Art · initiative · a family project
Slava Romanenko
His art and his part in Slava Fine Art
Slava studies art and ceramics in Kyiv, plays the accordion and helps his family develop Slava Fine Art.
He enjoys inventing characters, working in three dimensions and getting the details right. At SFA, he contributes design ideas, records voiceovers and works with his older brother Gleb on material for the website and social media.
Selected works
Three works, each with its own materials, ideas and challenges.
Sculpting plasticine · 2025–2026
Bust of Taras Shevchenko
Slava spent several months on this art school project, starting in late 2025 and finishing in early 2026. His main challenge was to capture Shevchenko’s distinctive features.
He refined the shape of the head, the profile, the eyes, the hair and the moustache. His teacher, Hanna Mykolaivna Sokolova, helped him work towards a closer likeness.
An open book, a quill and decorative details complete the composition. Slava particularly likes how much is going on in the piece and how many small details there are to explore.
Class project · Kyiv Children’s Art School No. 7.
Clay · 2026
Turtle
Slava combined a solid body with a hollow shell and a little house on top. He devised the texture for the legs and, following his teacher’s advice, reworked the house to give it a more open, lighter appearance.
The story behind the work
Fired clay, glaze · 2025
Accordion-Playing Rooster
Made for an exhibition series inspired by the Ukrainian children’s song “Dva pivnyky” (“Two Roosters”). The idea of giving the rooster a bayan emerged as Slava developed the character, bringing a familiar part of family life into a folk-inspired piece.
The story behind the workA family project
Slava and Slava Fine Art
Slava Fine Art is a project we are building together as a family, with Slava and Gleb’s long-term involvement in mind. Both brothers already help make material for SFA and talk through ideas with us.
Ideas and design
Slava helps shape the look of SFA, bringing his own design ideas and discussing them with his father.
The voice in our videos
He records voiceovers for SFA’s social media videos and helps introduce his work to viewers.
Working with Gleb
Gleb photographs Slava’s work. Together, the brothers help create content and keep offering ideas and practical help as the project grows.
Looking ahead
Slava and Gleb would be happy to take part in future SFA projects. They already have experience planning and running games and team challenges on their own, having organised activities for different groups of children on several occasions, both at school and outdoors.
Music and volunteering
Playing for children
Slava plays the piano accordion, and his older brother Gleb plays the bayan, a type of button accordion. They perform both solos and duets and have volunteered to give concerts for children on several occasions at the National Library of Ukraine for Children and at other venues.
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One of their concerts · 5 January 2024
It started with their idea
The brothers went to the library themselves and offered to give a concert. The host tells the story at the start of the video.
The library staff welcomed the idea and prepared a musical guessing game. As Slava and Gleb played, the children tried to name each piece, using a list on the board for clues. A member of the library staff hosted the programme in Ukrainian.
The programme included Ukrainian folk tunes, classical music and popular pieces from other countries.
Watch concert highlightsYouTube highlights · 5 January 2024.
The full concert lasted 43 minutes.
Slava’s Studio Archive
Explore more of Slava’s work, with photographs and stories of how each piece was made, in the Slava Fine Art studio archive.
Slava’s works are not currently for sale.