Pavlo Fulei

When Collective Heritage Blooms

Exhibition presents the work of Ukrainian artist Pavlo Fulei, whose paintings reflect on how culture is formed, remembered, and reshaped through shared practices. Depicting beekeeping, folk dance, and family meals, Artist captures the structures that sustain tradition — not as nostalgia, but as lived knowledge. His works are vivid, rhythmically composed, and grounded in observation. This exhibition invites viewers to engage with heritage as something not preserved, but enacted — through repetition, movement, and material presence.

As an artist, I immerse myself in the depths of Ukrainian cultural tradition and folklore. My work is a story about my roots, about what fills me from within. I am truly fascinated by the simplicity and elegance of folk art, its songs, dances, and customs, which for me are a genuine manifestation of cultural wisdom.

I believe that art has a powerful influence on society, capable of changing perspectives and breaking outdated stereotypes. In my work, I always strive to move forward, experimenting with new techniques while maintaining a connection to my own identity and culture. My mission is to preserve and revive the multifaceted folk culture, giving it new life in a modern context.

I am particularly captivated by the themes of “kolomyika”, dances, and songs. For me, they are a gateway to my childhood, where warm gatherings, singing, and dancing were an integral part of life. Growing up in a rural area, I was enriched by the wealth of folk creativity and culture. This experience allows me to share the true stories of Ukrainians through my work. I seek for the viewer to feel the music and its rhythms through the colors and compositional structures, which convey both dynamism and tranquility.

Picturesque nature with its endless shades, resonant folk songs, and fiery dances inspire me to create unique works. Music plays an important role in my life, as I learned to play the violin from childhood, and this musical experience I carry into painting, synchronizing different forms of art.

For me, art is a language that needs no translation. It allows me to reflect the past and the present through emotional imagery, to tell stories on canvas, to convey emotions, to create fantastical images, and to recreate the surrounding world as I see it. It is a space where I am not afraid to experiment and challenge myself, sharing my worldview with others.

BIO

Artist Pavlo Fulei was born in 2001 in the village of Holyatyn, Mizhhirya district, Zakarpattia region of Ukraine. He currently lives and works in Kyiv, Ukraine.

In 2020, the artist graduated from the Uzhhorod College of Arts named after A. Erdeli, after which he continued his studies at the Zakarpattia Academy of Arts, graduating in 2024.

In his artistic practice, Pavlo Fulei primarily explores the traditional Ukrainian culture of the Zakarpattia region and its contemporary reinterpretations. His work often draws on Ukrainian folklore, finding inspiration in the traditional musical heritage while reimagining themes of "cultural heritage" in a new context. The artist positions culture as a metaphor for transformative change, highlighting painting and music as powerful tools capable of bringing about constructive shifts in community identity models.

Pavlo Fulei creates several artistic lines, including the exploration of the theme "Heritage," where he intertwines art with cultural history through the aesthetics ofUkrainian folk values, and the theme of Ukraine’s relationship with bees as part of its culture and ecosystem.

Using mixed techniques, the artist predominantly works with oil paints on canvas, conveying his artistic vision through this medium.

2023 - Solo Exhibition Heritage, Brama Museum , Cherkasy , Ukraine.
2023 - Origin(s) : Sky-Blue Horizon, Biblioteca Comunale di Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
2023 - Solo exhibition The Land – Like a Fairy Tale, RPM Society, Lviv, Ukraine.
2023 - Group exhibition UNBREAKABLE, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago, USA.
2023 - Group exhibition Heritage, Ukrainian Cultural Center in Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
2023 - Group exhibition UNBREAKABLE, Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
2023 - Group exhibition Ukraine-Vilafamés, Museu d'Art Contemporani Vicente Aguilera Cerni de Vilafamés, Vilafamés, Spain.
2023 - Group exhibition For Ukraine: Art of Freedom, Schack Art Center, Everett, USA.
2022 - Group exhibition War.is.not.peace, Espace29, Bordeaux, France.
2022 - Group exhibition Art of Resistance, Manggha Museum, Krakow, Poland.
2022 - Group exhibition Ukrainian Days, LiteraturHaus, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2022 - Group exhibition L'art de la resistència, Sala d'Exposicions Municipal, Valencia, Spain.
2022 - Group exhibition Art Through the War, Urban Space 500, Kyiv, Ukraine.
2021 - Group exhibition May Wanderings, Transcarpathian Academy of Arts, Uzhhorod, Ukraine.
2021 - Group exhibition The Code of Stupka, Taras Shevchenko Museum, Kyiv, Ukraine.
2019 - Group exhibition Graphic Transcarpathia, Uzhhorod Gallery, Uzhhorod, Ukraine.
2018 - • Group exhibition Graphic Transcarpathia, Uzhhorod Gallery, Uzhhorod, Ukraine.