The Exhibition “At Least Four Hugs A Day, At Least 30 Seconds Each” By Artists Maya Spasova and Iris Dittler Was Presented at the Mission Gallery
On 2nd April, the exhibition “At Least Four Hugs A Day, At Least 30 Seconds Each” by artists Maja Spasova and Iris Dittler was presented at the Mission Gallery. The exhibition is organized jointly with the Austrian Cultural Forum – Sofia. The opening was attended by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Radi Naydenov, who served as Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Austria from 2005 until 2012.
In his welcome speech, Deputy Minister Naydenov expressed his gratitude for showcasing a collection of artistic works, "something that has always connected people. Art brings us together. Art always carries in it a reason for reflection, and when a person thinks, a person is alive. We are all collectively responsible for the present day, as we are for the future. Let us continue to grow more active, more alive, and become true citizens of a democratic society, and of a strong Europe," Deputy Minister Naydenov said. He drew attention to the rich Austrian architectural heritage in the Bulgarian capital, as well as the direct ties between the two countries in the period of modernization of the Bulgarian state following its Liberation.
Welcoming speeches were also delivered by Mr. Yavor Koynakov, Acting Director of the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Antonia Bierbaumer, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum – Sofia. Mr. Yavor Koynakov defined the exhibition as a study of "one of the most elementary, and yet most radical human actions - the act of touch. Maja Spasova and Iris Dittler create a space in which the body becomes the center of presence," Mr. Koynakov said. He expressed his gratitude for the recently established Austrian Cultural Forum - Sofia, which has been supporting the promotion and development of Austrian and European culture in our country for over a year now. Lastly, Ms. Antonia Bierbaumer, Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum - Sofia, identified closeness and human contact as the leading themes of the presented exhibition. In her speech, which she delivered entirely in Bulgarian, she noted how "in a digital world, this exhibition reminds us of how important touch and contact are. It is particularly important for the Austrian Cultural Forum that this project represents a cultural bridge between artists from Austria and Bulgaria, between art and the audience, as well as between us people," she added.
“At Least Four Hugs A Day, At Least 30 Seconds Each” combines installations, paintings, drawings and videos. The works explore the role of touch and touch as an integral part of human existence. The exhibition offers a renewed exploration of the threads that connect us – the threads between ourselves and the other and between art and its audience. Through their works, Maya Spasova and Iris Dittler immerse viewers in a sensory experience where the boundaries between self and other merge. They invite visitors to engage physically, embracing tactility as both a mode of perception and a form of resistance. Through photographs, drawings, installations and performative interventions, the exhibition explores the phenomenology of touch, encompassing themes of longing, love, loneliness and alienation. How does touch shape our understanding of ourselves and others? How do we experience closeness in a world where distance is both imposed and removed by technology? And can touch become a form of healing with transformative potential? You may find more information about the exhibition in an interview by the artists for the Bulgarian National Radio - BNR here.
Maya Spasova has been featured in international exhibitions and festivals such as the Venice Biennale, ARTEC Nagoya, Dak’art Senegal. She has had over 100 solo exhibitions in art museums and galleries in Europe and abroad. Her work can be described as a collection of different systems and parameters that meet temporarily to create new spaces. In her videos, performances and installations, Maya Spasova creates both intimacy and fruitful disorder.
In her practice, Iris Dittler in turn explores the complex interaction between bodies and their environments. Her "performative objects" - made of glass, wool, latex and metal - act as tools that explore bodily space, revealing new perspectives. Rooted in the physical-psychological context and the history of medicine, her work challenges conventional understandings of the body, inviting deeper reflection on its perception and limits.
The exhibition can be viewed until May 7 at the "Mission" gallery at the State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs, from Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00.