ПОЕЗИЯ НАОКОЛО / POETRY ALL AROUND

9 март – 3 април 2011, СГХГ
Изложбата „Поезия наоколо” на Кирил Прашков се вписва в политиката на СГХГ да представя ежегодно самостоятелни изложби на активно работещи съвременни художници, чието творчество има потенциала да възпитава и да влияе върху общото развитие на българската художествена сцена. Кирил Прашков е поканен заради способността да извежда теоретични проблеми под формата на художествени произведения, в които връзките между изразни средства и материали, между образи, цитати и метафори винаги са аргументирани от първоначалния замисъл. Много от неговите работи са мотивирани от идеята за изясняване на понятия като „модерност”, „съвременност” или „класика”, които са обект на коментари и уточнение в областта на съвременното изкуство. От края на 80-те години експериментира и със сравнения между стойностите на „идея” и „направа” на произведението. Неговите художествени анализи понякога се отнасят към западните модернизми или промените на изкуството в България от края на 20. век, но също и към политиката, историята и теорията на изкуството. В изложбата са включени работи от различни периоди като „Тел” (1989), „Hommage a Pouchkine” (1999), „Природен модернизъм” (2004), но тя е повече от преглед на досегашната работа на художника – специално за нея бяха създадени няколко нови произведения, които ще бъдат показани за първи път.
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March 9th – April 3rd 2011, Sofia City Art Gallery
The exhibition of Kiril Prashkov “Poetry All Around” is part of the long-term policy of the Sofia City Art Gallery to present one-artist shows of the most active contemporary art practitioners each year. These are artists whose work is influencing the development of the Bulgarian art scene in general. The invitation to showcase the works of Kiril Prashkov was extended because of the ability of this artist to propose theoretical problems in the form of artistic works where the relations between the means of expression and the material, the imagery, the quotation references and the metaphors are always legitimated by the initial idea. Many of his works are motivated by the drive to illuminate notions and concepts such as modernity, contemporaneity and classics that are the target for commentaries and debate within the practice of contemporary art.

Since the end of the 1980ies the artist has been experimenting with comparisons between the value of the “idea” and the “making” of an artwork. His artistic analysis is occasionally related to Western modernism(s) or the transformations of art at the end of the 20th century in Bulgaria; they are just as often related to the realm of politics, history and theory of art.

The exhibition includes works from various periods such as “Wire” (1989), “Hommage a Pouchkine” (1999) and “Natural Modernism” (2004). However, while being a survey of the artist’s career it is not a retrospective as such. The exhibition includes a number of new works that were created especially for this occasion and will be shown in public for the first time ever.

Крейзи дюля, 2009-11 / Crazy Quince, 2009-11
фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Кресла, 2011 / Arm-chairs, 2011

фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Природен черен кръг, 2004 / Natural Black Circle, 2004
Природен черен кръст, 2004 / Natural Black Cross, 2004
Природен черен квадрат 2004 / Natural Black Square, 2004
Серия Природен модернизъм, 2004-2006 / Natural Modernism Series, 2004-2006
фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Серия Природен модернизъм, 2004-2006 / Natural Modernism Series, 2004-2006
фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Натюрморт, 2011 / Still-life, 2011

Фотография: Даниела Радева / Photography: Daniela Radeva

Природно предателство на образите, 2006 / Natural Betrayal of Images 2006
Серия Природен модернизъм, 2004-2006 / Natural Modernism Series, 2004-2006
фотография: Калин Серапионов / Photography: Kalin Serapionov

Чаршаф I-III, 2011 / Bed Sheet I-III, 2011
фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Тел І-V, 1989 / Wire І-V, 1989
фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Потпури І, 2009-11 / Pot-pourri І, 2009-11
фотография: Росен Коларов / Photography: Rosen Kolarov

Kiril Prashkov. Further, 2008-2009.
A cycle of 8 photographs, 70 x 93.4 сm each
Installation View of the Exhibition “Techniques”,
ICA–Sofia Gallery, 2009
Curators: Iara Boubnova, Maria Vassileva
Photo: Kalin Serapionov

