My name is Alena Meleshko. I’m a mother and I’m an artist. And “mother” comes first for a reason — because becoming a mother didn’t take the artist out of me, it transformed her.
I am made of small things that fill my world, and the vast experience of my mother, my grandmothers, and my children.

I’m currently based in Germany.
Feel free to DM me on Instagram or email me with commissions or ideas

Educational
Programmes

DesignWorkout START

Created an original educational method and developed a course for ages 7 to 99, aimed at fostering creative thinking through artistic practices, design, and art history.

GES-2 House of Culture. Practices

Work as a facilitator at the artistic workshop. Children played having no rules, created pieces of art from textile, created engravings by itching, created linocuts, created artwork from clay, wood, made collages.

Drawing music

I developed a series of programs for children aged 8 and up, designed to help them explore music. The course consisted of 10 sessions, including lectures and masterclasses, which I created and led for a group of 25 children.
In the final session, the children — under my supervision and with the support of my original scenography—presented a performance, which you can see in the video.
Location: Children's Artistic Workshop at Vinzavod, Moscow

Drawing Music.
From Picasso to Vivaldi

Developed a series of music-themed sessions for children aged 8+, combining lectures and creative masterclasses. The 10-session course culminated in a final presentation, where participants created a performance using my original scenography.

Location: Children’s Art Workshop at Winzavod, Moscow

Drawing Music.
From Ciurlionis to Parajanov

Designed and taught a course for children aged 10–12 focused on developing creative thinking through artistic practice, art history, and design. From classical traditions to the avant-garde.

Performances

Fet Project

A poetic performance inspired by the works of Afanasy Fet. Focused on visual metaphors and minimal expression.

Daniil Kharms. Poems Aren’t Pies

A theatre piece and an illustrated book based on the absurd poetry of Daniil Kharms. Children created costumes and staged performances.

The Hunting of the Snark

A theatrical project based on Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem. The children developed characters and performed the story.

Codex Seraphinianus

Created and led an author’s programme dedicated to the mysterious world of Codex Seraphinianus. The two-hour session included a lecture and a workshop where children explored surreal logic, reconciled opposites, and created imaginative decorations in the spirit of the Codex.
The session concluded with a collaborative stop-motion film.
Location: Gallery “On Shabolovka”, Moscow

Maslenitsa in the Style of Parajanov

One-day programme for children aged 3+, where participants painted with chocolate and decorated pillowcases. The workshop ended with a children’s exhibition.

Location: Bip Castle, Pavlovsk, St. Petersburg

A shadow play “ChudoVisha”

Part of the performance projects created with children aged 8+, combining scenography, direction and improvisation.

Performance. Big Art

Performance. Big art. Sophie

Workshops and Practices

Developed original series of workshops for both children and adults. Each series consisted of 10 sessions and included photography and documentation.

—6-12 y.o.
Heads

Textile design

—3-5 y.o.
Blowing on droplets

The Dreams of Bip Castle

Developed and led a 3-hour programme inspired by director Sergei Parajanov for a group of 10–20 children. The event included lectures, masterclasses, and the creation of a collaborative stop-motion film. Developed and led a 3-hour programme inspired by director Sergei Parajanov for a group of 10–20 children. The event included lectures, masterclasses, and the creation of a collaborative stop-motion film. Location: Children’s Art Workshop at Winzavod, Moscow Children’s Art Workshop at Winzavod, Moscow

Living Clay

Workshops for children aged 3+, focused on developing imagination through abstract clay sculpting. Children created characters and developed fairy tales during play.

"Fairy Tales in a Dream”

Stop-motion Projects
Produced and directed stop-motion animation as part of educational programmes and collaborative installations.

Alisa & Sasha

“Titanic“

Laughable Mix-up

Kids Camps

Author and facilitator of creative programmes for children’s camps. Led masterclasses, photographed and filmed stop-motion animation.
Also responsible for post-production and editing.

Locations:

EcoPark “Yasno Pole”
DK “Kalchuga”, Usovo village
Creative Camp in Nikolo-Lenivets
Winzavod Children’s Workshops, Moscow

Seliger Island, Tourist Club “Forpost”

Illustrations, Books
and Design
Created illustrations for magazines and books, with an emphasis on imaginative and narrative-driven imagery.

Drawings

Textile

Developed textile-based illustrations and visual textures for educational and applied contexts.

Object Design

Kamchatka 42 Magazine

Books

A book about a horse

Fairy Tales of a Kind Person.
Author: E. I. Sluzhenikin

Performance. Daniil Kharms. Book of illustrations for «Poems Aren’t Pies»

Museums
and Institutions

Design for Museums

Developed visual identities and educational materials for children’s areas at major museums.
Clients: The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Identity for children’s spaces.
Interactive catalogue-game.
Souvenir products.
Methodical materials. Russian museum.

Exhibition Design

Concept development, branding, and catalogue design for contemporary art exhibitions.
Client: ARTMOST Gallery, London

Board Games

Simple Rules Studio

Concept, art direction, illustration, and photography for original board games for children.
Studio: Simple Rules. Original Prototypes. Independent development of educational and creative board game formats.

Charity and Inclusion

Podari Zhizn

Clay animation sessions at a children’s oncology ward.

Staging Design

Created set and staging design for exhibitions and performances.