Talented 29-year-old artist Kalina Danailova was born in the city of Sofia. Her creative quests began while she was a student at the Pencho Slaveykov High School of Fine Arts in the capital. Upon graduation she was trained in a course in traditional animation at the National Academy of Theatre and Film Art and later took a degree in visual arts from New Bulgarian University. At the Brera Academy in Milan Kalina had her MA in painting and has been living and working in Milan for the past six years.

In her urge to analyze the contradictions of the present-day world, Kalina Danailova is particularly sensitive to the problems of population growth worldwide and the ensuing depletion of natural resources. Their ruthless squandering impairs the planet's ecosystem's balance and has ambitioned Kalina for some of her creative quests. Her commitment to environmental protection is expressed in her efforts to keep natural materials instead of various plastic articles that frustrate the natural rhythm of living.

"I use natural materials for my works such as wood and soil. My installations are in fact suitcases, metal suitcases. I use them to interpret our inner worlds and our knack of sealing nature in our suitcases or houses. This is precisely a way to kill nature and if we choose to let it out - it can live on. My idea is to transform these inner worlds into suitcases that we carry with us as we travel into time and space. This journey though should not seek to conserve nature but rather to put together our own values and ideas. After all, thoughts and ideas are immortal. The message is to open ourselves to nature instead of trying to lock it in our inner selves.”

Kalina is far from indifferent to the pain surrounding us and to the loss of cardinal values. In her view culture, morality, family and friendship are vital for the survival of any nation and community. Therefore she loves to go back in time and discover symbols. In her art objects have messages to convey: the table, chandelier or bed symbolize the values we ought to safeguard. In Kalina's work a double bed recreated like a theater set, a table laid for dinner without a human being around and a park full of ruins are images that bridge our return journey to the past, the family and innocence.

"My work is to urge viewers to think about culture and become aware that we need culture to be able to live fully. Every part of my works is a messenger. The ladder symbolizes spiritual growth. I believe that man should always remember where and how his life started. Childhood is of great importance. When later in life you go abroad you have to know why you are exactly there. I don't think people should abandon Bulgaria at any cost. When you leave your country you have to know why you do that and what your goals are. This is the way to justify this great sacrifice. The good thing is that the more you travel, the more cultures you get in touch with, the more you get enriched on the inside. Homesickness is always there, you cannot possibly wipe it out. What cheers me up every time is that I really know why I am in Italy”, concludes Kalina Danailova.

English Daniela Konstantinova

Photos: www.kalinart.com