MARIA NALBANTOVA: BRIGHT IDEAS FOR DARK DAYS
Among young contemporary artists in Bulgaria, Maria Nalbantova's work stands out with its close connection to the natural world.
Among young contemporary artists in Bulgaria, Maria Nalbantova's work stands out with its close connection to the natural world. She first became known for her visual pop-up book White Bears for Black Days / Black Bears for White Days (2016, published by Tochitsa), and along with her work as an illustrator, she has become an increasingly recognizable name in the contemporary art space.
Detail from Maria Nalbantova's work in a group exhibition of nominees for the BAZA award, 2019, Sofia City Art Gallery
Her first solo exhibition was a year ago – Weather Forecast in Vaska Emanouilova Gallery. As the title suggests, the show explores the metaphors that link nature and climate, both impossible to tame, and the pressure difference between our environment and ourselves.
From the exhibition Weather forecast, Vaska Emanuilova Gallery, 2018
"Then I was part of the exhibition C (carbon) in the Red Dot gallery. The work featured there was related to nature and art, I used embroidery and herbarium practices, but also included plastic bags and canvases torn from their frame.
Detail from the group exhibition C (carbon), 2019, Red Dot gallery
Maria was also among the nominees for the BAZA award for young contemporary artists, which traditionally ends with a group exhibition at the Sofia City Art Gallery. "My work for BAZA consists of interconnected segments, which are made up of old or used construction tools and materials, painted over with plant elements, photography and herbarium elements. In this work, I look at the connections between creation, destruction, and responsibility. It's an ironic look at the instrumentalization that happens between human beings, as well as between man and his environment."
"Reusable," part of the BAZA nominee group exhibition, 2019, Sofia City Art Gallery
The herbarium, a collection of dried plants, entered her practice a year ago.
“I have been collecting plants from different places for a long time. I started inserting them into my notebooks with my drawings and thoughts, sometimes I also include them in the drawings. Then I made my own plant presses and started archiving. Maybe it's a kind of archiving until it becomes an investigation. When a plant is prepared for the herbarium, it mummifies, it becomes an artifact, a document. It's very interesting, because working with it makes it seem like you can rearrange time.
From the exhibition Weather forecast, Vaska Emanuilova Gallery, 2018
Her latest exhibit is Good Mirrors Are Not Cheap (at the Goethe Institute starting October 2), alongside Martin Penev, Sevda Semer, Ina Valentinova and Stela Vassileva, organized by visiting curator Chiara Cartuccia. She will present her work "Dry Hands," in which she draws parallels between the routines of daily hygiene and washing as a strategy for overcoming our fears, doubts and mistakes.
Detail from Maria Nalbantova's work as part of the BAZA nominee group exhibition, 2019, Sofia City Art Gallery
Meanwhile, Maria will see where her intuition and curiosity will take her next.
"I have been working on an idea for some time now, which I have not shown in public so far, it is still in progress and I do not know what it will turn into. I make collages of herbaria, drawings and photographs. It's a very personal work, I am including ideas and topics that excite me at the moment. It's still a very intuitive process and it's hard to explain it... "
While we wait for Maria to finish her latest project, we can look of some her older work. You can find it at www.behance.net/omno