Lev Shevchenko

You are known for your work in traditional wood carving. What inspired you to move into contemporary art?

Yes, I am a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and have been engaged in traditional wood carving since 1999. My first works were in the miniature technique—icons, crosses, Easter eggs. This delicate work required great patience and precision. Later came larger commissions: iconostases, kiots, and church utensils. This direction was not chosen by chance. Even while studying at college, I came to faith and began attending church. Even then, I realized and deeply felt the urgent need for God’s presence in my life… And all of this—my many years of experience, faith, and reflections on the fate of our world and the role of Man in it—pushed me to seek new forms of artistic expression.

Tell us about the process of creating “Object World 2025.” What materials and symbols did you use?

The story of creating Object World 2025 is also closely connected with my work in decorating churches. My assistants and I were making an iconostasis. During the process, several beautiful elements remained. I picked them up, put them together, and they formed something resembling a church dome. I liked its shape… Well, if it’s a dome, then there must be a cross! That’s how the overall structure came to be. Then I looked at it for a long time. For several months it stood in my workshop. But the final decision came suddenly.

The image of the Earth hanging on a thin thread is very expressive. What emotions or thoughts do you want to evoke in the viewer?

One day, while discussing the global situation and another round of alarming news, I heard the phrase: “Right now, the whole world is hanging by a thread!” I vividly imagined this image… And indeed! But what is it still hanging on? And looking at my dome with the cross, I understood—it’s hanging on a thin thread of Hope, on a frame of Faith, Kindness, and Common Sense, which still remain in people. A small, fragile Earth is hanging by a thin red thread of Hope, which is held by a golden dome of Faith. But this is only the top of the composition. Below, where the frame of Faith is subject to the corrosion of human passions and the gold has almost worn off, lie scissors. Scissors of division, discord, destruction—with which everyone wants to cut off a piece for themselves. And with them, it’s so easy to cut that thin thread…

What role, in your opinion, should an artist play in a time of global instability?

Artists and poets have always been the voice, the figurative reflection of their generation. And now, in our troubled times, this is more relevant than ever. The task of the artist is always to bring the light of art to people, to illuminate the difficult life of a person with a sense of beauty. And today, more than ever, the words of A.S. Pushkin about the role of the artist in the modern world are relevant: And I shall long be dear to the people, For awakening kind feelings with my lyre, For glorifying Freedom in my cruel age, And calling for mercy for the fallen…

Does your experience in traditional craft influence your approach to contemporary conceptual work?

Yes, absolutely. My experience working with wood, gilding, and enamels greatly helped me in creating this piece.

What difficulties did you face in creating a work that combines spiritual and geopolitical meanings?

The difficulties were mainly related to the figurative component. How to express my idea? How to convey it more effectively to the viewer? Of course, there were doubts and searches for solutions, but the work came together organically—from the successfully formed shape to the figurative expression of my thoughts about the modern world through object-visual symbolism of contemporary art.

Lev Shevchenko | World 2025

Do you perceive “World 2025” as a warning, a prayer, or a reflection?

You are absolutely right—it is my reflection and a warning, and a reason for the viewer to ponder. I believe everyone will see their own meaning in this image. But I want all people on our Earth to help this small, fragile world survive. Each person, by contributing their share of Goodness—whether large or small—can help strengthen that thin thread of Hope and the frame of Faith and Light, in order to preserve this World for future generations.