Interview with Ivan Kanchev
Ivan Kanchev was born on 17 September 1973 in Ruse. In 2000 he graduated in Ceramics from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia, and in 2006 - in Psychology from the Angel Kanchev University in Ruse. He defended his doctoral thesis in art history and fine arts at the Department of Sculpture. In 2010-2011 he was a lecturer in sculpture at the Department of Ceramics of the National Academy of Arts. Ivan has had dozens of solo exhibitions of his works and participated in many group exhibitions in Bulgaria and in prestigious forums in Italy, Spain, Japan, Poland, Denmark, France, Belgium, Slovenia, Greece, Switzerland, China, Austria, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, Canada, USA, etc. He has won over 35 national and international awards (Art of Unity Creative Award, New York (2021); GOLD LIST Special Edition - The best contemporary artists of today (2021), 2022); "Donatello Award" (Florence, Italy) of the EFETO ARTE Foundation (2023), Collectors Art Prize of the Contemporary Art Curator Magazine (2023), "Lorenzo the Magnificent Award" of the XIV FLORENCE BIENNALE 2023, Award of the MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS - MOA 2023). His works are in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. In addition, he is the author of curatorial projects and several books on sculpture and ceramics. He has been featured in numerous prestigious contemporary art magazines (GOLD LIST, Art Market Magazine, The Woven Tale Press, Ceramics Now, Al-Tiba9, Aesthetica, CONTEMPORARY ART CURATORS, etc.).
He currently teaches at the Department of Sculpture at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia.
Can you share with us what initially inspired you to become an artist and how your background has influenced your artistic journey?
The root cause is the need. The gift. The need to make something with my hands. I work all day in the art studio. Several works at the same time to gain time. Only with hard work can you develop originality, if it's built in. Perhaps inspiration is images (works) appearing in the mind, which means I am constantly inspired.
I hold on to my origins and roots so that there is foundation and integrity, a future and meaning.
There is always a sense of national specificity in great art, which in a country like Bulgaria with a thousand years of history is extremely diverse. It is valuable when we can talk about Italian Renaissance, Thracian art, Spanish painting or American abstraction.
I look into the ancient cultures of the Bulgarian lands, not to transfer images and motifs, but to find universal principles that I can apply today, to modernize, to develop. Bulgaria is extremely rich in prehistory. Characteristic of the Neolithic is the use of naturalness of materials, primal expressiveness, symbolism. What is important is the deep plan of the works, which are extremely vital. Amazing in antiquity are the completeness and the scale of philosophical conception. Technologically, my ceramic "canvases" develop the technique of black neolithic sculpture and black Thracian pottery, but as painting, through the mosaic technique. Usually black ceramics and sculpture are associated with black coloured objects.
The blurring of boundaries and the mixing of approaches, genres, types and materials is very characteristic of our times. In search of universality I am before and now, in the past and in the present and in the future. Purely formally, I am trying to create new universal forms. That is why my works are simultaneously objects, sculptures, reliefs, mosaics, panels, vessels, walls, structure, architecture, paintings. They are conceived as a kind of installation, including graphic moments, drawings, reliefs, photographs, elements of machines. They have the atmosphere of paintings. They are nocturnal, as if in a dream, like visions. They are total.
Could you walk us through your creative process? How do you approach the inception of a new piece, and what are the key stages in your workflow?
I don't like to explain my work. I define myself as an intuitive artist. I accept that instinct surpasses knowledge. For me, conceptual understanding always follows the image. I see the works ready in my mind like in a picture - with details and with colors. All I do is materialize the image that has appeared. I do not improvise. Only when I see an image do I start working. In the process of creation, other ideas naturally follow. On certain occasions I leave the work in reality different from what I saw in my mind. And isn't that improvisation?
Purely technically, the process is slow and complicated. When I build a sculpture, I cut it into hundreds of small fragments that I color, fire, smoke, and burn. Then, through numbering, I join them together to re-form the whole. I use primitive technology. I dig my own clay. I bake in a trap, in an open fire. It is a pleasure to gather firewood in the forest, to wash the burnt pottery in the river. This tactile contact with fire, water - nature - is supreme.
How do you reflect on your journey to becoming an award-winning artist, and what do these accolades mean to you personally and professionally?
For me, the main thing has never been to prove myself to colleagues and close people, to make a professional career or to win an award. The need to make something with my hands is a pure foundation for creativity that is a must. If I don't work for a long time, a lot of tension builds up that can be destructive. It is divine that a building grows out of nothing, a chair or a female figure appears.
I appreciate the awards. I am thankful for the attention. They are like a kind word or an outstretched hand. They encourage. They support. Professionally, they are an indicator of achievement, but the most formidable and fair judge is the time.
How has your artistic style evolved over the years, and what key experiences or influences have driven this evolution?
As I mentioned, the leading thing is the intuition. I work on impulse. I recreate what I feel inside, what I naturally want to create. In general my development is unintentional - smooth and consistent. Step by step I follow the images. This also applies to my research and curatorial projects.
I have a liberal attitude towards ceramics - a material to work with that you can express yourself in contemporary art. There are three distinct stages of development in my work, during which I changed my vision three times in search of a diverse form.
