Biography
Mykhailo Yuriiovych Nikolaiev (born 1956, Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast) is a theatre designer and painter.
1981 – Graduated from the Odesa Art and Theatre College.
1987 – Graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography.
1987 – 2022 – Principal Designer at the Khmelnytskyi Academic Regional Puppet Theatre Divhen, laureate of numerous all-Ukrainian and international theatre festivals.
1996: Member of the National Union of Theatre Artists of Ukraine; individual member of the International Unima (Union Internationale de la Marionnette).
2001: Laureate of the Vladislav Klekh Scenography Award (Ukraine–USA).
2003: Laureate of the Taras Shevchenko Regional Award; diploma winner at the Kuk-Art Puppet Theatre Festivals VI and VII (St. Petersburg, 2004–2005); awarded the Lesya Ukrainka Prize by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2005).
Lives and works in Khmelnytskyi.
Working in the traditions of Postmodernism, Nikolaiev creates paintings imbued with intellectual irony, the subtle nuances of which unfold through a deep familiarity with world and Ukrainian literature, theatre, music, and visual arts. He permits himself the free adaptation of historical styles, juxtaposing seemingly incompatible elements on canvas. The artist’s dual identities—scenographer and easel painter—coexist organically, mutually enriching one another. As an easel painter, Nikolaiev continues to build his own mystery-play theatre on canvas.
Art historian Antonina Melnychuk writes:
“Mykhailo Nikolaiev’s bright star rose over the artistic horizon of the Khmelnytskyi region back in 1987. Born in Melitopol, having received his professional education in Odesa and St. Petersburg, he arrived in Khmelnytskyi by a strange twist of fate. […] To make a production truly resonate with the audience, a scenographer must possess extensive knowledge of art, literature, and period styles, alongside an intuitive grasp of stage space, theatrical perspective, technical mechanics, and the fundamentals of directing and acting. Truly a Herculean effort! […]
Yet one of the most significant and ambitious transformations in the artist’s life occurs within the studio during complete immersion in painting—a space where a psychological shift periodically takes place from Nikolaiev the scenographer to Nikolaiev the painter. The artist’s technical mastery and profound emotionality drive him toward continuous experimentation with texture, color, and volume. Mykhailo Nikolaiev constructs whimsical collages, embeds textual quotes into his canvases, and provokes the viewer. In short, he endlessly improvises, shaping his own ironic theatre where a grotesque atmosphere can effortlessly yield to lyrical moods—or, conversely, devolve into a theatre of the absurd. This constantly reminds the average viewer that sometimes only through such a lens can one look at life and address pressing societal issues such as insolence, incompetence, and vanity.”
