Presentation of a sculpture project for urban environment
June 13 June 21, Veska Emanouilova gallery, 15 Yanko Sakazov Blvd.
Wilfrid Almendra is an artist of French and Portuguese origin who lives and works in Marseille. This year, he has been the first artist invited to participate in the new initiative for sculpture residency in Bulgaria, the Sariev+Markov Sculpture Project, which launched in March. The initiative aims at inviting international artists, who will create works of art and will present them in the public space in Bulgaria. This will not only enhance the presence of art in the city, but will also highlight its role for teaching attitude and developing the dialogue with the public. Vaska Emanouilova gallery is a partner in the educational part of the residency and was a co-organiser of a one-day workshop with students, which artist Wilfrid Almendra conducted at the end of March in the form of a long walk from the central part to Sofia’s northernmost residential quarter – Trebich.
Employing various materials, Wilfrid Almendra creates works in which the harmonious eclecticism of the shapes and matter originate from extensive observation, analysis and the artist’s experiences. Almendra is interested not only in the physical, but also in the social and cultural origin of the materials. In his works, they express economic and class relationships, historical motifs, political and cultural characteristics of architecture, etc. Within the sculpture residency in Bulgaria, the author created a new work, the sculpture VLZ310 Later, whose name was borrowed from a lawnmower model, expressing the consumer’s dream of a home and a garden as an embodiment of suburban happiness. The work itself will be exhibited and opened in the urban environment in Sofia in September 2019.
Within the current presentation at Veska Emanouilova gallery, the spectators will be able to familiarise themselves with the drawings and sketches showing the artist’s thought process, as well as with documents and texts about his work. They will also be able to see a short film showing the entire process of creating a work of art, the motivation of different people to support projects for art in the public space and sequences from the workshop held in March.
The event is part of the Sariev+Markov Sculpture Projects initiative of Sariev Gallery and Markovstudio, which is implemented in cooperation with the Art and Public Space programme of Veska Emanouilova gallery, branch of SCAG.
Wilfrid Almendra’s visit to Bulgaria is at the invitation of Sariev Contemporary gallery as part of the Sariev+Markov sculpture projects.
Sariev+Markov Sculpture Projects is a joint initiative of Sariev Contemporary gallery and Markovstudio, which aims at establishing a field for creation and presentation of sculptural projects for the public space, as well as an environment for discussion and development of such projects through various activities (residency, educational module consisting of conversations, workshop, doors open days, as well as exhibition and cooperation with public institutions).
The first of the Sariev+Markov sculpture projects are implemented in partnership with the French Institute, Sofia municipality, Sofia City Art Gallery and its branch Vaska Emanouilova gallery, and the Open Arts foundation.
The project is financed under the Culture programme of Sofia Municipality.