NEVER ROBERTA
Tekla Alexieva and
Iskra Blagoeva

Curator: dr Lyuben Domozetsky
01.06 - 25.06.2022 г.

 
The exhibition NEVER ROBERTA presents two female artists - Tekla Alexieva and Iskra Blagoeva. Each of them belongs to a different generation, the age difference between the two is not small, they are known to a different type of audience, they have worked in a different socio-cultural context. Tekla Alexieva is primarily known for her illustrations for the covers of the Galaktika series of science fiction literature. Iskra Blagoeva is particularly popular among younger audiences and is an artist with a strong presence in Bulgarian contemporary art. The meeting between the painting of the two is a meeting of two different generations, of two eras. But it is not a chance meeting. A web of invisible threads connects the work of the two artists, bringing their artistic language closer. At first glance, what unites them both is their attitude to reality and the recreation of this reality in their works. An eye-catching realism is clearly present in the painting of both. It has different dimensions. Sometimes it is just a matter of volumetric and plastic construction. Other times it is about unexpected elements of everyday life and the world around us, carefully selected, composed and recreated with great attention to detail.
Combining the paintings of both artists in one exhibition allows for interesting comparisons, revealing common directions. It is in the juxtaposition that Iskra's art stands out so classically and Tekla's sounds so contemporary. Themes and images that have excited both of them emerge: the self-portrait, the femme fatale, the cat, everyday life... The exhibition includes works created on different occasions, works with a separate story behind each one. Some of the works are completely unknown, others have participated in numerous exhibitions. One painting, namely "Judith", Iskra Blagoeva painted especially for the present project. This work brings together the best of the artist's style, outlining the broad perimeter of themes that interest her - ideas of self-image, biblical references, violence, domination, roles in society and interiors in the style of New Objecthood. This "New Objectness" appears clearly in Tekla Alexieva's work. The work "Reis" (1989) was created at the time of transition during the change of two socio-political systems, marking changes occurring in life and, looked at today, some 30 years after its creation, this work continues to excite with the contemporary sound of its artistic language, reminding us that everything new is an old well forgotten.
The styles of both artists, each with a distinct individuality, flow in the exhibition from photorealism in the representation of everyday life gathered in a backseat in Tekla's work, to a transcendence in the cold carnation of the figures in Iskra's. I believe the juxtaposition of artists from different generations and their presentation in a joint exhibition provides a direction for interesting reflections. The current project is a reminder that the pendulum of the quest to recreate reality swings evenly, measuring transitions and generations.
Dr. Luben Domozetsky, Curator

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