Nikolai Shmatko: "Greetings to Luhansk from Mukachevo"

More than one decade the sculptor Nikolai Shmatko was dreaming to meet on his life path a person, who would tune into the beat of his creative ideas, believe in his possibilities, potential and creator's power and support him. For this long period a lot of famous people – officials, famous politicians, businessmen, and heads of large corporations have seen the unique sculptures of the master. At the gallery, situated in the private house of Nikolai Shmatko in Luhansk city, you could hear alien speech very often. Foreign guests were delighted with the sculptor's works collection and admitted that there were no similar collections in their country. It is important to mark that Nikolai was always honored by his admirers. His gallery was a place of so called relaxation, where a person could forget about human problems, could lose himself in the peace of mind. People from the whole country visited Shmatko. The sculptor's ideas and the scales of these ideas were very impressive. The project that he planned to create in Luhansk city would have a howling success and endow the city and the whole region with a special status. However the projects of Nikolai Shmatko were not supported either by the local government or by those high-ranking people, who promised to render their assistance. Nevertheless the sculptor did not despair. He waited in the wings, hoped and believed that he would reach his aim and would surprise the whole country with his scale project. It sounds like now his dreams start to become true, because there is a good proverb: who has a desire will achieve his aim.

The person who started to help the sculptor was Viktor Baloga. He rendered assistance not in words, but in practice. He proposed Nikolai Gavrilovich to move to Zakarpatye together with his family and to start the building of the international art gallery "Shmatko and Sons". "The Art Gallery" will be the heritage of Zakarpatye and I will increase the wealth of this beautiful region. Here I can bring to life such projects as "Christ's Appearance to the Twelve Apostles", "Square of Sun", "Dove of Peace" and others, – says Nikolai Gavrilovich. – Thanks to such project Mukachevo will become more attractive in tourism sphere!

As explained by Nikolai Shmatko, he is delighted with Mukachevo, its people and possibilities that Zakarpatye opens for him. This place gives the sculptor the new impulse of creativity and inspiration. The gallery building will start in the year of 2013 and now the sculptor and his younger son Rafael discuss their projects, which must conquer the world.

Mukachevo, 08.10.2012 (photos of Rafael Shmatko)