„Leben auf den Tod malen“ | “Painting life on death” - Icons on ammunition boxes

From 14 May to 4 June 2024, the Ecumenical Institute organised an exhibition of icons on ammunition box lids by the Ukrainian artist couple Sonia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko in cooperation with the Universitätsgemeinde and Evangelischen Studierendengemeinde Heidelberg in the Peterskirche in Heidelberg (Plöck 70).

With their icons, the two artists address the war situation in their home country, which has been ongoing since 2014, and want to give a sign of hope in the face of the Russian war of aggression. They use parts of ammunition boxes from the battlefields as the surface for their depictions of Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints. They symbolise the reality of the deadly war. The artist couple want to transform the ammunition boxes into life-affirming art.

In the Orthodox faith, icons are images of the divine and redeemed world. They visualise God's presence and make it tangible in the here and now. Icons are 'written' because they proclaim the Gospel in a manner analogous to the Bible. They also bear witness to the victory of life over death and remind us that God gives eternal life and that violence and death do not have the last word. For the artists, writing icons is “praying with colours” - in this way, impressive works of art are created that unite faith and hope for peace.

Hope and help

With their project 'Icons on ammunition boxes,' Sonia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko not only want to create hope, but also provide concrete help. With the donations from the exhibitions and the sale of the icons, they are helping to finance humanitarian projects in Ukraine. The contributions from Heidelberg will also benefit these projects.

The artists

Sonia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko are both graduates of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv. Sonia Atlantova works as a book illustrator, monumental and easel painter and installation artist. Oleksandr Klymenko teaches at the State Institute of Decorative Arts and Design and at the Higher Humanitarian Theological Courses in Kyiv. He was at the front himself and came up with the idea for the project there.