Olashyn Vasyl (junior)

Member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine (2002), laureate of the Prize named after Y. Bokshai and A. Erdeli (2004, 2012).

Vasyl Olashyn was born on 30 May 1969 in Uzhhorord in the family of famous sculptor Vasyl Olashyn. As his father said later, if he knew that his son would also become an artist, he would have given him another name, so that they would not be confused. It was his father who became his first teacher. As a result, a talented young man entered the Uzhhorod School of Applied Arts, (Department of Wood Art Processing). His lecturers were Y. Pal and F. Lashchak. Later, Vasyl continued his studies at the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Architecture at the Faculty of Sculpture. There he was taught by M. Oleksiienko, I. Makohon, and V. Chepelyk.

Like his father, Vasyl Olashyn is a sculptor. By the way, his father’s advice played a role in choosing his art profile. As a result, both have many joint projects, often help each other and not only with advice.

However, Vasyl Olashyn Senior is fond of large, spatial objects and Vasyl Olashyn Jr. specializes in sculpture of small forms. He also works in the genre of easel and monumental plastics. The master likes to experiment, although in the technical sense he still prefers to work with bronze, marble and granite. "This is the most convenient materials you can work with and they convey the details of the idea," V. Olashyn said. He continues to work with wood.

Among the subjects, used by the artist, there are the eternal themes of family, beauty, femininity. The artist comprehends certain philosophical categories, societal events. Thus, in particular, Vasyl Olashyn Jr. is known to Transcarpathians by the monument to the victims of Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Uzhhorod – "To The Memory of Chernobyl victims", as well as by the monument of Taras Shevchenko in Berehove. However, the main place in the artist's works is taken by the female image. Charming, incredibly attractive in any image or hypostasis, a woman is always the personification of goodness, beauty, love. The artist carefully and thoughtfully exudes every element, every detail of the work, and as a result, smooth, restrained lines tell the viewers a lot about the author's feelings: "Near the Sea", "Song" (2002), "Muse", "To the East" (2002), "Conversation" (2003), "Undina" (2008), and others.

The sculptor says that he is still in search for his own style. "When an artist confesses that he has achieved everything, this is an impasse for him. Therefore, I constantly try to find something new and interesting. Contemporary art is created even from car parts. Therefore, everything depends on the desire to work and on imagination," Vasyl Olashyn Jr. says.

He began an active career when a student, in the early 1990s. Participated in regional and all-Ukrainian exhibitions. Now Vasyl Olashyn Jr. is the head of the sculpture section of the Transcarpathian Regional Organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. The works of the artist can be found at the museums, in particular, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kyiv, as well as in private collections.