WOW.09 / Ethiopia @ 2nd Addis Video Art Festival – 24 Dec. 2017 – 03 Jan. 2018 – Addis Abeba /Ethiopia
WOW Bulgaria
is consisting on two contributions
Curated by Georgi Krastev
1) a selection of Bulgarian video art – duration: 30 min.
2) Message in a Bottle, 2016, 44:00
Georgi Krastev
was born in 1986 in Varna, Bulgaria. He studied Psychology at the Varna Free University. In 2012 graduated at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. Participant in Sarajevo Talent Campus 2013, Locarno Summer Academy 2011 (64th Locarno Film Festival), Berlinale Talent Campus 2011, Summer Media Studio 2009. Part from the International Jury of Avanca Film Festival 2013 in Portugal. Now he works as freelance filmmaker. His artistic practice focuses on filmmaking, video art, photography and media art. As an artist, he has presented his works in several exhibitions and festivals in Bulgaria and abroad. Also, he is a co-founder, director of The Quarantine Film Festival. The name of the region “The Quarantine” comes from the past when the sailors from commercial ships entering the harbor with suspicion of some kind of disease were taken ashore at the beach for the quarantine period of 40 days. In case they showed no signs of illness, they were allowed access to town. At present, the young artists who still have not found their realization are in the status of a “Quarantine” – isolated by the film makers’ circles. In analogy to the history of the location, we decided to organize a film festival for short films called “The Quarantine” for young authors (age 16 – 35 years) in the open air – straight on the beach, and to popularize their activity among the professional filmmaking circles. (http://www.thequarantine.org)
Georgi Krastev on AND – Artists Network Database
http://and.nmartproject.net/?p=5023
Message in a Bottle, 2016, 44 minutes
“Message in a Bottle”, which is created with Dedalus Art School – (it is an association working in favour of society which was founded in 2009. Now they are looking for young talents and they are teaching them free of charge, with no fees, in the sphere of sculpture, graphics, music, photography, digital arts, graphic design, cinematography and theatric art).
Synopsis: The project encompasses young artists between 8 and 22, by developing their creative potential and their awareness of cosmopolitanism. „Message in a bottle” allows children, and older girls and boys of various social and ethnic groups to express their creative vision of universal messages, which by the force of fortune would touch people of different nationalities, united by their closeness to the Black Sea. The use of the innovative practice of connecting the modern communicative approach of the worldwide web through the project’s website and the ancient way of shipwreck survivors’ communicating a message or a call for help with message in a bottle, turn the project into a fresh and quirky attempt to enrich and update arts’ means of expression in Varna.
WOW Bulgarian videoart
Artists
1. Valeri Chakalov “The Way”, Bulgaria 2:24
2. Valeri Chakalov “Hromel“, Bulgaria 2:01
3. Georgi Krastev, “The Journey of a melody”, Bulgaria, 2:48
4. Viktor Petkov “I love Guzlemi”, Bulgaria, 7:06
5. Cvetan Krastev “The Long Journey of a Snail to the Ocean”, Bulgaria, 9:52
6. Cvetan Krastev “Digitalization of analogue message to the moon”, Bulgaria, 02:12
7. Venelin Shurelov, “Je Suis Je”, Bulgaria, 3:09
Artists:
Valeri Chakalov
Valeri Chakalov was born in 1957 in Devnya, Bulgaria. Graduated National Art Academy in 1957 in Sofia with specialty “Graphics”. In 2006 specializes in Сité Internationale des arts, Paris, France. In 2008 he became a professor. He has been teaching painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo and Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen. He participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, pleiners and art projects. Winner of many awards including: “Varna” of Varna Municipality for Art and Culture in 2007. Award for Graphics from International Triennial of Graphics, Sofia in 2007.
“The Way”
2016; Bulgaria; 00:02:24; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: A visual replica of the Buddha – “There is no way for happiness. Happiness is the way.
“Hromel”
2016; Bulgaria; 00:02:01; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: Simulation of tactile extraction of sound from a stone slab (similar to a gramophone).
