Le Grand Bleu: New Horizons

The solo exhibition of Valentin Bakardjiev will open on July 1, 2022 in Contrast gallery. The artist was awarded the "Prize for Bulgarian Artist" in the Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art 2021. The project Le Grand Bleu is part of the artist's recent explorations, where he cleverly inserts a kinetic installation in the center of the gallery swirling the other two-dimensional works. The subtitle “New Horizons” is intentionally linked to this year’s title of the festival. The display is a complete work woven from individual elements that harmoniously form a timeless blue space. It is on view until July 14, 2022.

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"... This project is related to world culture. I apply ancient craft techniques that take to the level of fine art. Some of the early and main inspirations come from the "Delfts blauw" ceramics – an exploration of the vibration of blue pigment and ornaments, cracks and shades of old glazes that create different multi-layered textures and a specific depth.

With my works I create windows to different worlds, guiding the viewer to make their own story. The sky and the ocean connect us in a world without boundary and we all breathe the same air. We live in a Blue Planet. Le Grand Bleu is an expressive, passionate, powerful and intimate project. Blue shows the best of different worlds. The world is mine. The ancient crafts I use come from an era when our planet was still pure."
Valentin Bakardjiev

The exhibition will be opened by His Excellency Simon van der Burg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bulgaria.

The project is part of the Cultural Events Calendar of Sofia Municipality for 2022 and it is realized with the support of: Sofia Municipality, Ministry of Culture, Bulgaria, NFC – “Visual Arts” and “One-Year Grant” Programs.