Ministry Spotlight:
An Exhibit of Contemporary Icons
by Ludmila Pawlowska
by Ludmila Pawlowska
The art exhibit Icons in Transformation will soon end its stay at Our Savior’s and move to its next venue—but you still have a bit of time to stop by OSL and view or re-view this unique exhibit of contemporary art that encourages the viewer to reflect on the intersection of the temporal and the eternal.
At this writing, the last “official” date for Icons in Transformation (that is, the last date for which guides will be available, should you wish one) will be Thursday, January 11. You are welcome to come view the pieces during the day on January 12, but that weekend will see the beginning of removing, crating, and loading the pieces for their travels.
At this writing, the last “official” date for Icons in Transformation (that is, the last date for which guides will be available, should you wish one) will be Thursday, January 11. You are welcome to come view the pieces during the day on January 12, but that weekend will see the beginning of removing, crating, and loading the pieces for their travels.
OSL is pleased to have been selected to host Icons in Transformation these past several months since its October 1 opening. The exhibit has toured cathedrals and museums across Europe and the United States, with more than 150,000 people in the U.S. alone having enjoyed the work of the acclaimed abstract expressionist artist Ludmila Pawlowska.
Ludmila—Mila, as she likes to be called—was born in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic with Ukraine roots. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mila moved to Sweden, where she and her husband, Jan Lech, run the Scandinavian Art Center.
Ludmila—Mila, as she likes to be called—was born in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet Republic with Ukraine roots. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mila moved to Sweden, where she and her husband, Jan Lech, run the Scandinavian Art Center.
Mila began creating icons after the sudden death of her Ukrainian mother. She found comfort recalling the icons she had seen in a monastery, and worked through her grief through her own artwork. She continues to develop her abstract expressionism style of painting and sculpture, characterized by highly textured artworks.
In response to the anguish and fear the Ukrainian people have endured following Russia’s attack, Mila donates all artists proceeds from 2022–2023 sales of Icons in Transformation artworks to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and CARE International to provide life-saving protections to Ukrainian families forced to flee their homes.
In response to the anguish and fear the Ukrainian people have endured following Russia’s attack, Mila donates all artists proceeds from 2022–2023 sales of Icons in Transformation artworks to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and CARE International to provide life-saving protections to Ukrainian families forced to flee their homes.
“I make art because I can’t live without it. Art doesn’t have a clear goal or aim. The painting for me is the principal, connecting link between concrete world and the illusory one. The painting reflects not only the splashes of emotions like despair, suffering, delight, beauty, recklessness but it does the movement of time, a view of it is being modified through mentality and imagine of the artist.” –Ludmila Pawlowska
Bringing Icons in Transformation to the Sioux Falls community required a herculean effort by OSL members and staff, and simply would not have been possible without the hours of selfless effort put forward by the many volunteers who served on the organizing committee, helped unload and install the exhibit, worked as guides, and spread the word among their families and friends.
In addition, OSL acknowledges the support of the sponsors whose contributions helped make Icons in Transformation a reality: David and Deanna Knudson, Roy Rogers and Jan Haugen-Rogers, Jann Haas, Anne Rieck McFarland and Dennis McFarland, Darrel and Joyce Goldammer, Jim and Carol Oakland, American Bank and Trust, Dr. Greg Schultz, Dr. Loren Tschetter, and those sponsors who prefer to remain anonymous.
In addition, OSL acknowledges the support of the sponsors whose contributions helped make Icons in Transformation a reality: David and Deanna Knudson, Roy Rogers and Jan Haugen-Rogers, Jann Haas, Anne Rieck McFarland and Dennis McFarland, Darrel and Joyce Goldammer, Jim and Carol Oakland, American Bank and Trust, Dr. Greg Schultz, Dr. Loren Tschetter, and those sponsors who prefer to remain anonymous.
Thanks also to Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Augustana University Art Professor Scott Parsons, who spoke at the exhibit’s open house.
And special thanks to the people of Minerva’s Restaurant in Sioux Falls, who contributed catering and serving at the open house.
And of course, thanks to Mila and Jan for the opportunity to share these extraordinary pieces with the OSL family and the larger community.
All Icons in Transformation artwork © Ludmila Pawlowska
For more information about Ludmila Pawlowska, visit www.ludmilapawlowska.se or www.galleriodenslunda.se.
Photos are by Andrzej Tyszko.
And special thanks to the people of Minerva’s Restaurant in Sioux Falls, who contributed catering and serving at the open house.
And of course, thanks to Mila and Jan for the opportunity to share these extraordinary pieces with the OSL family and the larger community.
All Icons in Transformation artwork © Ludmila Pawlowska
For more information about Ludmila Pawlowska, visit www.ludmilapawlowska.se or www.galleriodenslunda.se.
Photos are by Andrzej Tyszko.