Photography, no matter if accepted in the art family or not, a technical skill or even a scientific endeavor, is producing images on a light sensitive surface. There was a time when it was seen as “better” then painting because of its objectivity (the lens=the objective) but then it was discredited by the practice of retouch. It’s digital stage of development reinstated her as the most-democratic means to make reality eternal. While unhappy with his lot, Kiril Prashkov not only made his photographic works but also described in detail his attitude when dealing with a number of notions such as “reality”, “object”, “abstraction” and “performance”. It is possible that his definition of the dependency of contemporary creation on the historical and artistic context is the most direct one.
Iara Boubnova

Somebody like me, who is using
photography only because the found/desired
object has presented itself (a first, “a
must” pre-condition) and there is no other
way to physically introduce this object into
my work (the second pre-condition), does
not look for sources of inspiration among
the “real” photographers. By the way,
there are two comments I overheard once
that bring me comfort and support in using
this technique as a tool for transfer: a/
“...there are no photographers left, only
artists who use (in whatever way...) the
photo camera”; and b/ “...the media has
gradually become friendly” – that is to say,
it has brushed against me as a friendly
dog and, though mindful of a bite, I have
delicately stroked it – for sure it does not
care either way and I will quickly wash up
my hand...
I would like to be able to paint like in my
cycle (of photographs!) titled “Responsible
Painting”; or to be able to draw as in the
other cycle “Further” (also of photographs!)
but it does not work, so I am
forced to do action where the context is
more friendly.
In fact, I have often wondered if the photograph
in the works of Joseph Kosuth, letʼs
say in “One and Three Pans” (1965), is all
that necessary – there is a real pan in
there as well as a text about a pan; the
image of a pan is needed but should it be
that objective...
Or take René Magritte – the apple and the
pipe (in Ceci nʼest pas une pomme/pipe)
make do without a photograph. After all, if
I had to sneak up to the greats I could title
my photographic cycle Ceci nʼest pas une
route ...
Glory to contemporaneity – if you ask
around there will always be some other
artist to whom you have likened the found
object – for instance, I was given the name
of Brice Marden. Abstraction is a marvelous
thing (here is another title that I
think I could appropriate – “Composition”...)
Finally, here are some photographs that
I contemplate from a distance: the
“Chicago Board of Trade” by Andreas
Gursky – isnʼt this work a replica of the
“Battle of Alexander at Issus” by Albrecht
Altdorfer; or the “Dead Troops Talk” by
Jeff Wall – shouldnʼt it be called a “performance”
anyway? However, if I have to go
back home I would mention the installation
“Wanted Category” where Kalin Serapionov
has used maybe the most difficult
quality of photography – to be a portrait.
K. P.

Kiril Prashkov, This Forest Looks Quite Politically Correct, 1995
wood, white paint, ca 270 x 300 x 10
Art in Landscape, International Symposium, Gars-am-Kamp, Austria, 1995

Kiril Prashkov, Lamentation (It’s Hard To Be A Macho Nowadays), 2002
digital print, dimensions variable
Bound/Less Borders, First Outdoor Touring Balkan Project, Goethe Institut, Belgrade, Scopje, Rijeka, Sofia, Bucharest, 2002-2003
In the Gorges of the Balkan. A Report, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany, 2003
Play Sofia, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, 2005

Kiril Prashkov, National Style Series, 2002

Kiril Prashkov, Speaking Cobble Stones, 1997
oil on 15 cobble stones, ca 12 x 12 x 12 each
Annual Exhibition of Section 13, UBA, Shipka 6 Gallery, Sofia, 1997
2nd Cetinje Biennial, Cetinje, Montenegro, 1998
In The Gorges Of The Balkans, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany, 2003

Kiril Prashkov, Mind Your Step, 2007

Kiril Prashkov, Ceci n'est pas un texte (Това не е текст), 2006

Kiril Prashkov, Natural Modernism Series, 2004

Kiril Prashkov, Reading And Eating, 2001
(part of the book Bugs/Reading and Eating, produced together with Bruce Checefsky)
digital print, 20 x 156
Reading And Eating and other texts and watercolors, ATA Center for Contemporary Art, Sofia, 2002
Reading And Eating Texts, Grass. Ink, Wood, Remont Gallery, Belgrade, 2002

