XEOS | Sculptural Shield Wall Art with Mirror Fragments

XEOS stands at the threshold between Heaven and Earth—between the golden realm above and the dark, fertile depth below.

Entirely handcrafted in Bulgaria on a solid wood panel, the artwork unfolds across two contrasting yet inseparable fields of gold and black. Rather than representing a simple division between light and darkness, the two territories suggest different states of existence—the celestial and the earthly, the visible and the hidden, that which descends and that which rises to meet it.

Between them stand two halberd-like axes. Tall, symmetrical and almost heraldic in presence, they appear less as weapons than as guardians—forms positioned at the passage between the two realms. They establish a vertical movement through the artwork, connecting what lies below with what exists above.

Fragments of mirror are embedded along their handles. No single fragment offers a complete reflection. Instead, the surrounding world enters XEOS in pieces: light, movement, space and the image of the viewer briefly appear across its surface before disappearing again. The artwork therefore never remains entirely closed within itself. It receives something from the world standing before it.

Above the axes, two natural crab claws face one another within the golden field. Once part of a living armour, they carry a form of protection that was not designed by human hands, but shaped by nature itself. Within XEOS, their presence introduces something older and more instinctive than the constructed metal forms below them—a reminder that protection existed in the natural world long before it became a human symbol.

XEOS belongs to the Shield Artefacts series—a body of works created around the ancient human impulse to protect, guard and preserve what is held sacred. Each Shield Artefact approaches protection through its own symbolic language, bringing together natural materials, constructed forms and hand-painted signs to create a contemporary object of guardianship.

Within XEOS, protection exists at the threshold itself. The axes stand as guardians, the crab claws carry nature’s own armour, and the fragmented mirrors return the surrounding world to itself. Together, they form a symbolic shield between realms—not a wall that separates, but a boundary that guards what passes between them.

Two realms.

Two guardians.

One passage between them.

Copper and metallic fragments emerge across the surface alongside layered textures and hand-painted markings. Their irregularity is deliberately preserved, giving XEOS the character of an object that seems simultaneously constructed and discovered—as though its purpose might precede the moment of its making.

The gold and black fields ultimately do not describe two worlds that must remain separate. Each gives the other its meaning. The darkness gives depth to the gold; the gold makes the darkness visible. What first appears to be a boundary gradually becomes a place of exchange.

Across the surface, an original language of light appears through individually painted markings. These symbols are not intended as a conventional alphabet or a message requiring literal translation. They belong to the visual language of the artwork, leaving their meaning deliberately unresolved and open to personal interpretation.

Hidden on the reverse are the handwritten words PEACE OF THUNDER. Invisible when XEOS hangs on the wall, the inscription exists as an unseen part of the work—almost like a seal carried on its other side. Thunder is present only in name; what remains visible is the stillness after it.

More than a wall artwork, XEOS exists as a contemporary symbolic artefact—part painting, part sculptural object and part imagined relic. From a distance, its division into gold and black appears immediate and almost elemental. At closer range, mirrors, natural forms, metal fragments, markings and traces of the hand gradually reveal a more intricate inner landscape.

XEOS does not belong entirely to Heaven.

Nor does it belong entirely to Earth.

It exists in the place where one reaches toward the other.

Every XEOS is entirely unique. No molds, prints or reproductions are ever created, making the work impossible to recreate exactly.

Dimensions

• Artwork: 80 × 40 × 1.8 cm (31.5 × 15.7 × 0.7 in)

Materials

• Solid wood panel
• Two halberd-like axes
• Natural crab claws
• Mirror fragments
• Copper elements
• Metallic elements
• Acrylic
• Gold and metallic pigments
• Original hand-painted language of light
• Protective finish

Craftsmanship

Each XEOS begins with a solid wood panel before every layer of pigment, texture and symbolic expression is built entirely by hand. The gold and black fields are developed across the surface before the two axes are individually positioned within the composition. Mirror fragments are integrated by hand along their handles, while the natural crab claws, copper pieces and metallic elements are placed individually across the work.

The markings, layered surfaces and original language of light are all created by hand, preserving subtle irregularities as part of the character of the piece. The combination of natural forms, reflective fragments, metal, sculptural elements and hand-painted symbolism ensures that the finished work can never be duplicated exactly.

Certificate & Shipping

• One-of-a-kind original from the Shield Artefacts series
• Handcrafted in Bulgaria
• Incorporates natural crab claws, mirror and copper elements
• Signed by the artists
• Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
• Carefully packaged for worldwide shipping
• Ready to hang

Living Stars Alchemy

Every Living Stars Alchemy creation is handcrafted in Bulgaria as a one-of-a-kind original. Through natural materials, layered craftsmanship and an original language of light, each work is created to become a lasting presence—bridging ancient memory, contemporary art and meaningful connection.