Member of the National Union of artists of Ukraine, was born August 24, 1928 in the village of Styla starobeshevskiy district, Donetsk region.
The love of art for sure he had inherited from his grandfather, who at his own expense he built a Church in the village. Yes, such that it tried several times to break up, and only explosive finished this evil thing. And grandfather, like many other strong masters in the thirties, was deported to Siberia. At the same time, his family and son. Childhood Volodya was held in the far cold regions.
In 1933, when the boy was 5 years old, unable to withstand the harsh Siberian winters, his mother died. Soon his father was released from the camp. The family returned to the Uspenivka, the father married a second time. In a sinister 37-year-old father was arrested, and Volodya was again left without a father. Only many years later, he learned that his father was shot.
Being left alone with the stepmother, the boy often remembered his native village, anxious to get back to where it was nursed grandfather, father, mother. And when the war started, the family moved to S. Styla starobeshevskiy district.
Then he went to school in Donetsk to the factory-the factory school, but soon Vladimir was fascinated by the painting. And when he came across an ad that required a decorator, not thinking, ran away from school.
Brought up Vladimir balakay in the family of artist of the Donetsk theatre of Opera and ballet of Edward I. Liakhovich, who not only adopted him, but also became the first art teacher. In the theater he was noticed by the artist Yablonsky and taken to Kiev, went to art school, Smirnova-Lastochkina.
Soon the talented youngster was forced to return to Donetsk, where he caught his conscription. There he continued to arrange the room, angles, i.e., again, work by calling.
After several years of studying at the Tbilisi Academy of arts, returned home, where for many years he worked in Donetsk art Fund.
The feeling of love, which incorporates the delicate beauty of the native land and ancient pride of the ancestors spilled sincerity and generosity of spirit in the paintings of Vladimir Balaka.
Since 1958 and till today, he is a participant and winner of regional, all-Ukrainian and international exhibitions, the winner of the memorial Arkhip Kuindzhi. The name of the Donetsk artist Vladimir Balaka has long been known to a wide circle of art lovers. In 1996 in London was released the album "Russian painting XX century", which published the work of Vladimir Balaka. His solo exhibitions were held in the cities of Donetsk and Mariupol in 2000, 2002 and 2006
Until recently, both at home and in Greece, the UK, Japan and many private collections are the works of the artist, he was known as a colorful landscape artist, master of the etudes.
In recent years, he appeared before the art lovers as a philosopher, feeling heart and the brush of its responsibility to humanity that will leave each of us in the book of the future. "The severe turmoil experienced by people today require not just empathy but see conclusions and make their task of the Artist, Poet, Thinker, Scientist," believes balakay. Drawing for him is not a means of expression, not admiring your own professionalism, although it is sometimes necessary, is a cosmic immortal command. This is a candle that ignites the Creator follows him to stumble around in the dark, it's a beacon, pointing the way for present and future generations. Trying to specify the path and there's a human daring.
Enduring the pain of the Artist during the time in which we live, for the temple built by his grandfather in the village of Styla starobeshevskiy district and destroyed in the era of militant atheism, the concern for children who do not know his kinship and kindness for the future - forcing Masters to create paintings with unusual fortitude. Disturbing and poignant as time itself.
All his works Vladimir balakay strives to ensure that his paintings were not executed ukrashatelskih function, and awoke in man a conscience, appealed to his mind. Creative credo of Vladimir Leonidovich largely due to his personal destiny. His latest cycle of "thoughts revealed", including "the Temple, like bread, and bread, Temple", "the Cradle of civilization", "Hand space", "sword of Damocles", the "Cross of motherhood", "On a book of past", "History of the soul, the Idea of repentance," is the sound of the soul that determines the level of our moral courage. The artist, understanding art as a creative offshoot religion from the standpoint of human religiosity, their works trying to talk about the end of our stay on Earth. Every work the Master asks: "What will you leave Humanity on the clean pages of time? The destruction or Creation?"
The soul of the artist and philosopher Vladimir Leonidovich, being in constant search, finds some peace in poetry. The eternal search for the meaning of beauty in nature, in people, in art, in color brought to beauty of thought and expression. The result saw the publication of his four books of poems – "the Hour of sunrise" (1995, Simferopol), "the Confession" (1999, Zaporozhye, favorites (2001, Kiev), "Poems" (2002, Kiev). Balakay-the poet is convinced that "Poetry is not only a great line about feelings, not scathing lines about time in itself... For me Poetry is a branch of the vitality of Religions, Voice of the spiritual level of living. Now the sound of the sick Soul that determines the level of our moral fortitude".
You will hear the call of his contemporaries bell Balaka, bell, is of the Artist's paintings in the form of a bright cloud, in the form of baked Chernobyl tree? A philosophical picture of Vladimir Balaka disturbing and poignant as time itself. But along with the anxiety they present faith in Man and His Future.
One of his works – "View of repentance" is in Constantinople the Patriarchal residence of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The picture as a gift to the head of the Universal Church handed the delegation of the Ukrainian registered Cossacks headed by Hetman, Chairman of all-Ukrainian party of spirituality and patriotism, Professor Anatoliy Shevchenko, who travelled to Constantinople for an official visit.
In the fall of 2007 Vladimir Leonidovich was adopted by the national Union of artists of Ukraine.
Since 2000 he is a member of the Donetsk society of Greeks, the constant participant of art exhibitions artists of the Greeks. For active participation in the national movement was encouraged by a trip to Greece in the group of pensioners.
Has two sons – Eugene and Vladimir, who followed in the footsteps of his father, having chosen the profession of artist. But the life has disposed differently: Eugene was an artist-decorator in the Donetsk regional theatre of Opera and ballet named after A. Solovyanenko, and Vladimir works in the firm "Alfa-sport". Two grandchildren of Vladimir Balaka suffer tops education: Anna goes to school, and Dmitry was already a student of the Kiev Institute of law.
(press release)
