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Animalistic art on Sofia’s electrical boxes

I imagine the urban environment filled with art, bringing positive mood, artist Aneliya Aleksandrova – Aya, says. She holds a PhD in Fine Arts from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia and is looking for ways to "turn gray walls and facades into colorful murals with messages about preserving nature with its flora and fauna." She has a dream of transforming old electrical boxes in the street into paintings. "In this way, our city will become greener and brighter, carrying part of nature on the walls of buildings. Nature will be closer to us, especially during times of social isolation.”


Aya has called her latest project "Animalistic Art Travelogue", working on the idea of creating an open-air gallery at the backdrop of epidemic measures. "I would like to make people unlock kindness in themselves and rediscover their love for animals. I would like to make their gray everyday life a little more colorful, bringing joyful mood, especially during strict epidemiological measures and social isolation," the artist told Radio Bulgaria.


The work "Friends" embodies the idea of harmonious coexistence between different species, showing a dog, cat, rabbit and bird. Humans must learn to live in understanding and respect for each other just as animals can build friendly relationships with each other, Aneliya says and gives a central place in the composition to one of man's best friends - the dog. The St. Bernard is an avalanche rescue dog but here it is presented as a protector of the European roller, which is a protected species in Bulgaria. A part of nature depicted in a soap bubble is a symbolic reference to the illusory world we live in.

The symbolic idea of free spirit and striving for the creative power of thought and the development of human creativity is seen in the other work entitled "Flight".


"The mission of these animalistic electrical boxes is to make people do good to both animals and humans, protect nature and its animal kingdom," Aneliya Alexandrova, says.

The electrical boxes with the works "Friends" and "Flight" have been realized under the program "Creative Initiatives" with the financial support of the National Culture Fund and are part of the campaign "Colorful Streets" of the Sofia Electricity Distribution Company.

Compiled by: Elena Karkalanova

English: Alexander Markov

Photos: courtesy of Aneliya Aleksandrova


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