Kreative Frustration

At the end of January 2023, Dimitar Shopov, Alina Papazova, Aleksandra Laskova, and Valko Chobanov travel to the seaside village of Varvara on the Black Sea for an artists' residency. They set off without any concrete ideas, art materials, or expectations whatsoever. Upon arrival, they are welcomed by Vitka, the guesthouse host, who expects to meet "normal" artists with brushes and paints. Instead, she receives the playful response that they are conceptual artists.

Soon after arriving, the four begin to sense the invisible presence of creative impotence. It takes them by the hand through deserted bays, streets, and open fields, sharing with them the lonely visions they witness while watching the Green Comet C/2022 E3 pass by Earth. All of this takes place amid the dead beauty of the winter sea.

Before they know it, the four have begun communicating with the "spirit" of creative frustration. Instead of using the traditional séance board, they invent a board game with the telling title "From Kristal to Documenta." Through its ironic and sarcastic approach, the game traces the journey of the contemporary local artist through familiar city parks, galleries, institutions, and interactions with real people, all in pursuit of a successful artistic CV.

The four artists perform the game during the opening on April 25 at the Goethe-Institut, after which it remains in the gallery for exhibition visitors to play. The winners receive handmade keychains made from materials found on the beach.

The present exhibition also features the results of their struggle, whose soundtrack includes one of the hits by the band All Saints, as can be seen in one of their seaside videos. Ultimately, the four leave behind other evidence of their honest and almost childlike engagement with time: found seaside objects, drawings, installations, and video. When they return home, the four nevertheless decide to each paint a painting, following Vitka's advice.

—Miroslav Hristov, 2023