Iana Paun

I am a contemporary icon painter trained in traditional iconography, having worked for the Orthodox church early in my career. After moving to the Netherlands, I began combining centuries-old icon painting techniques — egg tempera and 24k gold leaf — with the imagery of contemporary fashion and luxury branding. My work reimagines sacred scenes and religious iconography through the visual language of modern consumer culture: a crucifixion built on a luxury monogram, apostles each dressed in a different fashion house, saints rendered with the attributes of the brands that define our time. I am currently developing a new collection, The Ambassadors, portraying angels styled in contemporary fashion, each carrying a quiet tension between the sacred and the artificial. My first solo presentation was at Clarendon Fine Art in Chelsea, London, and my work has since been shown at Barox Art gallery during Gallery Weekend Maastricht.

Trained in traditional iconography at the Kharkiv icon school, within a theological seminary — studying egg tempera technique and gold leaf gilding in the Orthodox icon-painting tradition.

Gallery Weekend Maastricht, Kunstuitleen Maastricht — October 2024

La Neuvieme, Maastricht — March 2025 (shown during TEFAF week)

Clarendon Fine Art, Chelsea, London — September 2025 (solo presentation)