I remember my feelings before the opening of the first LDS temple in Kyiv, Ukraine, also the first temple in the Eastern-European area. That was a period of endless uplifting, happiness and excitement. I wanted to fast-forward the time to when the temple would be dedicated, and we could do God’s work in there. The beauty of the Kyiv temple is breathtaking and magnificent… Everything in it is impressive: the building itself with a cascade of light forms that end with the statue of angel Moroni; interiors that are filled with light; magically harmonious décor, which symbolizes the love of God and has the elements of our Ukrainian culture. As an artist, I really wanted to transpose these feelings of mine onto paper. Therefore, when I decided to participate in the Ninth Art Competition of the Church, I had no doubts regarding my theme: it was going to be the Kyiv Ukraine Temple.
The temple speaks to us with the language of symbols; all that is happening there is symbolic. I also decided to build my art piece on symbols. While visiting the temple, I have been trying to absorb everything that the Lord is trying to tell us there. I paid attention to different details, seeking to interpret their meaning – that was a special spiritual experience for me. For my technique, I chose paper-cutting, which has been one of the important characteristics of Ukrainian people (for example, little angels were cut out of paper, and were used to decorate a typical Ukrainian home; it was believed that they protected the family from anything evil). Nowadays, this technique is very popular in modern art. As my dominant colors I chose gold, as a symbol of royalty; and white, as a symbol of purity. Some of the details of my artwork imitate light colors of marble surfaces; there are also some tones of symbolic Ukrainian yellow and blue, which are the colors of our flag. In the center of my composition there is an image of the Kyiv temple building with the year of its dedication, 2010. Beneath the building there is a stylized baptismal font, which is placed on the backs of the oxen. Right above the temple building, there are sun rays, which are warming up everything around it, and are transformed into a decorative frame. You can also see the details of window and interior décor of the temple, the stylized Ukrainian flowers. I sought to add some national flavor to my artwork. This temple is a testimony of how the Gospel is spreading upon the whole earth. The longer I am in the Church, the more convinced I am that all of our talents and skills are given to us, so that we could progress the work of the Lord and build His heavenly kingdom on earth. This is not my art piece; I am only an instrument in the hands of the Creator, who guided my thoughts and skills to create it. I am very grateful and happy that I can reveal the love of God to His children through my creativity.
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