The Lost Link Print

Les (Olexiy) BREUS is an artist from Switzerland and Ukraine. Olexiy's works are held in private collections in Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, the United States, Japan, Germany, Belgium and in other countries. His first set of graphic compositions entitled "The Others" was created several years before the Chernobyl Disaster when Olexiy was living in the town of Prypiat where Chernobyl NPP workers were housed. Olexiy managed to remove these works from the deserted town only three months after its evacuation following the accident.To honor his participation in the post-accident mitigation efforts within the destroyed Chernobyl unit during the first hours following the accident on 26 April 1986, Olexiy Breus was decorated with a State Commendation: a medal "For Honorable Service. Olexiy BREUS expresses his creativity in the fine arts by following the tradition of Tralfrealism. He emphasizes that the primary animating factor behind his painting is the idea that all mental images represent a reality worthy of being interpreted creatively while represented materially. This understanding of Tralfrealism reveals Olexiy's affinity for the "translucent realism" of Danyil Andreyev in which "other," "non-sensory" worlds shine through into the more immediate world of the here-and-now. Olexiy BREUS is a member of the artistic association "Strontium-90" - a group of independent artists concerned with social and ecological issues.In 1990 the artistic association "Strontium-90" was founded in Kiev, Ukraine by a group of independent artists concerned with social and ecological issues. Three 'tralfrealist' artists - Ven Goleiko, Ta Chebrova, and Les Breus - form the core of the association and are its leaders.The group has conducted a number of actions, in particular within the framework of the project "Chernobyl. Between the Past and the Future" devoted to the 20th anniversary of nuclear disaster.In accordance with their manifest and by means of their creative spirit, member artists of "Strontium-90" challenge us to understand and appreciate the world around us not only through our senses and minds, but to employ our hearts above all. Their plea is especially relevant in the wake of the Chernobyl Disaster, which compels us to alter our conscience by confronting society's penchant for self-destruction.The creative work of the "Strontium-90" artists conveys our bond with the vast essence of our Ego, and mirrors images and events from various planes of existence.