Jan 22 – Feb 17, 2016
TEW Galleries
425 Peachtree Hills Ave NE, Suite 24
Atlanta, GA

Serhiy Hai: In the fall of 2013 Timothy Tew traveled to meet with artists in Ukraine. As a result of this trip, TEW Galleries cemented its representation of Sergiy Hai, one of Ukraines most important contemporary artists. Born in the late 1950s, Serhiy Hai (better known in the Russian market as Sergiy Hai) gained an important regional reputation and has exhibited extensively in Ukraine, Russia, Eastern and Western Europe and the United States. His work is in museum collections in Ukraine and in many private collections in Europe and the United States.

This 2016 exhibition, Hai’s fourth solo at TEW Galleries, features powerful paintings and bold figural ink wash drawings. The scope of Hai’s typical imagery is quite narrow—he paints and draws nudes, figures in pairs, equestrian works and still life. These select themes are revisited over and over again in infinite variety and brought to life through the artist’s intimate perspective and impressive technique.

From a technical standpoint, Hai’s unique application of layered paint can at times, be heavily applied while at others manifest as barely discernable washes of color. His virtuosity is undeniable; so too is his use of smoky-rich tonalities which lend great drama to his works. The artist’s imagery is bold and direct with little that is pictorially extraneous. His subjects are forthright; direct and simple without being simplistic or in any way naïve and the paintings, while masculine, are luscious and extraordinarily sensual. Hai’s unpretentious, quick and direct approach to painting displays a lack of sentimentality but also has extraordinarily gentle aspects; while his love of sinuous, lyrical line, cherished settings and evocative chromatism is entirely seductive. Hai’s art invites viewers to join his reverie by suggesting outcomes yet leaving the narrative squarely in the observer’s own imagination.

Price: Free

www.tewgalleries.com/events-current