At a time when nature awakens for a new life cycle, Le Papillon Art Gallery and Le Petit Papillon Art Gallery welcome "Primavera" from April 10th to 29th with the first joint exhibition in Varna of two ladies who have become a successful tandem. We present to you the sculptural forms of white chamotte and crystal glass of Prof. Dr. Anna Tsolovska and the paintings of Prof. Dr. Bisera Valeva, lecturers at the Department of Visual Arts at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Arts of Sofia University.
Spring, symbolizing a new cycle, a beginning, an awakening of the senses and mind, is a distinct symbol and a frequently used metaphor not only in art. The unifying motto in this exhibition is interpreted in a completely different way in the work of the two artists. Using different means of expression, but with a similar sense for delicacy and tenderness, they reveal their delight and amazement at the inimitable perfection of nature, building their own artistic world.
In Anna Tsolovska's sculptures, the liberation of form is the leading theme, but also the symbiosis and counterbalance of plasticity, the density of terracotta as a material and the fragility and ethereality of crystal blown glass. Just as the delicate, weak, unprotected embryo is born from the hardness of the earth to develop into a strong and energetic continuation of life, so her works refer to the meaning of the cycle of life, to the perfect balance of natural laws. The ambiguity of the forms of her sculptures creates the suggestion of non-manipulation of the image, of the primary genesis of flora and fauna. The white color, in harmony with the transparency of the crystal, additionally carries information about purity and innocence.
Blooming flowers are the emblem of "Primavera" in the watercolors and oil paintings of Bisera Valeva. The large format of the free watercolors on high-class German cotton paper hyperbolizes the impact of color to create the physical sensation of a scent of freshness and new life. The gentle spill of pigment with water sends the thought to intoxicating gardens, where the fragrance floats in the air and awakens the human, and not only, vital energy. We perceive a striving for light and self-absorption through almost meditative contemplation in the picturesque canvases of Bisera Valova, where pastel softness dominates, achieved through smoothly flowing tones. Spring and the renewal of life are present in her watercolors, in her seascapes, but also in female figures - another categorical symbol of the rebirth of life.
Complementing each other in their differences, the two artists share their personal concept for the exhibition:
Anna Tsolovska: "For me, Primavera is the primary energy of movement, of growth, an inarticulate delight of awakening and revival. Of course, I associate it with flowers. The "flower" metaphor is everywhere, but like a crystal, as if illuminated by light, both powerful and primitive and not yet colored by reality. I chose to make my sculptures from terracotta and crystal glass. Terracotta is an earthy, strong material. With it, I could express the movement awakening at the end of winter. The forms are organic, bending, pushing to define themselves. And with crystal I made the flowers. These are projections of flowers. That way they are eternal and do not wither. That way they are forever pure and transparent like water, like wetness, shine and radiance. They accept the light into themselves and scatter it. In the forms of these sculptures, you can feel aroma and predation, but at the same time they are also just ideas and everyone can fill them with their own imagination. I also show three graphics that correspond to the sculpture collection. One is of flowers and springs, the other of an alien meteorite that, crashing into the Earth, causes spring and unbridled growth, and the third is the sunset-lit "Predatory Flowers" taking over the world with their vitality.“
Bisera Valeva: "Primavera - that's the name of a very well-known and controversial painting from the end of the 15th century - Spring by Sandro Botticelli. At first glance, this work is dedicated to the birth, the new breeze, flowers and love. However, looking between the lights and shadows, traces of the past are discovered.
The works in this exhibition, in addition to the charge of a new beginning, also contain the memory of the salt rocks and the bays at the beginning of the season. They are also pieces of the sea and cool evenings, leaves, lilies in the water mirrors, boats on the shore waiting for new trips and meetings, no matter whether they will be only imaginary, tulips in the Balchik gardens... Pablo Neruda said about this state of air and spirit:
"... I love you the way,
as one loves a mystery,
secretly, between the night and the soul".
This is the state of embodied expectation, of what is experienced in the blooming magnolias – without leaves, with only the triumph of the flower, fragile as the feeling itself. And perhaps the coming spring is both hope and everything that has already happened, but we really want it to continue.
Welcome to the exhibition opening on 10.04.2025 /Thursday/ from 6:00 p.m. in the exhibition spaces of Le Papillon Art Gallery for a unique welcome to spring in color and form!
