Active in both figurative and abstract styles, self-taught Bulgarian artist Ventzislav Dikov often creates paintings consisting of “small figures repeating themselves with slight variations.” We see evolving embryos, a crowd of visages, sometimes a large face made up of several smaller faces. Themes like gravity, melancholy, communication and connection come up occasionally. Many of the artworks can be read as meditations on growth and development, the passage of time, the tension between individuality and community.

“The human condition and the subconscious are my main fields of exploration,” writes the painter. “I also work with clay to create series of figures, usually exhibited along with my paintings. I am a musician too. I explore the integration of sound and vision in sculptural and kinetic installations.”

 

 

Explaining his latest exhibition “Objects of Unclear Purpose”, the artist provides some really thought-provoking observations on the way we make meaning: “The connection between a person and an object runs just as deep as the connection between two people, or deeper – because there is no language involved here, only the sensing and reflecting essence of human being is put to work. An object does not need to be useful or of immediately recognisable purpose to gain the affection of an observer, quite the contrary – the lack of clarity of use triggers curiosity. And curiosity creates a connection.

“My new exhibition explores that moment when the mind is free, allowing the objects of unclear purpose to inhabit the subconscious and come to the forefront. In a quasi-rational world, paintings themselves are objects of unclear purpose, up until the moment when they connect with someone.”

Ventzislav Dikov was born in 1979 in Sofia. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Classical Guitar from the National Academy of Music (also named “Pancho Vladigerov” after the great Bulgarian composer) in Sofia. This was followed by a Performer’s Diploma in Classical Guitar from Hochschule für Musik in Münster, Germany. In 2005, he received his master’s degree in same field, again from the National Academy of Music, Sofia.

As a painter, Ventzislav has had over twenty solo exhibitions in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain, Luxembourg and other countries. As a musician, he has composed pieces for chamber ensembles and performed at music festivals in Belgium, Spain, USA and Argentina. He also plays the piano, the traditional Bulgarian flute “kaval” and “gaida”, the bagpipe. As a guitarist, he works with the German saxophone player Robert Würz. The duo have held concerts in Sofia, Berlin and Dresden.

Links: Website (ventzislavdikov.com) | SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/ventzislavdikov) | Saatchi Art (www.saatchiart.com/ventzislavdikov) | Facebook (www.facebook.com/Ventzislav-Dikov-186949144848)

Email: v_dikov@hotmail.com

Images used with permission.