Art outside the box, interweaving past with present. Art outside the gallery, making life more beautiful and contemplative. That is how the art by Kyustendil artist Evgeni Serafimov and his students from the New Masters art school can be described. Through the years, projects of theirs have featured frescoes on the walls of the homes of Bulgarians in Bosilegrad, Serbia, an iconostasis as well as street art in Kyustendil. In just a few hours’ time, in the spirit of Epiphany (6 January), Evgeni Serafimov is going to create his latest land-art work – an ice sculpture in the shape of a crucifix.

“It is art that comes from nature, stands in nature and then vanishes in nature without disputing its balance,” the artist says for the BNR.

The ice cross will be placed near a body of water in the environs of Kyustendil, or in a mountain stream in the area, depending on the temperatures. The ice pieces from the chosen location will be arranged inside a metal construction 2.50 by 2 metres in size, which will keep the sculpture together.

The project called “Art without a carbon footprint”, which Serafimov calls “crucified ice”, is taking place with the support of the Culture national fund under the Socially Engaged Art programme. The entire process will be videoed, tracing the process of how the ice figure melts and returns to the water.

What will happen to the “crucified ice” depends on the natural and weather conditions. Global warming and the decrease in drinking water in the world is what inspires Evgeni in his art. The fact he chose Epiphany to present his ice sculpture gives food for thought – about Christianity, about the circle of life, about resurrection, the artist explains.

Editing by Vessela Krasteva