Vasilena Gankovska @DIT invited by Salvatore Viviano
Albena — Donauinsel — Ostia — Seestadt — Varna is an exhibition showing works depicting various places of leisure in different parts of Europe, such as Ostia, Italy, Varna and Albena in Bulgaria and Donauinsel and Seestadt in Vienna. A particular object of interest are the beach cabins, used as bars, showers, but also some improvised camps.The images are painted in a reduced visual language, but still all the main elements remain visible. The longing for holidays, sunshine and everlasting vacation is the hidden motive behind these scenes.
Short artist’s statement:
“I understand my art practice as a visual translation. I appropriated a certain visual language that derives in part from architectural drawings, influences of the 1920s Soviet Avant-Garde, and 1960s Pop art. I have always been fascinated by architecture and the way urban structures function. I moved from Sofia to Vienna in 2001, which completely changed the way I perceive a city. Its clear forms, structures and different historical elements made me think more often about the kind of chaos I have left, how lively cities in transition are and what kind of contradictions and curiosities you can discover there. My main motivation to continue to walk through a city and take pictures is to find these contradictions, these weak points or sometimes absurd things, and „translate“ them for the viewer”. Vasilena Gankovska in conversation with Boris Kostadinov, 2021.
The exhibition has been on view from 21 April till 4 May 2022.
Vasilena Gankovska 