Since my student years, I am the author of works for the sighted and blind, which is a new field for the native reality. In this direction I published two works of research. I contributed to the expansion of the tactile perception of art. Spiritually, I also involved the other part of the audience - the blind. In a second stage, from pieces and outgrowths of clay as with plastic strokes (glued with schlecker), I built forms, objects, large-scale constructions with a variety of relief, beyond the traditional understanding, interesting for tactile perception. In this way I opposed the monolithic construction of form and relief, very characteristic of the years of socialism.
The turning point for stage three that I mentioned earlier turned out to be my overwhelming desire to use the black (grey) Neolithic and Thracian pottery technique, but I didn't have any refractory clay available that didn't crack under thermal shock. I ruined many sculptures in unsuccessful attempts outside the kiln with the smoking of the pottery, before I was enlightened by the idea that I could cut the forms into fragments to color them, by smoking and firing. This solution turned out to be a hit. A great find! I also solved the technical problem of baking large format pieces (for which I didn't have a kiln available). I can now, with hundreds of ceramic fragments, make up shapes, objects, constructions, structures of unlimited size.
What impact do you hope your art has on your audience, and what messages or themes do you aim to convey through your work?
The most important thing is the impact of the work. It has to draw you in, speak to you in some way. I insist on a tactile aesthetic. I use the suggestive power of the materials. It's amazing the power, freedom and unadulteratedness with which fire paints. I guard against self-purposeful provocation. In my search for innovation, I do not take the approach of contemporary artists who play with kitsch and seduction, with bad taste and deleteriousness recognized as a kind of authenticity.
Thematically, it turns out that the three stages of my development (unintentionally) cling to themes of a social and philosophical nature. (Which reveals that I am a socially and philosophically minded person). In the last stage the messages are indirectly related to the meaning of life, to the direction of development of the civilization. I touch upon the ecological theme not for selfish purposes, but because I am truly concerned about Mother Earth.
At the centre of my work is man, full of contradictions. He is small, naked and defenceless. Center, periphery and path. He searches, runs away, strives to find the meaning of life, harmony and happiness.
Of all the works you have created, do you have a personal favorite? If so, could you tell us why it holds a special place for you?
All works are precious to me. These are my children. My work is a sacred area. I don't compromise, driven by commercial goals. If we are talking about a personal favorite, it is not determined by merit, but by the situation of its creation.
Only now did I realize that the work " Plate - Passing" was worked in three locations (two towns and one village). Art is not bigger than life! During the summer my children and I live in the countryside. We go to visit their grandmother. In order not to interrupt my creative plans I took the work with me, tied on the top of the trunk of the car. (And it measures about two by two meters). I finished it on time because we drove all over Bulgaria with it.
At the beginning of my development I didn't have a big art studio. I worked on the terrace of the apartment. And in my soul there was a desire to create large-format works. In order to achieve this goal (even though I didn't have the usual access to work), I set up a large disc as wide as the studio. I modelled it without distance, moving over it on my hands and feet.
I will never forget the spontaneous reaction of a blind child at the school for the blind in Sofia when he picked up my object to read the braille inscription written on it. It was an emotional reaction on my part too, because until that moment I had doubted the success of what I was doing.
How has exhibiting your work internationally influenced your perspective as an artist? In showcasing your art around the world, have you discovered any universal themes or emotions that resonate across different cultures?
Participations create contacts. They naturally lead to new professional challenges. Internationally, the scale and the level are great (Bulgaria is not at the centre of world processes). You can actually see where you are in a global context. This is a very important recognition, which in a way determines the interest of collectors.
The main theme nowadays is the theme of prehistory. It is related to man's relationship to nature. Unfortunately in our time this relationship has been disturbed, even to a great extent broken, which will lead to great suffering, perhaps to self-destruction.
At my last participation in the Florence Biennale, I was impressed by the enthusiasm and diligence, the trepidations and ambitions of exhibitors from all over the world, which is very encouraging.
In your opinion, what role does art play in society today, and how can it contribute to cultural and social development?
The main role of art is educational. The meaning of life is to do good! Everything else in foundation and perspective is vanity and chasing the wind. It takes a lot of combined effort, cultural policy, strategies, patience, time for art to play its fruitful role.
I like the topical environmental themes of our time, but they should not be imposed as a criterion and a pledge for success, because they remind me of communism, where thematic compositions are a guarantee of value and rapid career development. Art is based on freedom, individuality and diversity. It is valuable when the work is original, when it creates a parallel world. The work must be artistic, seen in the broadest sense.
What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting out and aspire to achieve international recognition?
Art is the road to Calvary! Dedication is needed. A great result requires a great sacrifice!
Are there any new projects or directions you are currently exploring or plan to explore in the near future?
A joint curatorial project in the gallery of the Ministry of Culture is coming up on my idea, which will pay tribute to my teacher - Nikola Terziev. A great sculptor for Bulgarian art, with his own understanding of sculpture. United around minimalism, the exhibition will feature Bulgarian leading artists.
Before the new year, I will start a research related to medieval art in the Bulgarian lands, with which I will create a new cycle that I should present to the public at the end of 2024. In parallel, I will continue working on the cycle "Night Visions. Man,where are you?" I am doing an experiment for myself on how many variations (with different impact) I could create. In the works, as a new moment, I will include childhood drawings of my daughters and photographs taken by my wife.
