Two hundred moments of happiness

Kiever Zoya Chehusova is the author of the book that restored the picture of our country

Zoya Anatoliyivna Chehusova is a known art critic, the President of the Ukrainian section of International association of art-critics and since recently she is a laureate of the National premium of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko. And, by the way, exactly owning to this book.
The most important premium in our state was awarded to her for her work that is unique because of its inexhaustible fullness and beauty. The creation of the album-catalogue named «Decorative art of Ukraine of the end of ХХ century. 200 names» was impelled by the researcher’s life of three years. And however by her whole uneasy life.
A four kilogram folio is not even the kin of a reference book, but of a largely illustrated encyclopedia. Alphabetical principle of construction “works” in each part: studio pottery, glass, textiles, metal, woodworking and wicker-work. Astonishing grand-book saturated with the works of both academicians and artists-beginners with absolutely different artistic tastes.
Traditionalists, postmodernists, avant-gardes and those, who still have no term for their creation, live on equal terms in this boundless beehive of many styles.

- Zoya Anatoliyivna, Shevchenko’s premium for the study of fine art is a quite exceptional case...
- The last time an art critic had such honour, as it seems to me, in the soviet times. Certainly, when I worked at the book, I did not think about any rewards. The album-catalogue saw the world in 2002. And only after this the Lviv national academy of arts nominated my work for getting the premium. Lviv, by the way, is alma mater of arts and crafts.

- How was a risky idea born to “untwist” globally a project that applies to exactly this branch of artistic creation?
- In my time colleagues invited me to take part in the action “Art of Ukraine of ХХ century”. 13 curators who deal with different creative directions were involved. And then in the catalogue that came out in the context of event I noticed that the part of specialists in applied arts is rather inessential. Because it was always considered that arts and crafts are of secondary importance. I got angry because I couldn’t insert in that edition all rewarding characters with their works, and then I decided to create a separate book. This idйe fixe captivated me so much! I have cherished my hope since1998 year. I had to show this art to the world, as in fact approximately since the middle 80th it has changed into the astonishingly bright and many-sided phenomenon. It is no less interesting and difficult than painting or sculpture. The attitude toward the arts and crafts direction as to the handicraft, “lozhka-povaryoshka”(spoon-cooker), has changed cardinally.

Olga KLEYMENOVA