“The Totem. Sign and Invention.”
Solo exhibition
by Todor Todorov

Gallery “Sredets” presents the work of sculptor Todor Todorov, known for his monumental works and research dedicated to world contemporary sculpture. A vivid author with unconventional thinking, creator of the theory “elemental sculpture” – an idea connected with the four natural elements, for the development of contemporary kinetic sculpture.
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The exhibition turns attention to a lesser-known part of the work of Todor Todorov, building a unifying line between his easel and monumental works from different periods. Through the totem as a sign and invention, an internal consistent connection is observed in separate collections of the author, carrying different sound and development of his creative credo. In his long creative path, the author has a pronounced interest in minimalist vision and the theme “totem” passes through drawings and easel works in steel and bronze, to monumental sculptures for urban and park environment.

The exhibition includes sketches and drawings, printed as graphics, which complement the selection of 24 sculptural works created in different periods. Some of them become emblematic for his work, winning world awards or being realized in large-scale works for urban spaces. Others remain in time as significant works and the beginning of large series, in which this theme is developed further with movement or sound, for example in his latest collection “Streich”. The exhibition is enriched with photographs from different objects with accompanying texts about the history of the individual works. Part of these works for the urban environment precede the theory of “elemental sculpture”, possessing an interesting history and destiny. The exhibition is part of the research of Assoc. Prof. Boris Danailov, who is preparing a monograph about the author regarding his creative searches, achievements and life challenges.
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The exhibition opens on March 25, 2025 and can be seen until April 11 at Gallery “Sredets” of the Ministry of Culture (17 Alexander Stamboliyski Blvd., Sofia) from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 17:30.

On March 26, Wednesday, at 16:00 a 15-minute documentary film about Todor Todorov will be screened in the gallery, followed by a lecture on sculpture in urban space and the challenges accompanying those working in this field.
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About Todor Todorov:
Todor Todorov was born in Sofia in 1951 in a family of artists. At the very beginning of his creative career he stands out with an inimitable style and clear concept for integrating sculpture into the urban environment, creating large-scale monumental sculptural objects in the country. Emblematic are the water cascade “1300 Years of Bulgaria in Europe” in Shumen, the kinetic work “Dome of Birds” on the building of Nove Holding in Sofia, the „Rotunda“ of Helena Resort in Sunny Beach and a number of other objects. He creates the first steel open-air exhibition in Bulgaria in Lyulin district, Sofia in 1988, where he also presents his first elemental sculptures driven by the wind. During most of his creative path he creates kinetic works and sculptures driven by wind and water in the direction he calls “elemental sculpture”. His observations are published by Cambridge publishing house in 2013. After 1989 he begins to exhibit mainly abroad and his monumental stone and steel sculptures become part of many world sculpture parks. In 2008 he was invited to permanently install his sculpture on the occasion of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in front of the National Theather for Performing Arts „The Egg“. He has dozens of realized sculptures in Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Italy, China, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Taiwan, Turkey, Hungary, France, South Africa, Japan. His works are part of private collections, museums and major international companies. Member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists since 1985; of the Royal Society of British Sculptors since 1993; and of the World Kinetic Association since 2003.
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The exhibition is part of the project “True to Oneself”, which includes several exhibitions with accompanying events in Sofia and the country within Sofia Paper Art Fest 2025.

The exhibition is organized by Amateras Foundation with co-organizer Gallery “Sredets” at the Ministry of Culture. With the financial support of Programme “Visual Arts” of the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Calendar of Sofia Municipality for 2025.