CV

Kiril Prashkov
Born: June 30, 1956 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Lives and works in Sofia
From 1984 to 1989 - Editor in “Kultura” weekly in the department of Visual Arts. Author of several articles on contemporary Bulgarian and foreign art.
From 1990 to 1992 - Editor in “Fax-Art” weekly.
In 1991/92 – President of the Club of (eternally) Young Artist.
Since 1995 – Member of the Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia (Founding Member)
Individual Exhibitions:
2007 - Mind Your Step. Eibank Art Gallery. Sofia
2006 - Responsible Painting. French Institute. Sofia
2005 - Quotations. Moscow’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow
2004 - Natural Modernism. French Institute, Sofia
- BC + KP + 36 = Project (together with Bruce Checefsky). SweetThirtySix Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
2003 - Drawing as Craftsmanship. ATA Center/Institute of Contemporary Art, Sofia
2002 - Reading & Eating Ink, Grass, Ants, Wood. Remont Gallery, Belgrade
- Bugs/Reading & Eating (together with Bruce Checefsky) and other Texts and Watercolors, Ata Center for Contemporary Art, Sofia
2000 - “The Most Wooden piece of Beethoven’s”, Performance together with Krassimir Jeliazkov and Plamen Mirchev, Varna, City Gallery
- “Quotation”, Goethe Institute, Sofia
- “Hommage to Pushkine. The Text as a Still-Life”, City Gallery, Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria
- “Hommage a Pouchkine. Le texte comme nature morte”, French Institute, Sofia
1999 - Spaces Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1998 - "Short Stories about Love and Writing", Ata Center for Arts, Sofia
1997 - "Swiss Cross Book", TED Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria
- "Swiss Cross Book", Ata Center for Arts, Sofia
- "Art - Advertisement. Symbols and Vegetables. From Drawing to Object and from Object to Text", French Institute, Sofia
- "Switzerland Revisited", Residency of the Ambassador of Switzerland, Sofia
1996 - “The Most Wooden Piece of Beethoven’s”, Dossev Gallery, Sofia
1995 - “Bulgarian Still-lifes for Foreigners”, Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia
- “European Kitchen Painting”, Akrabov Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- “The Most Wooden Piece of Beethoven’s”, Autumn Exhibitions, Old City, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- “The Oh God, No/O Yeah” Book and other Books and Vegetables”, KulturKontakt, Vienna
1994 - “National Style”, KA Gallery, Burgas, Bulgaria
1993 - “From Switzerland with a Wooden Fence”, Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia
- “Gruezi”, Scuol-Nairs, Switzerland
1989 - Gallery of The Decorative Art Magazine, Moscow
1986 - 108 Rakovski Str. Gallery (together with Zlati Velev), Sofia

