Recently unveiled, the permanent exhibition of ceramic works by Bulgaria’s Ivan Kanchev is entitled "Man, where are you? (Night Visions). For his works, the artist has chosen a slightly unusual but relatively communicative place - a space in a furniture factory in Sofia. "In the emergency situation in which we live, more and more opportunities for expression are being abolished. The owner of the factory and I decided that my ceramic works would find their audience among the people who visit his office "- this is how the author motivates the choice of space for his works.

Ivan Kanchev is a famous artist in the field of artistic ceramics, with dozens of participations in solo and group exhibitions. At the end of last year, he presented the book "Artists Talk", dedicated to Bulgarian sculpture in all its manifestations. About the project "Man, where are you?", the artist shares:

"It looks into current issues of present-day existence. Everything is fragmented in ecological, social and political terms. Man is small and naked, confused and defenseless, represented with outstretched arms and outstretched legs - in a poetic-artistic crucifixion. Man has turned into an object-subject, a centre and a periphery, a meaning and a path.”

The exhibition was presented at the end of September in one of the most prestigious European specialized ceramics magazines Ceramics Now Magazine by Vasi Hirdo, founder and editor-in-chief of the Romanian-based publication. According to the text of the publication, this project is a kind of call to return to natural life, to seek and uphold the essential in art.

The project "Man, where are you?" associates sculptures with functional vessels, through a mosaic technique. Thus, it seeks universality, while preserving national traditions, the edition writes.

Compiled by Albena Bezovska

English Rossitsa Petcova

Photos: private library and Ivan Kunchev