Patagonian Memories

Education and work experience

1985-1988    Wood-carving and Interior-design High School of Arts - Tryavna

1988-1989     Wood-carving and sculpture High School of Arts – Sofia

1992-1998   Academy of Fine Arts- Sofia, Bulgaria

1999-2000  Art teacher

July 2000  Painting and drawing- Accademia Italiana, Florence, Italy

October 2000   Wood sculpture workshop in Barzia, Bulgaria

2001-2002   Art designer and Art therapist 

At present      Freelance artist, working in the field of Sculpture, Wood- Carving, Interior design and Ceramic

 Qualifications Master of Fine Arts, art proffesor

Exhibitions /group and individual/    

1997, October  Bulgaria Hall Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria

1998, December   St Valentine   Gallery – Club, Sofia, Bulgaria

1999, March  Personal Sculpture Show “Terra Incognita”, National Gallery of Foreign Art “Stulbata” – Sofia,   Bulgaria

1999, October   Sculpture 99 National Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria

1999, November   Wood-sculpture 99 National Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria

2000, June   Personal Sculpture and photos Show “Sun and Bulgarians” - Bulgarian consul, Moscow,    Russia

2000, October     Wood- sculpture, Berkovitza, Bulgaria

2001, January   National Sculpture Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria

2002, Summer     Personal Sculpture Show “Hand Made” - Cultural center, Albena, Bulgaria

2002, November   Horses for Raoul Exhibition, Cordoba, Argentina

2002, November    Foundation”Cyril and Methodius” exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria

2002, Jenuary      Art Miami 2003, Florida, USA

2003, March    Small forms National Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria

2003, May      SOFA Art Fair, New York, USA

2003, June - October    14º Bienale Dantesco, Ravenna, Italy

2003, July      Personal Sculpture Show “Where from”, Artempresa Gallery, Córdoba, Argentina

2003, November       Sculpture show in the Cultural Centre “El Bosquecito”, Mendiolaza, Argentina

2004, February    2º International Salon of Small Format Raul Soldi,

Galería de Las Naciones, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2004, April  Sculpture Show, Las Delicias, Cordoba, Argentina

Projects

2004      Iron and marble sculpture – Villa Allende, Argentina

2004         Personal shows in Chile, Peru and Uruguay

2004  “Tower of Babylon”, project for cultural internship between Latin America and East Europe 

2004   “Arte Native”, participating / curator project for 5º Festival of Contemporary Art and

Performance, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Awards

2002  Award of excellence, “Horses for Raoul” Contest, Artempresa Gallery, Cordoba,Argentina

2004  1º Sculpture Award in the 2º International Salon of Small Format Raul Soldi,

Galería de Las Naciones, Buenos Aires, Argentina

2004      Mencion de Honour in the 2º Contest “Arts on the Web”  

A short article about Patagonian prehistoric hand stamps provoked me years ago to invent an art ­therapy program for one children summer camp. The program (project) was very simple and at the same time very effective. It included two days of activity ­ the first and the last days of the main program. It was like checking in and checking out. The entire group made stamps of their hands on the white paper covered wall. The acrylics were of different colors and free to choose. One stamp at the beginning of the camp season, one at the end. It was amazing to see and analyze the use of color. (If in the first day some children used black color,) there were no black hands in the final day, for example. All of light and shining colors.
         Well, since then I was imagining to make a similar installation ­ performance with the participating of many people, and with the possibility for all of them to express their emotions with the colour hand stamps and be able to write or draw on the same paper. In my mind, I named this project "Patagonian Memories".
Now, having the chance to live in Argentina and to discover the miracle of the Pre-Columbian art, I keep asking myself "Why the prehistoric people expressed themselves with imprinting images of their colored hands on the stones of their caves?".
May be it was the same idea, the same project ­ to gain immortality. Who knows? Well, I really enjoy the opportunity to realize my dream in San Petersburg’s Art Fest.
         My intent is to prepare an installation of white paper and plaster moulds of hands and feet. All white. Then fill the moulds with acrylic colours, make my own stamp and live all who wants to do the same.
I invited three Argentinean Contemporary artists ­ Alejandra Tolosa, Sebastian Silba and Diego Rodrigues to show their works as a counter point or may be the natural result of Latino American Art developing.
         And the best of all is that the group of artists, I’m working with over the International project "Towel of Babel" will meet here, on this Fest to complete the first step of "Veronica" project, or let me call it "The Birth of a Puppet show".
This will be a real time experience of how a puppet theatre show is coming. Day by day and step-by-step. The artists and actors will use the platform of Patagonian Memories installation to try the first movements of the puppets, to discus the costumes and masks. The Canadian violinist and composer Ralitsa Tcholakova will invent the music on ­line, using motives of Canadian, Russian, Bulgarian and Latino American traditional songs.
          We’ll do a moving, interactive and live performance, that will change every day, and with the increasing of the colours on the walls and puppets, the colour of our clothes will turn more and more white. When at the final days, while all the actors, musicians and artists will be absolutely with no colour, as if leaving their identity to their work. And on the new born stage will exist only the new born music and the new born puppet show.