The Art of MFF | News Flash
This section on various MFF’s web platforms is powered by artificial intelligence, continuously collecting and updating news as it emerges online.
The Silent Uprising of an Angel by MFF
July 13, 2025
On the occasion of his 70th birthday, celebrated today, renowned artist Sergey Melnikoff—known in the art world by his pseudonym MFF—has embarked on an ambitious new project in collaboration with Ukraine’s master metalworker Viktor Bielchyk.
Together, they are creating a monumental two-meter-tall sculpture titled “The Silent Uprising of an Angel”, forged from the shrapnel of artillery shells and mines.
Building on the artistic and technical breakthroughs achieved in MFF’s recent iron icon “The Holy Face of Jesus”, leading art critics agree that “The Silent Uprising of an Angel” has the potential to surpass Jeff Koons’ famous “Rabbit”, which sold for $91 million at auction in 2019. The Angel may even become the most expensive sculpture ever sold, eclipsing Alberto Giacometti’s L’Homme au doigt, which fetched $141 million.
On the Photo: Sergey Melnikoff (MFF) with his daughter Anastassia beside the completed clay model of the future metal sculpture The Silent Uprising of an Angel. Kyiv, July 14, 2025
Photo by Stas Kadochnikov
Artist and Daughter Face Mortal Danger While Transporting War Debris for Art Project
July 11, 2025
In a chilling episode underscoring the constant threat of war in southern Ukraine, American artist Sergey Melnikoff and his daughter, Anastassia, narrowly escaped a potentially deadly encounter while transporting 500 kilograms of shrapnel fragments through the Kherson region.
Anastassia had traveled to Ukraine to attend both a press conference at Ukrinform and to celebrate her father’s 70th birthday. But their journey took a perilous turn when, not far from the village of Zelenyi Hai—where the shrapnel had been collected for Melnikoff’s latest icon—an enemy combat drone appeared overhead, hovering ominously in search of a target.
Just days earlier, in a nearby village, a one-year-old child was killed by a Russian drone strike. The New York Post reported on the tragedy, stating: “This was no accident, but a deliberate killing. Kherson is now a zone of human safari.”
Photo caption:
Anastassia Melnikov stands beside the vehicle she used to transport hundreds of kilograms of war debris to her father’s workshop in Odesa.
The New York Post reports on the deliberate killing of a one-year-old Ukrainian child by a Russian drone strike.
Photo by MFF
Sergey Melnikoff Awarded State Border Guard Service Medal During Icon Unveiling at Ukrinform
July 10, 2025
During a press conference at Ukraine’s national news agency Ukrinform, Colonel Dmytro Tukalo presented American artist Sergey Melnikoff with the Medal for Cooperation from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
The honor was awarded in recognition of Melnikoff’s ongoing support and artistic contributions that highlight Ukraine’s struggle and resilience amid the ongoing war. The ceremony took place just two days before Melnikoff’s 70th birthday.
In a letter of gratitude addressed to the Head of the State Border Guard Service, General Serhii Deineko, Melnikoff wrote in Ukrainian:
“I deeply value this distinction from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, especially during the days of war.
The award was presented just two days before my 70th birthday — and for that reason, it has become more than an honor; it is a true gift of fate, which I will cherish with heartfelt gratitude and reverence.
We will endure!
We will destroy all the evil that dares to set foot on our sacred land.
Glory to Ukraine!
Glory to its Heroes!”
Photo by Pavlo Bagmut
Ukrinform
Icon Forged from War: Sergey Melnikoff Unveils ‘The Holy Face’ Made of Shrapnel at Ukrinform
July 10, 2025
At a major press conference held at Ukraine’s national news agency Ukrinform, renowned photographer and artist Sergey Melnikoff unveiled a powerful new icon titled The Holy Face, forged from the remnants of war.
Created in collaboration with Odessa-based metal worker Viktor Bielchyk, the iron icon was crafted using thousands of shrapnel fragments collected from the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions—areas that saw some of the fiercest fighting against the Russian invasion.
The work is based on the biblical legend of the Veil of Veronica, which tells of Christ wiping his face with a cloth on the way to Golgotha, leaving behind a miraculous image of His countenance.
Melnikoff meticulously arranged six distinct layers of metallic fragments to form the face of Christ, which he deliberately left untouched, sealing it only with protective lacquer to preserve the raw character of the metal. In contrast, the “veil” surrounding the face was covered in a layer of pure gold, 999.9 fine, highlighting the sacred moment and elevating the piece from a relic of destruction to a symbol of spiritual endurance.
Photo by Anastassia Melnikov
The Soul of Ukraine Foundation, Inc.
Icon from the Ruins: Melnikoff’s Photo Session in Borodianka
July 9, 2025
Sergey Melnikoff conducted an extensive photo and video shoot in the town of Borodianka, Kyiv Region. The centerpiece of the session was the iron icon The Holy Mandylion, created by the artist from fragments of artillery shells and mines, and gilded with 999.9 fine gold.
The icon was first blessed in a small local church that had been rebuilt after the Russian invasion of 2022, which left the settlement in ruins. Following the consecration, military chaplains of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine held a memorial prayer on the site of a residential building destroyed by a Russian bomb. Beneath its rubble lie the remains of numerous residents. This high-rise, now a haunting ruin, has become a symbol not only of Borodianka but of the entire Russian invasion.
The Soul of Ukraine Foundation, Inc.