Olexander Klimenko | Peter the Apostle – SOLD

According to legend Peter the Apostle is the gatekeeper to Paradise and holds the key, which allegedly opens the gates of Paradise for the righteous. The characteristic detail of my icon is also the key – the key to open zinc boxes with ammunition cartridges. Thus, the transformation of meanings takes place – the basic principle of the project “Icons on Ammunition Boxes” – the key from boxes with cartridges turns into the key to Paradise. The theme of heaven as the antinomy of hell is also important for the project, since the only desire of Ukrainians at the moment is to escape from the hell of war in which they unexpectedly found themselves.

Icons on Ammunition Boxes ™

From 2015, Ukrainian artists Sofia Atlantova and Olexander Klimenko have been using wooden fragments from ammunition boxes abandoned by Russian soldiers on the battle fields in Ukraine to paint icons and donating all sale proceeds to mobile hospitals that provide urgent medical care to wounded Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in late February, 2022, their work remains more relevant than ever.