Selected Group Exhibitions:
2006 - Important Announcement, Sofia Art Gallery, Sofia
- Danube Flood Relief Benefit Auction, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Mucsarnok, Budapest
- Wild Capital, Kunsthaus, Dresden, Germany
- Memory (W)Hole, Continental Breakfast, Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje
- Urban Legends, Sofia Art Gallery, Sofia
2005 - Play Sofia. project space, Kunsthalle Wien. Vienna
- Memory (W)Hole, Continental Breakfast, Ljubljana castle, Ljubljana
2003 - In the Gorges of the Balkan. A Report, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany
- Bound/Less Borders, First Outdoor Touring Balkan Project, Goethe Institut, Bucharest, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Kassel
- EU-wide-en-largement, Europarliament, Brussels
- EXPORT/IMPORT. Contemporary Art from Bulgaria, Sofia Art Gallery, Sofia
2002 - In Search of Balkania, Neue Galerie Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria
- Bound/Less Borders, First Outdoor Touring Balkan Project, Goethe Institut, Belgrade, Scopje, Rijeka
- Reconstructions, IV Biennial in Cetinie, Montenegro
2001 - EUROPA ERWEITERN, Industriellen Vereinigung, exhibition of KulturKontakt, Vienna
1999 - Apollonia Summer Art Festival, Sozopol, Bulgaria
- Drechtoevers Sculpture Park, Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands
- "200 Years Pushkin", Association of Art Galleries, Moscow
- Special Selection, International Book Fair, Leipzig, Germany
- "Recipes. Contemporary Art Manual", Institute of Contemporary Art, Sofia
1998 - “Archive", 6 Shipka St. Gallery, Sofia
- "The Century of Artistic Freedom. 100 Years Vienna Secession", Helsinki
- "Bulgariaavantgarde. Kraeftemessen II", Kuenstlerwerkstatt Lothringer strasse, Munich,
Germany
- "The Century of Artistic Freedom. 100 Years Vienna Secession", Wien
- "Art and Notes", Municipal Gallery, Rousse, Bulgaria
1997 - "Back and Forth", 3rd International Biennial, Cetinje, Montenegro, Yugoslavia
- “Photographics” project, International Print Biennial Varna’97, Bulgaria
- "ARS EX NATIO. Made in BG", 4th Annual Exhibition of the SCA - Sofia, Plovdiv
1996 - "Bulgarian Glimpse Show", Moscow
- "Eastern Europe: Spatia Nova", IV St. Petersburg Biennial, Russia
- "Art on Wheels", project of "Food Carrier/Papp", Munich, Germany
- "Art in Landscape", International Symposium, Gars-am-Kamp, Austria
- "Plastic Image of the 90-ies", National Palace of Culture, Sofia
- “The Art Colony, Galichnik”, Skopje
1995 - "Art in Landscape", International Symposium, Gars-am-Kamp, Austria
- “30 Grand Prix”, Union of Bulgarian Artists, Sofia
- “Projects by...”, National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia
- “AFRICUS", 1st International Biennial, Johannesburg, South Africa
1994 - Section 13, Union of Bulgarian Artists, Sofia
- “Book-Art", International Show of the program of KulturKontakt, Horn, Austria
- ARTEST, Sredetz Gallery, Sofia
- “N-forms? Reconstructions and Interpretations", Soros Center for the Arts, Sofia
- “Moisture - Plainair of Avant-garde Art", Arkoutino, Bulgaria
- Show of The Art Colony, Galichnik, Macedonia
- “Ritual = Art, Art = Ritual", 3rd Multimedia Festival, Sofia
- “In Search for the Self-Reflection", Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- “The Artists of LETTRE INTERNATIONALE" Magazine, Wien
- “The Nail", Union of Bulgarian Artists, Sofia
1993 - “Works on Paper", Ata-Ray Gallery, Sofia
- 1st International Print Biennial, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- International Print Biennial, Biella, Italy
1992 - “Exhibition of the Artists Born under the Zodiacal Sign of Cancer", Sofia
- “Hair from a Brush", Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
- “Medical Check-up", Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
1991 - International Triennial of Prints, Krakow, Poland
- “Illusions, Illusions...", Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
- “Happy-end”, Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
1990 - “Moderate Avant-garde within the Framework of Tradition", Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
- “End of Quotation", Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
- “10/10/10", Club of the (eternally) Young Artist,
1987 - “Authors' Proof", Sofia
since
1984 (biannually) - National Biennial of Illustration and Book-Design, Sofia
1983 (biannually) - International Print Biennial, Varna, Bulgaria

Curatorial Experience:
1999 - Bulgarian participation at the “Inventing a People. Contemporary Art in the Balkans",
National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia; State Exhibition Hall, Bucharest; Museum of
Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece
1994 - “The Artists of LETTRE INTERNATIONAL", Magazine, Wien
1992 - “Exhibition of the Artists Born under the Zodiacal Sign of Cancer”, Sofia
1990 - “Moderate Avant-garde within the Framework of Tradition”, Club of the (eternally) Young Artist, Sofia
1989 - Young Bulgarian Graphic Artists, Moscow, Russia; Ulan-Bator, Mongolia
1987 - “Authors' Proof", Sofia

Residencies:
2005 - Saskala ArtRadius, Haukivuori, Finland
2004 - Independent Projects, ArtsLink Program, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
2002 - Ziel 1 = Kunst = Ziel 1, Burgenland, Austria
1999 - ArtsLink Program, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Drechtoevers Sculpture Park, Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands
1996 - "Art in Landscape", international symposium, Gars-am-Kamp, Austria
1995 - "Art in Landscape", international symposium, Gars-am-Kamp, Austria
- KulturKontakt' studios, Vienna
1994 - Program "Book-Art", KulturKontakt, Horn, Austria
- The Art Colony, Galichnik, Macedonia
1993 - ARTEST/BINZ 39, Kulturzentrum Scuol-Nairs, Switzerland.

Education:
1983 - National Academy for Fine Arts, Sofia