Light and darkness, minimalism, practicality and industrial granite of Nikopol – all of these come together in the life and work of Dmytro Halayda, an artist and engineer.
Dmytro was born on September 2, 2003 in village Oleksiivka, Nikopol district, Dnipro region. His life and talent were shaped by the local atmosphere, where factories and industries fill the space with heavy metal. Almost every child in the city dreams of becoming an engineer when he grows up, and Dmytro chose this path as well. He is studying at the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering. Dmitry’s aptitude for technical sciences is combined with his great creative potential. At the same time, he is a practicing photographer and is seriously interested in music, writing instrumental pieces.
The idea of utilitarianism has accompanied Dmytro all his life: “I’m a minimalist, I have few items and I always need to think about what I would put on my desk.” He feels close to metal – a cold, hard, brutal material that, according to him, becomes gentle and tender when the artist starts working on it. Dmytro’s work finds extraordinary expression in lamps created from weapons elements. It successfully combines industrial style and minimalism.
Using his talent, Dmytro helped to raise half a million hryvnias for the needs of the 73rd Brigade of the Kholodny Yar. Dmytro’s lamps were sold at auctions held by volunteer Tung Pham, which resulted in the purchase of a pickup truck, a drone and other personal donations for the needs of the Armed Forces.
As a result of the capture of the city of Enerhodar and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by the Russian occupiers, Nikopol is under constant enemy fire. Nikopol itself, as well as the surrounding settlements, have been without electricity and sometimes water for days. But despite all the difficulties and harsh working conditions, Dmytro continues to create things that bring light to people, showing that even war cannot kill the urge to create.
