Alena Saveleva is an artist and filmmaker whose work centers on visual and non-linear storytelling that explores non-human myths and essences. Her practice challenges anthropocentric narratives, seeking instead to re-enchant nature and decentralize the human gaze. Themes of cycle, death, and rebirth run through her work, offering viewers a space to reflect on transformation and the quiet continuity of life beyond human timelines.

Beginning her creative journey in 2019 as a spatial designer and visualizer in Beijing, Alena was deeply affected by the contrast between industrial smog and sublime natural landscapes. This experience shaped her ecological consciousness and continues to influence her practice. In 2022, she moved to Los Angeles, where she completed a Master's in Ecological Thinking (2023) and a postgraduate degree in Entertainment Design (2024) at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Alena’s recent work draws on the imagery of death found in the wild — not as an end, but as a vital part of a regenerative cycle. From decaying whale carcasses nurturing coral ecosystems to street-side critters embodying a serene kind of beastliness, her videos and installations evoke Renaissance-like stillness and visceral beauty. With a filmmaker’s eye for composition and a deep ecological sensitivity, Alena invites us to witness life’s transformations through a more-than-human lens.

We asked Alena about her art, creative process, and inspirations.

You started your career as a spatial designer and visualizer in Beijing – how did this experience shape your artistic approach to ecological themes?

I witnessed Beijing in the unique condition of a ghost city frozen in caution from the first months of the pandemic. I saw the contradictory interplay between the Asian climate - with the driving summer rains and spring blossoms - and the giant human-made environment, covered with smog, all through the lens of the lockdown. At the same time, I worked on projects set in distant sceneries of mountains and rice fields.

This life and work balance was all thought-provoking. Breathing the contaminated Beijing air while rendering immersive public spaces in faraway dreamlike landscapes made me contemplate, deeply, the divide - human versus non-human, polluted versus innocent.

What does ‘re-enchantment of nature’ mean to you, and how do you bring it into your work?

Nowadays, the hegemony of technology and the cosmology of naturalism limits and predetermines the human perspective. Mistreating the unspeakable non-human smartness of nature, and the hidden non-verbal languages of critters leads not only to the spiritual misopportunity but also to ecological calamities. I believe that practices like art, poetry, and even simple observation and appreciation have the transformative potency on humanity's reunion with the lost magic of nature. This doesn't mean we should pretend to believe in deities or shamanic practices of the past. Still, we should acknowledge the energy and vulnerability of nature and rethink the way we coexist with other beings and essences.

Your narratives often revolve around cycles and rebirth — what draws you to these themes?

Unlike culturally constructed death which is considered as termination, death found in the wild is a step of a continuing cycle. And it's often the beginning of something else. A passed organism is never wholly dead as it hosts bacterial and fungal ecosystems. I like finding deceased critters in the streets of Los Angeles. I see them as sculptures portraying a visceral, physiologically intense, or even dangerous image of beastliness in its ultimate serenity. There is something Renaissance-like in their stretched postures. Rebirth becomes a metaphor for the cycle. In my latest work, the decaying Whale carcass is not only the source of nutrients for corals but also the origin of the next Whale.

Can you share an example of a project where you explored non-human myths?

In the 'Whale' piece, I refer to a belief shared by indigenous Ainu tribes about the Moon deity and her lover, the floating whale. When the Whale was seduced by the jealous Chthonic god to pass through the ground surface in search of precious flowers for the Moon, the Whale crashed into the ground, mistaking the surface for water. I found this story fascinating, as it aligns with the whale fall - a common phenomenon in marine ecology.

How do you see ecological art evolving in response to today’s environmental crises?

I see that the way the human world is constructed now is unjustifiedly severe towards the shared environment. It is a race for wasting electricity, water, and the earth's body. However, I do not believe in radical reactions. I could turn off my electronic devices, eat all the plastic items accumulated by me, and block my airways to stop releasing carbon dioxide. But these actions won't be efficient, as others won't do the same. That is why I want to show the dazzling beauty of the ecosystems - a part of which we still have a chance to become.

What is a fun fact about you?

I suppose my sense of humor would be described as 'post-irony' or 'grotesque' rather than 'fun'. Self-irony helps me move forward in the brutal conditions of capitalism and policies. I have multiple ironic facts about myself but they are too sad to be a suitable response to such a lighthearted question.

What else fills your time when you’re not creating art?

Cliental VFX work and collaboration with production companies take up most of my time. Beyond that, all the ways I pass my free hours are in some way linked to my art practice - reading philosophy, studying ecology and biology - these are part of my daily routine and self-education. However, I never tend to express myself. In art, I prefer to serve something more substantial, clinically and meticulously.

What is a dream project you’d like to make one day?

I do not think there is such a thing as an ideal project. It emerges naturally through research and ceaseless observation. Pieces of knowledge, facts, dreams, and myths may come together into a concise concept. And the more compelling the idea is, the more obsessive the urge to implement it tends to be.