"Harrowing the Hell," oil on wood, schlag gold.

Inspired by traditional icons and depiction of the hell.
At the bottom of the artwork is a code, in gold in a numerological style reminiscent of the era preceding Peter the Great. The Unknown Artist encodes the date of the war's beginning, reflecting how in their country the war cannot be called a war, and speaking directly through legal channels is difficult due to censorship and the risk of being criminalized. By using this historical numerical system, the artist creates a layer of meaning that connects centuries-old traditions of coded communication with contemporary needs to express dissent while evading censorship.

Among the parts of a pseudo-ambo are crying angels, adorned with the colors of the Russian and Ukrainian flags. 7 lifeless sons of God, creating either a repeating pattern or something resembling a glitch. Hands inspired by the gesture of grief of the Virgin Mary. Eyes with tears. Draperies filled with blood. Gold and arterial-colored paint. Victims, fallen souls, and an infinite, almost transcendent state of sorrow.

Softener of Evil Hearts.
The icon of the blessed
Seven-shot Artist

The work is a non-canonical image inspired by the Orthodox icon Softener of Evil Hearts. According to Orthodox tradition, the icon depicts Madonna with her head covered and seven swords stuck in her heart. The number seven denotes the fullness of grief, sadness, and heartache. Standing before the icon, believers ask for reconciliation of adversaries, deliverance from cruelty and war.

The Unknown Artist depicts a maiden with an uncovered head, whose heart is pierced by seven arrows. Deep mental anguish and heartache became the motives for the work, as in the traditional icon. The Orthodox patriarchs did not unite in the call for peace in February 2022, therefore, from now on, art became responsible for spiritual growth and call on society to soften hearts, mercy, and end wars and humanism.

During the opening days of the 59th International Art Exhibition in Venice, the painting was presented at Padiglione Morto ( refers to the to the Russian Pavilion which was absent in 2022.)

Negative Space

The original iconographic plot is called The Epitaphios — winding sheet or burial shroud. It tells a story based on the Gospels of Mark and John. The version created by The Unknown Artist depicts Jesus covered in a shroud, along with Mary, the Mother of God, Mary Magdalene, sisters Martha and Mary of Bethany, and two secret followers of Christ—Nicodemus and Joseph. They are preparing Jesus' body for burial after obtaining it from Pontius Pilate.

The Unknown Artist adhered to a traditional composition but also turned to radical experiments. She creates a negative space of golden light. Negative space is the empty space surrounding the figures. Gold background consumes the body of Christ while lamenting figures appear as black void. Negative space in painting corresponds to silence in music — another topic of The Unknown Artist's work.

Out of Space

The window is another hommage to avant-gardist Kazimir Malevich, particularly to the Black Square. When he displayed the Black Square for the first time in 1915, he put it in the "red corner" — the east-pointed corner of the room — the place dedicated to home altar in Slavic Christian folk culture.

The window frame is painted in a reversed perspective to enhance the otherworldliness and transcendency of the void behind it. The Unknown Artist plays with iconological inspirations of avant-gardism and the traditional Eastern Orthodox concept of icons as a window to a spiritual world.