In 1995, a group of young artists declared their presence in cultural life with a manifesto in which they broke away with tradition and took the initiative of creating new Bulgarian art. They showcased their innovative ideas in two exhibitions in the 1990s. Twenty years later, under the name "XXL", the artists reunite to trace the imprint of time in their paintings. The exhibition "New Bulgarian Painting III" is located in Oborishte 5 Gallery and Hall in Sofia and will continue until March 3.
In the mid-1990s, the new Bulgarian artists focused on social topics, using modern means of expression such as video, installations, photography. Interesting works that are very different than those of the previous generation of artists were born.
Artist Petko Durmana compares the then "overthrow" of painting to Francis Fukuyama's “The End of History.” According to the American sociologist, liberal democracy and the free market were the endpoint of the socio-cultural evolution of humanity. "A quarter of a century later, however, we're back to the Cold War and painting is the most powerful and important medium," he adds. After years of exploring technology and new media, today Petko Durmana defines his works as "post-technological painting". He presents square-shaped paintings "because they're Instagram friendly."
"In fact, these are two paintings as one is on top of the other and the bottom one can only be seen with technological means," he says. “In the whole ‘undercover’ series, I create a realistic foundation that is somewhat similar to socialist realism, while on top I place poster messages about the actual reality. That is how in ‘Tsar Bomba’ you see Vladimir Putin’s depicted on a bomb and his crown is its stabilizer, while Stalin is painted below. The picture "Hey, Iran", on the other hand, shows the Mickey Mouse badge worn during the 1979-81 hostage crisis in Tehran and underneath is Donald Trump, who has restarted confrontation with Iran. The idea is that history repeats itself, and I place the tragedy as a foundation and the farce is above.”
Although they have taken their own paths and developed their art differently, all artists of the XXL group remain true to the contemporary approach to painting. This is evident in their works, saturated with pop-art elements, conceptual practices, and blending photography and painting. Despite created with different techniques and styles, the works easily interact with each other.
Еnglish version: Alexander Markov
Photos: Diana TsankovaAfter online voting, French film "Eternal Playground" by Pablo Cotten and Joseph Rozé received the audience award at the ninth edition of the Burgas International Film Festival, which took place at various locations in the seaside..
For yet another year the residents and guests of Bansko will be transported into the world of mountaineering, extreme and adventure cinema , BTA reports. This year's edition of the "Summer Movie Mania Under the Stars" will take place over..
Triumph, the latest film from acclaimed Bulgarian filmmaking duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, has been selected for the prestigious Platform competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) . This will be the world premiere of the..
Romanian artist Saddo has been invited to participate in the second Balkan edition of the Pictoplasma festival for contemporary art, design and..
+359 2 9336 661