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New Life

solo exhibition, part of Situation Sofia series of exhibitions

exhibition view 2015, Goethe-institute, Sofia, Bulgaria

 

 

 

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When I was invited to do an exhibition at the Goethe-Institute I began to think in principle I've always shared, that the exhibition should be linked in any way with the place. In this case, the institution and from there to the country which it represents, but also their relationship with our country and the present. Just at that time there was a lot of fuss about the wall that was being built on our southern border and that provoked me. It reminded me of the Berlin Wall. We destroyed one, and now we were building another. It seemed to me as a déjà vu. Continuous repetitive actions, situations, stories with a predetermined outcome - in the world, in Bulgaria, in our personal lives. This woke one main topic that excites me for years. Construction - Deconstruction. Some time ago I saw in this phrase, only plastic problems that I developed in the sculpture series by that name. The idea of ??switching between different dimensions in space, from two-dimensional to three-dimensional works. Later I began to reflect on the social aspects set out in those two words. Why we keep repeating the same mistakes? Why we deny and destroy constructed before us to make new, which also will be removed. Why we do not learn from our mistakes and is it possible to overbuild not to destroy?
Meanwhile, things went further. I could not realize a video which I had planned to be the center of the exhibition, on the other hand the refugee situation escalated. There was a dilemma whether to completely change my idea or strengthen it in the direction that I was up to. In one case there was a risk of being accused of wanting to be "modern", in other I had to again give up my ability to timely be touching topical issues before they become platitudes and statistics.
And then I got the idea that unifies everything. NEW LIFE! Everything's there, in the dream of a peaceful and secure life. Each of us is ready to give everything to achieve it, to go through any tests and to cope with any difficulties, to escape the problems of the past, to turn a new page. And when one could get to a dream world he is ready to make many compromises to forget principles and ideals to keep it, because one is already there – on the other side of the wall.

Alexander Valchev