In 1984, Kerestei graduated from the Lviv State Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts (today Lviv National Academy of Arts), specializing in painting. Beginning in 1988, he participated in art exhibitions, joining the Ukrainian New Wave — a movement that combined radical painting experiments with the ideas of intellectual avant-garde.
In the mid-1990s, Kerestey emigrated from Ukraine to Germany. In 1994, in Munich, he co-founded Szuper Gallery together with Susanne Clausen. The collective became a platform for multimedia projects and performances, fostering dialogue between post-Soviet and Western art.
Kerestei’s first solo shows took place in Moscow (1991, 1997) and Zurich (1997). He exhibited in Munich (1994–1996; 2001–2003), London (1998–2001), and Bremen (2002). He also took part in group projects at the Saatchi Gallery (2013), the Ludwig Museum (2018), and the online forum Strange Time (2020).
Kerestei’s works are held in the official collections of the National Art Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv, the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Zenko Foundation in Kyiv, the Sumy Art Museum, the Guelman Collection in Moscow, as well as in private collections in Europe and the United States.
Pavlo Kerestei lives and works between Munich, Germany, and Reading, England. In his projects, he creatively combines painting, video, photography, and performance. His ongoing activities with Szuper Gallery continue to shape both European and Ukrainian art scenes.