Mykhailo Nikolaiev’s bright star appeared on the artistic horizon of the Khmelnytskyi region back in 1987. Born in Melitopol, he received his professional education in Odesa and St. Petersburg, and by a strange coincidence he ended up in our city. And, unexpectedly for everyone, he decided to stay, because he was always sure that you can grow and develop professionally everywhere. And since then, he has devoted 35 years of his life in our city to the development and prosperity of the Khmelnytskyi Academic Regional Puppet Theater “Dyven,” where he has been the chief artist all this time.

“There is as much artist in an artist as there is child in him,” Pablo Picasso once said. And indeed, there are very few adults who have been given the privilege of seeing the world through the eyes of children at any age. Nikolayev was lucky to have such eyes. And we are incredibly lucky to live in the same city with him, at a time when the MAESTRO is creating. And now you have a great opportunity to view and, if you wish, purchase one of the works included in the exposition of the retrospective exhibition “It’s All in the Hat” for your own collection. After all, an artist who has been creating fairy tales for children all his adult life knows better than anyone that CHILDHOOD and WAR are incompatible. Therefore, all the funds raised from the sale of the paintings will be used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are courageously bringing the Great Victory closer. In fairy tales, good always triumphs over evil, and light always conquers darkness. It will be the same in our reality. It will be for sure.

For reference:

Mykhailo Nikolayev was born in 1956 in Melitopol.

1981 – graduated from the Odesa Art and Theater School.

1987 – Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography (today – St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts).

Since 1987, he has been the chief artist of the Khmelnytsky Academic Regional Puppet Theater “Diven”.

Laureate of the Vladyslav Klekh Prize in Scenography (Ukraine-USA, 2001); Taras Shevchenko Regional Prize (2003). Diploma winner of the Cook-Art puppet theater festivals VI, VII (St. Petersburg, 2004-2005). He was awarded the Lesya Ukrainka Prize of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2005).

M. Nikolayev is a laureate of national and international puppet theater festivals: “Silistra-89” and “Jan Babiyan-96” (Bulgaria); “Interlyalka-98” (Uzhhorod). The play Ivasyk-Telesyk won the Interlyalka-98 (Uzhhorod), Golden Telesyk-99 (Lviv), and the International Puppet Theater Festival (Chisinau, 2000). The play “Christmas Eve” was honored at the White Tower Theater Festival in 2001, and in Brest the same play won the nomination of the Belarusian UNIMA Center for the Best Theater Experiment. The play Taras by B. Stelmakh was recognized as the best at the all-Ukrainian festival Zolotyi Telesyk-2001 (Lviv). At the II International Festival “Podilska Lyalka-2001” (Vinnytsia), the play “Kenzo’s Magic Weapon” won the Grand Prix and received a diploma for the best scenography, an award at the “Oberegi” festival in Ivano-Frankivsk (2001), and the Grand Prix at the “Vidlunnia” festival in Katowice (2002). Winner in the nomination for best scenography for the play Olenka and Ivanko (Cherkasy, 2012). The same performance won the Puppets on the Neman Festival (Belarus, 2014). His works can be found in museums and private collections in Ukraine, Europe and America.