site.btaIslands Within Us Exhibition Reimagines Ivan Milev's Artistic Legacy

The Islands Within Us, a collective exhibition by the Kazanlak Art Gallery, presented as part of the 42nd Apollonia Festival of Arts in Sozopol, explores in a contemporary context the artistic direction set by Ivan Milev in his Like a Seagull, also on display at the festival, exhibition curator Lyuben Malchev told BTA on Saturday.

"The exhibition is, in a sense, a metaphor for those spaces within the artist where there is an inner emigration. The artist withdraws there, immerses himself, creates his own island and names it through art," Malchev said.

The exhibition follows this philosophy and direction through works by contemporary artists, including the late Kosta Denev, as well as Rayna Teneva, Silvia Popova and Polina Stoynova. The three women artists are from Kazanlak (Central Bulgaria). Teneva is representing Bulgaria at this year's Venice Biennale, Malchev said.

Denev's piece was among the first works to catch his attention. "I have to start with him because his work was the first to speak to me when we came to the art gallery, and I simply wanted it to be here," the curator said. He thanked Prof. Iliyan Lalev, who preserved the work and provided it for the exhibition.

According to Malchev, the themes explored by the artists add "further layers to the texts proposed for the exhibition".

The exhibition also seeks to create a particular experience for visitors, the curator said. Although the space is located by the sea, it allows visitors to turn their attention inwards.

"I rather hope that we enter a particular kind of space that is by the sea but has darkened windows. Nevertheless, we know that the sea is opposite us, that it is there. And the visitor can find themselves precisely in this inner space, where they can reflect, search and discover. I think that is a winning formula," Malchev said.

The Apollonia Festival of Arts will run until September 6. It has been held since 1984. 

BTA is a media partner of the festival and took part in its The Price of Success series on September 1, presenting the 12 issues of BTA's LIK magazine published since the previous edition of Apollonia.