HOІDA ANDRIІ

Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (1989).

Andrii Hoida was born on 7 March 1949 in Uzhhorod, Transcarpathia in the family of the famous poet Yurii Hoida. In 1968, he graduated from the Uzhhorod School of Applied Arts, specializing in painting. His teachers were E. Medvetska, S. Petki, and P. Balla.

Upon graduation, from 1969 to 1982, he was working as a designer of art and advertising studios of the Transcarpathian Regional Consumer Union. In 1983-1990, Andrii Hoida was working as an art editor in the publishing house “Soviet Transcarpathia”. Since 1996, the artist worked in the publication “Police Records” and deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Karpatskyi Yevromist”.

Despite the work, Andrii Hoida never forgot about creativity. Although the author specialized in painting, he preferred caricature. The artist said: “I'm happy to find myself in a caricature. In times of stagnation, a cartoonist could say about negative phenomena in our life. And I wanted to say it not only to laugh but to make everyone think of things that bothered me”. The author's first works were published in the “Youth of Transcarpathia”, and next drawings – in the famous satirical magazine “Pepper”, magazines “Aurora”, “Inventor and Rationalizer” and other editions.

In his works, witty and wise, the author raised the questions of internationalism, migration, and ecology. The artist was not indifferent to the issue of preserving the environment and acutely perceived a non-careful attitude to a small homeland – a magic corner of the Carpathians.  “After all, almost every village is our – as the artist described – cultural and national reserve.”

A wonderful sense of humour and the ability to philosophical reflections allowed the author fruitfully collaborate with another talented personality of the land – a writer, satirist Feliks Kryvin. The drawings of the artist were published in almost all the books written by F. Kryvin, for example: “Princess Grammar”, “Million Years to Love”, “Peacock's Tail”, “I Stole A Car Of Time”. One of the best examples of such collaboration in book graphics was the design of the book “Circles On Sand”, illustrated by A. Hoida.

As an artist-painter Andrii Hoida could organically combine surrealistic scenes with Carpathian colour in his works. Andrii Hoida was also extremely progressive and one of the first painters in the region began to master computer graphics.

The following author’s works are known: “Musicians” (1982), “Destroyer” (1986), “Collar” (1988), “Cynocephalus”, “Apples Flow”, “Spring Wind” (all of 1995), “Marionettes” (2000), "Theatrical Motifs" (2004).

He died in 2007 in Uzhhorod. After the artist’s death, the publishing house “Karpaty” released the collection of Andrii Hoida's illustrated humour “White and Black” contained 185 of his drawings.

Since 1981, his works were exhibited at regional and republican art exhibitions. The artist's personal exhibitions took place in Berehove (1969) and Uzhhorod (1979). Under the auspices of UNESCO, the author’s works were presented at the International Biennale of Caricature and Satirical Sculpture in Bulgaria – in Gabrovo, known for its humour, in Yugoslavia (Skopje), Canada, Australia (1986), Latvia and Italy, where, in particular, his caricature “Standard-bearer”.

Text: Liudmyla Kozlovska