Selected data:

December 28, 1965

Born in the village of Smolyaninovo, Primorsky Krai. He was engaged in drawing from childhood, visited the art studio of the Palace of Chemists in Grodno .

1972

He was sent to study at the Republican boarding school for gifted children named after Ivan Akhremchik . After 10 classes of training, he was called up for service in the ranks of the Soviet Army, where he was engaged in design work.

1992

Graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts , graphics department. For a year he worked as a production designer at the film studio "Belarusfilm" , shot the animated film "The Month".

In 1994

Joined the Belarusian Union of Artists .

2007

Joined the Swedish association Grafikens Hus .

2010

Project "alfabeto" . The project was implemented in the Art Gallery of the National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve. The exposition included graphic sheets - illustrations for Nikolai Gusovsky's poem "The Song of the Bison" and a folder of engravings "alfabeto", which is dedicated to the creative study of the letter. The author considers the alphabet as "signs with unambiguous reading" and as polysemantic symbols. The project was carried out with the participation of the Italian printer Giuliano Iacomucci - printed and designed in San Benedetto del Tronto. The engravings are made by Yuri Yakovenko in the techniques of etching and mezzotint, each has the author's signature. The book is made on handmade paper with uneven sheets, the text is supplemented by 13 engravings. The collection value of the publication is given by manual execution, natural binding materials, conciseness in design, as well as a small circulation of the publication - 75 copies. The book "Song about the Bison" with engravings by Yuri Yakovenko was presented as a gift to Pope Benedict XVI and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

He has more than 25 international and domestic awards for participating in the biennale of printmaking and book graphics. More than 60 personal exhibitions of the artist were held in Grodno, Minsk, Moscow and many European countries.

Yuri Yakovenko became the tenth Belarusian artist to be awarded the title of honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts. President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli personally presented him with the regalia of an honorary member of the academy.