 square metres, so four artists worked on its creation — Valeriia and Artemii Kucher, and Olena and Dmytro Voloshyn. The idea to depict Mykola Arkas came from Mykolaiv’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov, and the sketch was developed by Valeriia Kucher. She recounted how the work began:

«Yevgeny wanted this mural to be in the very centre of the city, but he had doubts about whether it could be done on a wall with a «brick» finish. We explained that on a large scale, viewed from a distance, any unevenness wouldn’t be noticeable. We also looked for scaffolding, as carrying out such a large-scale project from a «tower» would have taken far too long. Yevhen Poliakov helped us find the scaffolding. Only the top section of the mural was completed using a mobile crane, as the scaffolding wasn’t tall enough. We erected the scaffolding ourselves, which is hard work. In the early days, it was scary working at such a height, but after a few days we got used to it,» said Valeriia Kucher.

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

Valeriia Kucher is known to the people of Mykolaiv as the creator of the mural «In Memory of Vadym Serdtsev» on the building of Mykolaiv Lyceum №40 and the mural «Sunflowers» on Admiralska Street, which she created together with Dmytro Voloshin. «Sunflowers» was her first large-scale mural.

Prior to this, the artist had created smaller-scale paintings or worked on interior design projects. Valeria began studying painting at the age of ten at the art studio of the Teacher’s House, and after finishing school, she pursued an art education at the Krakow School of Arts.

Valeriia was assisted by her younger brother Artem. He is a medical student at the Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University and dreams of becoming a surgeon. He acquired his drawing skills thanks to his sister, who used to take him along to the art studio from a very young age. At the same time, Artem is more passionate about music: as a child, he played the domra in the folk instruments ensemble at the Palace of Student Creativity, and has also mastered percussion and the guitar.

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

A mural in honour of Mykola Arkas in the centre of Mykolaiv. Photo: Halyna Sennikova, NikVesti

We would like to remind you that the Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History has opened an exhibition entitled «Inspired by Creativity», dedicated to the winners of the Mykola Arkas Regional Prize.