Nedko Solakov
Shit, Shit, Pearl
Artist
Nedko Solakov
(1957, Cherven Bryag), Bulgarian
Original Title
Shit, Shit, Pearl
Date1990
Mediumwhite ink, graphite, PVC, staples and black paint on plywood
Dimensions97 × 97 cm
Classificationspaintings
Credit LineKunsthalle Praha
DescriptionNedko Solakov is an internationally acclaimed Bulgarian artist known for his narrational installations which intertwine his personal life experiences with history and fiction. An essential component of his work is written word, which is incorporated into drawings and paintings, as well as installations. Such texts do not merely accompany the visual dimension of Solakov‘s work—rather, they represent a fundamental and autonomous feature of its expression. Many of his works are created as commentary on the absurd social and political situation in post-Soviet Bulgaria, allowing him to highlight the importance of moral principles such as responsibility, authenticity, and honesty. Most pieces contain an air of humor and subtle poetry, while some are dominated by irony and self-deprecation. One of his most iconic works is Top Secret (1990), presented at Documenta 12. Two wooden drawers with drawings, texts, and collages referred to the author’s cooperation with communist Bulgaria’s secret police during his youth, between 1978 and 1981. While the drawers do not share any truly compromising information, the act of self-exposure spotlights the fact that communist Bulgaria’s secret service files continue to remain inaccessible to the public. The piece thus demonstrates the specifics of post-socialist Europe and helps viewers understand the local context.
Similarly, the painting Shit, Shit, Pearl (1990) was also created shortly after the revolution and the fall of the Iron Curtain. The black, monochromatic, thickly coated piece contains narrational, existentially themed texts in English and Bulgarian, addressing the potential of art and money in relation to the meaning of human life. Solakov’s view departs from collective post-revolutionary optimism and exposes the shortsightedness of a mass elation which does not yet comprehend the negative aspects of the new era.
Nedko Solakov (*1957, Cherven Bryag) studied mural painting at the National Academy of Art in Sophia during an era when countries of the Eastern Bloc were culturally isolated from the West. Already during his studies, he started to create small narrational images which represented an antithesis to heroic socialist art of the time. His subtle irony and political content disclose a gradual loss of faith in socialism. From the mid-1980s onward, Solakov departed from traditional painting and began experimenting with assemblages and polyptychs, as well as extensive series of drawings which channeled his feelings of delusion. In 1988, Solakov and his peers partook in the legendary exhibition The City. Here, under the guidance of art critic Filip Zidarov, they abandoned painterly practices and began to explore the possibilities of spatial installations. The relatively loose cultural politics of the time allowed Solakov to spend five months studying at the Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp from 1985 to 1986. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain, he embarked on a flurry of residencies and exhibitions at institutions around the world. Solakov’s work has been shown at numerous international exhibitions. He partook in the Venice Biennale six times, as well as in Documenta 12 and 13. In 2007, he received an honorable mention at the 52nd Venice Biennale for an installation thematizing his personal commentary on the Bulgarian-Russian controversy over the ongoing production of Kalashnikov rifles in Bulgarian factories resulting from the persistent tradition of labor division based on the long-expired Warsaw Pact signed by countries of the former Eastern Bloc. From 2011 to 2012, his retrospective All in Order, with Exceptions, was on display at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, the Fondazione Galleria Civica in Trento, the SMAK in Gent, and the Fundação de Serralves in Porto.
Similarly, the painting Shit, Shit, Pearl (1990) was also created shortly after the revolution and the fall of the Iron Curtain. The black, monochromatic, thickly coated piece contains narrational, existentially themed texts in English and Bulgarian, addressing the potential of art and money in relation to the meaning of human life. Solakov’s view departs from collective post-revolutionary optimism and exposes the shortsightedness of a mass elation which does not yet comprehend the negative aspects of the new era.
Nedko Solakov (*1957, Cherven Bryag) studied mural painting at the National Academy of Art in Sophia during an era when countries of the Eastern Bloc were culturally isolated from the West. Already during his studies, he started to create small narrational images which represented an antithesis to heroic socialist art of the time. His subtle irony and political content disclose a gradual loss of faith in socialism. From the mid-1980s onward, Solakov departed from traditional painting and began experimenting with assemblages and polyptychs, as well as extensive series of drawings which channeled his feelings of delusion. In 1988, Solakov and his peers partook in the legendary exhibition The City. Here, under the guidance of art critic Filip Zidarov, they abandoned painterly practices and began to explore the possibilities of spatial installations. The relatively loose cultural politics of the time allowed Solakov to spend five months studying at the Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp from 1985 to 1986. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain, he embarked on a flurry of residencies and exhibitions at institutions around the world. Solakov’s work has been shown at numerous international exhibitions. He partook in the Venice Biennale six times, as well as in Documenta 12 and 13. In 2007, he received an honorable mention at the 52nd Venice Biennale for an installation thematizing his personal commentary on the Bulgarian-Russian controversy over the ongoing production of Kalashnikov rifles in Bulgarian factories resulting from the persistent tradition of labor division based on the long-expired Warsaw Pact signed by countries of the former Eastern Bloc. From 2011 to 2012, his retrospective All in Order, with Exceptions, was on display at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, the Fondazione Galleria Civica in Trento, the SMAK in Gent, and the Fundação de Serralves in Porto.
