Xylograms
October 9th - 25th 2019
“Xylograms” — a graphic exhibition of the recently departed artist Vassil Popov (1958-2018) — opens on October 9 in Stubel Gallery, Sofia. The exposition is curated by Philip Zidarov.
Born in Gabrovo, Vassil Popov graduated from SofiaHigh School of Art in 1977. His name appeared on the art scene with his first solo exhibition in 1989. Shortly thereafter,Popov established himself as one of the most original graphic artists in Bulgaria working with color woodcuts. A joint exhibitionwith the sculpture of Stefan Lyutakov, shown at the Sofia Art Gallery in 1996, solidified his reputation.
In an interview, the author states: "Wood engraving is a truly exquisite technique that (despite the apparent limitations of the medium) provides tremendous opportunities for expression. It is emotional and eloquent. It is perfect in its simplicity. I would say it is sad, too. You will immediately ask why. The answer to this question is very simple: sad, because it requires the felling of a fruit-bearing tree. And this could be justified if the well-polished wooden blocks produce other fruits of the same vital value."
In addition to his more than 20 solo exhibitions in Bulgaria, Serbia, France, Germany and Italy, Vassil Popov has participated in a host of international graphic forums, including: The Biennale of Graphics in Sarcelles, France, The International Biennial of Graphic Arts in Belgrade, Intergraphy in Katowice, the Ljubljana International Biennial of Graphic Arts and in the Yamanashi Art Museum, Japan.
He won the First Prize in Graphics from the Autumn Salon in Sofia in 1994 and has received awards from the International Triennial of Graphics in Sofia (1995) and the International Triennial for Wood Engraving in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia (1995), as well as the First Prize in the Handicap Competition, Centrum OBRA (1996).
The exhibition in Stubel Gallery displays colorful wood engravings from different series, created by Vassil Popov over more than 20 years.
The author
Vassil Popov (1958-2018)
