Today the Embassy of Ukraine, the University of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski“, the State Agency “Archives&ldquo ; are opening a photo exhibition dedicated to the work of a prominent Ukrainian sculptor Pihailo Parashchuk, who dedicated his life to Bulgaria.
The opening will be attended by the Rector of Sofia University Prof. Dr. Georgi Valchev, Director of the DA "Archives" Prof. Dr. Mihail Gruev and Ambassador of Ukraine Mrs. Olesya Ilashchuk.
The loss of Ukrainian independence in the summer of 1921 soured Mykhailo Parashchuk in Bulgaria. It will become his second home. He became the leader of numerous Ukrainian emigration to our country in the second half of the 1920s, and was subsequently appointed as the local representative of the foreign government of the Ukrainian People's Republic. To him, Ukrainians in Sofia and in some of our larger cities (Varna, Ruse, Sliven) owe the organization of the cultural and educational society "Gromada", Ukrainian libraries, reading rooms, amateur choirs and other collectives.
In Sofia, the talented sculptor quickly fits into the artistic life. Well acquainted with the artistic styles, with the craft of the old Austrian and German masters in artistic architectural decoration, the artist became a partner of prominent Bulgarian architects in the construction of emblematic buildings in Sofia and the country: the building of the BNB, the BAS, the rectorate of the SU, the National Library, The Military Academy, the Courthouse and many others. Thus, Parashchuk became the founder of Bulgarian architectural sculpture and created a whole school of his students.
Real life busts of: Tsanko Tserkovski, Stiliyan Chilingirov, Rad Dedev, Yordan Pekarev, Danail Krapchev, acd. Mikhail Arnaudov and others; modeled the image of the prominent Ukrainian scientist closely related to Bulgaria, Mykhailo Dragomanov, of Vasil Levski, Peyo Yavorov, Gotse Delchev, Hristo Botev, Stefan Karadzha, the bas-relief of Aleko Konstantinov for his monument in Pazardzhik.
The talented sculptor goes through different periods, from success and recognition to repression and persecution. After September 9, 1944, Mihailo Parashchuk was expelled from the Union of Artists of Bulgaria and banned from working. He managed to restore his good name, but in 1957 he was again expelled from the union with a ban on participating in competitions in the field of monumental-decorative sculpture.
He died in 1963 and was buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery next to the prominent Ukrainian scientist Mykhailo Dragomanov. Posthumously (1967) he was awarded the "Cyril and Methodius" order.