Nedko Solakov
dal 6/9/2002 al 13/10/2002
Segnalato da
6/9/2002
Nedko Solakov
Two Venues, Amsterdam and Sittard
Mess, 'A (not so) White Cube'
For 'Mess', the exhibition at De Appel, Solakov shows 'A
(not so) White Cube', in which he ventures outside as
well as inside the art world, inscribing the white walls of
the exhibition space with humorous comments and
drawings. When entering the room the visitor will get the
impression that there is no show at all, only weirdly
looking kneeling people in an empty space.
'A Wallpaper' offers a similar appearance - suddenly a
kitschy, flowery wallpaper appears. In between the
garlands and flower patterns he pencilled minuscule
drawings and texts.
In his site-specific installation 'Curators as Artists'
Solakov will try to involve the students of the Curatorial
Training Programme (CTP) of De Appel in unusual
artistic activities, asking them to react on the idea of
the 'Black Box'.
The biggest work called '20.10.2001' wraps up all pieces
with its ultimate absence of common sense - revealing
the simultaneously performed 'silly activities' of 4 pairs
of wall painters in Munich, Venice, Dublin and Glasgow,
while the artist himself was imitating the painters' job in
his Stockholm studio. The base for '20.10.2001' was his
project 'A life (Black & White)'(1998-2002), when two
painters constantly repainted the walls of the space in
black and white, day after day, for the entire duration of
the exhibition. But '20.10.2001' is not simply
documenting 'A life (Black & White)' in different venues:
a simultaneous presentation of nine people's
Sisyphus-like labour.
Since the mid-nineties, Bulgarian artist Nedko Solakov
has, in numerous installations, kept a running
commentary going on the art world with its masterpieces
and collectors, its museum directors and curators. Many
of his subjects arise from the everyday experiences of
an artist and from the relationship the artist has with
institutes such as museums, galleries and art centres.
By his narrative tales, often containing many levels of
meaning, the visitor is compelled to read carefully. This
is saved from being an arduous task by dint of
Solakov's airy and entertaining tone. The instruments
Solakov uses to dismantle art and actuality, are his
sense of humour and his witty, consciously naïve view
on the world in which we live.
As from the beginning of the 90's, Nedko Solakov (born
1957, Tcherven Briag, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia) has
exhibited extensively in Europe and America. His work
was featured in Aperto '93, Venice, 1993; the 48th and
49th Venice Biennales, 1999/2001; the 3rd and 4th
Istanbul Biennial, 1992/1995; 22 Biennal, Saõ Paulo,
1994; Manifesta 1, Rotterdam, 1996; 2nd and 4th
Gwangju Biennales, 1997/2002; ISEA '98, Liverpool,
1998; 5th Lyon Biennale, 2000; Sonsbeek 9 Arnhem,
2001.
De Appel Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10 1017 DE Amsterdam