INK, WATER AND SALT: SOFIA DIMITROVA

Sofia Dimitrova is a graphic designer with the soul of an artist and vice versa. After working in advertising, she now focuses on logo and branding details, and is follows her dream of doing this work independently in her own design studio called Fiction Design, which she co-founded with a friend. In addition to pixels, she also loves having contact with natural materials. Recently, she has been working in watercolor, combining ink, water and salt and using a monochrome color range, which she finds more graphic. Though in black and white, the shapes and figures in her work are imbued with a very colorful range of emotions – and that is why we reached out to her.

WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED MATERIAL?

I use traditional materials: ink, charcoal, acrylic and graphite. I like India ink because of the chance nature of this material.

WHY?

I work mostly with ink on paper, and my drawings explore the connections between artistic intent, image, and the use of ink as a means of expressing emotions. Sometimes I just try to capture a specific mood, character or identity, and transfer it onto the canvas. My investigations are in the sphere of the spirit, prompted by states of internal conflict, emotional turmoil, the search for identity.

WHAT ARE THE SILHOUETTES IN YOUR PAINTINGS AND WHO ARE THEY?

These are often real people, acquaintances, myself or models from the life drawings I go to. However, they are always anonymous on paper. The characters in them are both concrete and abstract – they are vague, which allows them to be interpreted in different ways. My work is like a visual diary that reflects my thoughts and impressions.

HOW WOULD YOU DRAW INTIMACY?

I think this would look different for everyone. For me, it is definitely in the details and more in what is hidden than in what is on display.

WHAT IS THE BODY'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND WHAT SHOULD WE USE IT FOR BESIDES AS A COVER FOR THE SOUL?

I find many things absolutely amazing, but I have always really admired the body's ability to regenerate, to change and recover from trauma and pain, whether physical or mental. I remember reading in a Guardian article that each atom in our body is billions of years old. And that hydrogen, the most common element in the universe and a basic element of the body, was produced by the Big Bang. Which means that the components of our bodies are really ancient. We are stardust.

AND WHAT ARE THE MAIN PRECONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE BODY NOWADAYS?

I don't think that things have changed much since the past. Much depends on the specific environment, but we still mostly see perfect bodies in commercial spaces and the media. We are rarely shown people who are overweight, disabled or elderly. The taboos about the imperfections of our bodies and minds are still largely in place. Uncomfortable topics such as mental disorders, women's issues, different sexual orientations, are avoided. Recently there have been more conversations about all of this, and I hope this will lead to positive changes and attitudes towards our bodies, regardless of their shape and size.

ARE THE BODY AND THE MIND OPPOSITES OR PARTNERS?

They are certainly directly linked, which does not prevent us from looking at them as separate units, because they have different needs, so we need to find a balance.

IF YOU COULD SPEND ONE DAY IN THE BODY OF A MAN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I don't think that being a man is a one-day job. There is an interesting film on the subject, based on the performances organized by the artist Diane Torr, Man for a Day. In these performances, women learn not only to dress like a man, but also the behavioral codes, gestures, body language and movement, which make up the performance of masculinity, and they also come face to face with various social norms and see their own gender from a new angle, which leads to interesting results.

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE TOUCHED?

Everything can be touched using the imagination, albeit not physically.