Georgi Krastev
“The Journey of a melody”
2017; Bulgaria; 00:02:22; Color; 16:9; small HD video
Synopsis: The melody performed by a street musician overcomes the long distance from the city square to the ocean. The bearer of information is the water.
Viktor Petkov
He was born in 1974 in Ruse, Bulgaria.He works in the area of video art, digital photography, drawing and installation. Since 2000 he has been working as a lecturer of Fashion Design at Varna Free University. Has a number of individual exhibitions and is a participant in national and international projects in the area of design.
“I Love Guzlemi”
Bulgaria; 00:07:06; Color; 3:4; SD video
Synopsis: Often we are legitimizing in front of the world through the region in which we are born or the ethnos we belong to. But, in fact, our identity is a complex combination of many different factors.
Cvetan Krastev
Born in 1961 in Varna, Bulgaria. Graduated at the Specialized Secondary School of Fine Arts in Kazanlak in 1981. He works in sphere of the contemporary art: performance, installation, objects, video art and painting. Winner of many awards including: Award for contemporary Bulgarian art, “Unlimited”, Sofia, Bulgaria in 2011. 1999 First prize from the International Biennale of Black and White Drawing, Prague, Czech in 1999. Now he works as a freelance artist.
“The Long Journey of a Snail to the Ocean”
2017; Bulgaria; 00:09:52; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: The Artist was carried a fossil of snail across the Europe. (from its eastern to the most western point)
“Digitalization of analogue message to the Moon”
2017; Bulgaria; 02:13; Color; 16:9; Full HD video
Synopsis: Sending love message to the moon.
Venelin Shurelov (1977, Bulgaria)
Ass. Prof. PhD Venelin Shurélov – Graduated “Scenography” at the National Art Academy, Bulgaria – PhD (2009). Co-founder and professor at the MA program “Digital Arts” National Academy of Arts; co-founder, part of curatorial team and technical organizer of DA Fest – International Digital Art Festival (2009-). Founder of “Subhuman Theatre” (2004) and art group “Via Pontica” (2002-2005). Venelin Shurelov is the author of various interactive installations and performances. In 2011 he realized the cyber lecture “Man Ex Machina”, and in 2016 he direct a durational performance installation “Post-Everything”, as a guest lecturer at Towson University, USA. His projects are multifaceted and include paintings, interactive installations and performance, digital technologies, video and art theory. He has a number of stage design projects, individual and group exhibitions and participations in numerous festivals in Bulgaria, Europe and the United States. Awarded many times for his work in theater and contemporary art. Lives and works in Sofia
“Je Suis Je”
2016; Bulgaria; 00:03:09; B/W; Silent; 16:9; Full HD video
Author Venelin Shurelov (SubHuman Theatre)
Cameraman Vesselin Hristov
Synopsis: This video work brings the character of longtime project of Venelin Shurelov – SubHuman Theatre. It relates on decoding of the language of modern myths and encoding them into new creatures. Venelin Shurelov explores inbetween states of the human body, often putting himself in a position of risk and physical ordeal. The focus is on his own marginalization at the intersection between man and technology, human and subhuman, as a subproduct of the social, political, economic and cultural situation.
About the project
“My Message to the World”
How I told you before I can suggest video project “Message in a Bottle”, which a created with Dedalus Art School – (it is an association working in favour of society which was founded in 2009. Now they are looking for young talents and they are teaching them free of charge, with no fees, in the sphere of sculpture, graphics, music, photography, digital arts, graphic design, cinematography and theatric art).
There are two version of the film: longer 43 min. and shorter 30 min.
Synopsis: The project encompasses young artists between 8 and 22, by developing their creative potential and their awareness of cosmopolitanism. „Message in a bottle” allows children, and older girls and boys of various social and ethnic groups to express their creative vision of universal messages, which by the force of fortune would touch people of different nationalities, united by their closeness to the Black Sea. The use of the innovative practice of connecting the modern communicative approach of the worldwide web through the project’s website and the ancient way of shipwreck survivors’ communicating a message or a call for help with message in a bottle, turn the project into a fresh and quirky attempt to enrich and update arts’ means of expression in Varna.