Ermin Ljevo

Woodcarver

Haris Calkic©Michelangelo Foundation

Love for wood

Ermin has been woodcarving for 27 years
Working with wood is both his career and his hobby
He tries to pass on his love of woodcarving to his family

Konjic is a small town south of the capital Sarajevo where a specific, old-style Bosnian technique of woodcarving is practiced. The technique is so unique that it is inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ermin Ljevo is one of the woodcarvers pepertuating this rare technique. With his skilful hands and attentive eyes, Ermin decorated numerous wooden objects with traditional Konjic patterns and contributed to the popularization of the artistic woodcarving craft through the companies he worked for as a carpenter, but also by making unique pieces of furniture or souvenirs that ended up in the homes of his customers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the whole world.

Interview

Haris Calkic©Michelangelo Foundation

Haris Calkic©Michelangelo Foundation

How did you start doing woodcarving?: Just after the war in BiH (1995), I started a carpentry training at a furniture company in Konjic. Later I started working there, learning about woodcarving and 27 years later I am still in the same industry.
When did you open your own workshop?: I work in my own workshop in the evening, after regular daily work. I started working on my own when I felt I was skilled enough to make objects on my own. Apart from woodcarving, I also do stone carving and I paint a bit.
Do you train apprentices?: My wife works with me, I passed onto her the knowledge of everything I know. My 18-year-old daughter helps me to draw sketches: she’s a sort of assistant to me. In a way, the whole family is involved.
How is your craft linked to your region?: I am one of the woodcarvers who knows and nurtures the Bosnian traditional woodcarving style. Last year, I presented some of my works, which not only included traditional patterns, but also some of the architectural symbols of my country, such as the Mostar bridge.

Ermin Ljevo is a master artisan: he began his career in 1996 and he started teaching in 2008