Participants: Boryana Petkova, Valentina Sciarra, Ventsislav Zankov, Georgi Donov, Emil Bachiyski, Kiril Kuzmanov, Kosyo Minchev, Martian Tanakov, Martin Trifonoff, Nevena Ekimova, Orlin Ivanov, Pancho Kurtev, Rafail Georgiev – Raffò, Simeon Simeonov, Stefan Kotsev and Stoyan Dechev
Curators: Nadezhda Dzhakova and Tanya Staneva
Vernissage on Thursday, 22 July, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., in compliance with all anti-epidemic measures and with controlled access.
‘Roots’ is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Galin Malakchiev (1931–1987), and aims to present the latest trends and quests in sculpture, following the example of Malakchiev, whose name is associated with innovation, the overturning of traditional concepts of plasticity, and opposition to the formal framework.
The exhibition includes extensive visual material relating to Galin Malakchiev’s oeuvre, his easel sculpture and completed designs for public buildings. For the first time, scanned and enlarged drawings from Galin Malakchiev’s sketchbook will be shown, including many sketches of metal sculptures. During the exhibition, you will have the opportunity to see the film ‘Galin Malakchiev’ (1984), by director Vasil Minchev, who recorded the artist in his studio in the village of Batulia.
These 16 sculptors, selected for the exhibition, did not communicate personally with Galin Malakchiev (with the exception of Ventsislav Zankov, who visited him and spent time in his studio). They belong to the next generation of artists, who know him through his works and from the stories of their teachers at the Academy of Arts—close friends of Galin, and scholars including Profs. Krum Damyanov and Angel Stanev.
We also find what we have learned in the participants’ statements that accompany the works. They are also a poetic commentary on the attitude to Galin Malakchiev’s personality and oeuvre. His most cited work is the monumental ‘To the Letters’, in the gardens of the National Palace of Culture, as one of the best examples of sculpture in a public space.
This continuity in the artistic tradition and its meaning is the unifying link between so many different contemporary sculptors and Galin’s legacy.
We thank the Union of Bulgarian Artists for the documents and photographs they provided relating to Galin Malakchiev’s life and work; the art galleries of Plovdiv, Dobrich, Pleven, Targovishte and Gabrovo; Tsvetana Malakchieva, Deni Krastev, Maria Arangelova and Emil Bachiyski.
