Deputy Minister Kodzhabashev opened the exhibition ‘Indigo’ at the ‘Mission’ Gallery of the State Institute for Culture
21 April 2023 News
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostadin Kodzhabashev opened the exhibition ‘Indigo’ at the ‘Mission’ Gallery of the State Institute for Culture. The project is realized by the artist Valentin Bakardzhiev, who lives in Amsterdam and uses the blue indigo colour to visualize the idea of the interconnection between the Blue Planet and us — its inhabitants. There is also an installation in the exhibition that is the link between two of the artist's main projects — ‘The Big Blue’ and ‘The Butterfly Effect’ — works made from natural materials and special paper.
In his welcome address, Deputy Minister Kodzhabashev pointed out with satisfaction that in recent years the appearances of contemporary Bulgarian artists who have chosen to develop themselves in the world are becoming more frequent in Bulgaria. ‘Valentin Bakardzhiev seems to take us to other realities of the creative search for the blue. The vibrant colour has messages — not only about water, the sky, the planet, but also about human responsibilities that are important today — we all want to have clean air, water, an ecological future. And these are the messages the author sends us with the exhibition so we can think and each of be more responsible’, said Kostadin Kodzhabashev. He congratulated the artist and wished him many new successes, as well as to continue to find such interesting themes with strong socio-economic and environmental messages.
The opening of the exhibition, which can be visited until 4 May, was welcomed by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bulgaria H. E. Simon van der Burg, as well as the Director of the State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs Snezhana Yoveva. They expressed their gratitude to the artist for the interesting project, pointing out that his art contributes to strengthening the cultural dialogue between Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
Among the official guests at the event were also diplomats, art historians, artists. The curator of the project is Dr. Mila Stareishinska-Angelova.
The cultivation of indigo, the extraction of dye and its use as a means of expression is one of the main lines in Valentin Bakardzhiev's work. His life and artistic path starts in Bulgaria, passes through the Dominican Republic and Italy, and reaches the Netherlands, where he has resided for the last 15 years. Today Valentin Bakardzhiev lives in Amsterdam, where he creates and grows indigo from seed in his own organic garden in the city and is part of a worldwide network of indigo growers.
More photos
