LERA LITVINOVA GALLERY
Eleusa Irpinska Icon
Honored artist of Ukraine Oleksii Kulakov and artist Lera Litvinova collaborate to create the icon Eleusa Irpinska, was unveiled for the first time in Kyiv from July 7 to 11, 2025 at the innovative park Unit.City
From July 7 to 11, the first presentation of the icon Eleusa Irpinska took place. Honored Artist of Ukraine Oleksii Kulakov, in collaboration with artist Lera Litvinova, created the icon on a box from Russian artillery shells. This sacred image is the result of deep reflection on the experience of war, loss, inner strength, and unbreakable faith.
The icon Eleusa Irpinska was painted on a fragment of a box once used by Russian soldiers to store artillery shells. The box was left behind in a forest dugout in Irpin following the de-occupation of the Kyiv region. This object was discovered in 2022 by Leonora Yanko, with the help of local residents, during her work on a documentary exhibition. Leonora Yanko became the facilitator of the creation of this artistic piece. The wooden “foreign” surface still bears traces of battle — they have become part of a new artistic gesture in which destruction is transformed into the power of resistance.
The name Eleusa comes from the Greek Ελεούσα, meaning “Merciful.” It is one of the main iconographic types of depicting the Mother of God — in it, the Virgin Mary, or the Virgin of Tenderness, is shown with the Infant Jesus, who gently nestles against her, embracing her neck. This type of icon embodies mercy, love, and deep emotional intimacy. The tenderness of Eleusa Irpinska is not a sign of weakness, but a force capable of preserving humanity even in the hell of war. Eleusa Irpinska restores sanctity to a space desecrated by violence and speaks to the viewer in the language of compassion, empathy, and hope.
The creation of Eleusa Irpinska is an artistic act of remembrance. Oleksii Kulakov says: “This icon is not a response to the war — it is a presence within the war. I didn’t aim to make it perfect; every crack, every scratch in the wood burns like gold. This icon is not an attempt to depict holiness — it is an attempt to preserve humanity.”
Oleksii Kulakov is a renowned artist, known in particular for his work "Statehood", which is displayed in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In creating this icon, Kulakov invested not only his professional skill, but also his personal story: his son, Tymofii Papirnyi, also an artist, is currently serving on one of the most intense frontlines.
The exhibition of the icon Eleusa Irpinska took place from July 7 to 11, 2025, on the grounds of the innovative park Unit.City, located at 3 Dorohozhytska Street, Kyiv.
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