Semernia Oleksandr

Oleksandr Semernia (1936-2012) is a Ukrainian artist, a representative of naive art. Born in the village Mykolaivka, Zaporizhia region. Master of folk art (1977). Member of the Union of Masters of Folk Creativity of Ukraine and the Moldovan Charitable Fund of Ukrainian Professional Artists and Folk Masters "Renaştere-Renaissance". Participant of numerous group and personal exhibitions (since 1970) in Ukraine and abroad. He was nicknamed "Cossack Mama of Ukrainian art" for his traveling and freedom-loving lifestyle. He lived and worked for a long time in Beltsy (Moldova, 1980s). He collaborated as an illustrator with the publishing houses "Youth" and "A-BA-BA-GA-LA-MA-GA" (since the 1990s). P. Zagrebelnyi, Yu. Pokalchuk, I. Malkovich, V. Malyna, O. Zabuzhko, V. Lysenko and others admired Semerny's work. The artist worked until the end of his life in his hut in Sokyryany. In memory of Semernya, by the decision of the Sokyrian city council, the street named after M. Karamzin Street was renamed to Oles Semernia Street (2016).