Biography

Honourable Artist of Ukraine.

Nina Olexandrivna Sayenko is known in Ukraine as an artist, art-historian, organiser of conceptual art events and expert in museum management.

Upon graduation from Kyiv State Shevchenko University in 1970 and Art Studio of Olexander Sayenko in 1975, she worked as a chief of department in "Naukova Dumka" (Scientific Notion) Publishing House from 1976 to 1980; Creative Vice-Director of Ukrainian Artists' Union Exhibition Department from 1983 to 1990; artist of the Monumental-Decorative Arts Complex of Kiev from 1990 to 1993; main specialist of Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Arts from 1993 to 1996; Chief of the Alipiy Gallery, Curator of art programmes at the "Ukrainian House" Arts Palace since 1996 and on.

Artistic talents of Nina Sayenko have been developing in special conditions - in the family with high culture of artistic life and where the phenomenon of the Sayenkos was brought to life by National Artist of Ukraine, Olexander Sayenko.

Nina Sayenko has been participating in international exhibitions since 1978. Her artistic endowment is based on the rich heritage of the Ukrainian folk art; while contributing to it and bringing it to a new level of innovative self-expression and accepting the cultural traditions as the basis of the national spirituality. The art works by Nina Sayenko - theme gobelins, carpets, straw mosaics, prints - have been recognised at the numerous national and international exhibitions (in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, China, Poland) and have contributed to the private and public collections of Ukraine and many countries of the world. Her artistic endowment contains modern decoration of cultural centres, schools, kindergartens.

Nina Sayenko is also known for her active involvement as an artistic historian, about 70 of her articles have been published in books, encyclopaedias, catalogues, magazines and newspapers with the purpose of profound analysis of the modern artistic life in Ukraine. She also takes part in exposing of artistic issues on TV and radio.

Nina Sayenko has posed herself as a talented organiser, initiator of conceptual ideas, cultural events, large-scale national artistic events, all-Ukrainian "We are all your children, Ukraine" festivals, international festivals of Slavic writing, international art festivals, Ukrainian Culture Days abroad, Jewish book festival, decorative and folk art exhibitions.

Nina Sayenko is highly-qualified specialist in the field of museum management, and consultant on museum collection replenishment as well as scientific, methodical and exposition activities of the museums. She actively participated in the creation of the State Art Sayenko residence Memorial Museum in Borzna village in Chernihiv region. Besides having saved the original works of the artist and his folk art collection, Mrs. Sayenko granted 1000 exposits to the State
Museum.

Nina Olexandrivna Sayenko is a Honourable Artist of Ukraine, a member of national artistic unions: Artist Union of Ukraine and Folk Art Artists of Ukraine; member of the European Textile Association, curator of artistic programmes of the "Ukrainian House" Art Palace.
Artistic, organizational and social activities by Nina Sayenko has significantly contributed to the preservation and development of the Ukrainian National Culture.


THE PHENOMENA OF NINA SAYENKO
By Nina Veligotska, art critic, Honored Artist of Ukraine

Nina Sayenko is a person possessing many talents: she is an artist, art appreciator, organizer of museum affairs. She is recognized and respected in every area of her activities. Besides the talents of an artist and art appreciator, she is endowed with a truly public, state-scale thinking which is resembled in her large-scale conceptual projects and ideas aimed at the integral development of the national culture and art in the scopes of the Governmental Programme for the period of the formation of the Ukrainian statehood, organization of all-Ukrainian feasts of Slavic literacy, national art forums, and exhibitions that contribute to the development of the folk art and preservation of the centres of the national cultural traditions.

Nina Sayenko's formration as an artist began in the town of Borzna in Chernihiv region in the family of the famous Ukrainian artist, Oleksandr Sayenko, where the high art culture prevailed and national cultural traditions were observed.

The spheres of Nina Sayenko's works are hand weaving, straw mosaic, and beating. The artist's masterpieces have been displayed at numerous national and international exhibitions (in Canada, Belgium, France, China, Russia, Poland); they are represented at museum collections and private collections in Ukraine and many other countries. Among her creative accomplishments are decorations for culture palaces, schools, and kindergardens.

Nina Sayenko's art activities are built upon proufound accomplishments of the Ukrainian folk art; she promotes them and lifts them to the new level of self-expression and of the appreciation of the traditional culture as the basis of the national spirituality. Being a worthy follower of Oleksandr Sayenko's traditions, she keeps searching for her own colors and tones, lyric images and themes; she creates her own world of an artist.

Tapestries and carpets made by Nina Sayenko are modern in terms of image bearing thinking and traditional in terms of composition settings and production techniques. Their harmony of colors, distinct rhymes, lineal structures impress. In many of them, one can see some resemblance of the traditions of the native Chernihiv area.

The scope of her creative works is very wide: from complicated thematically Kozak Ballad tapestry, calm symmetric works with a distinct picture (My Thoughts, My Flowers, Festive, Sunny), with a complicated spree of colors and a harmony of tone conjunctions (Serpanok, Spring, The White Symphony) to fairy as on the Koupala Night carpet. Each of her tapestries or carpets is unique, matchless, and majestic.

The pictures made of mosaic combination of straw are districted by the clarity of the work (The Fascinated World, The Flower of Love), delicate styling of the form (Chornogusy, A Meeting), a characteristic ornament and rhyming (Mosaic, The Ornamented Flower), tranquil colors (The Water Flows From Under the Hill).

It can be said with certainty that those working these days in the "country" style-there are more and more artists working in this style worldwide-or those who just like this style will find a crystal source to satisfy their thirst.
Nine Sayenko is also know for her art appreciation activities. Her articles published in books, catalogs, magazines, and newspapers analyze the modern condition of the Ukrainian art. She constantly speaks on the radio and TV.

A significant piece of work s done by Nina Sayenko in the area of museum affairs when consultanting on museum collection selections, scientific and exhibition activities. Her active participation contributed to the creation of the Oleksandr Sayenko Memorial in the town of Borzny in Chernihiv region. She donated almost 1,000 pieces to the museum: among those are original Sayenko's scriptures, his collection of folk art, historical and documentary materials.

Nina Sayenko is a member of professional associations: the Ukrainian Artists' Union and the Union of the Ukrainian Folk Art Artist, the member of the European Textile Association, the head of the Alipiy Gallery of the Ukrainian House Centre.

The phenomena of Nina Sayenko testifies that only such a bright personality can influence the modern art process.