“Untitled”

Original acrylic on fiberboard painting by the Bulgarian/American artist, Iliyan Ivanov. Signed, and dated verso, 2012. Untitled. This painting is part of the “Memories of Unfinished Melodies” series. Condition: Very good.

Biography taken from Rikka Arts
Artistic expression has always been an alternative way to share my thoughts and emotions. I remember vividly playing "the drawing game" with my grandfather; we would start with ten sheets of paper and whoever completed first his share of animal pictures without repeating a drawing was the winner. Nothing could compare to the joy of such a win. Throughout my school years I frequently drew illustrations as a complement to my literature assignments - from "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Alice in Wonderland" to classical novels and science-fiction books. It was like retelling the stories with images but taking it even further and creating my own illustrative narrative.

I view my art as a personal landscape where mundane objects are subject to new interpretations and previously unseen associations unfold. The transformation of meanings in response to changing surroundings is an underlying motif in my work. This requires an ongoing artistic exploration of contradictory concepts that coexist in the pictures I create - for instance the illusion of movement versus the static nature of the painted image or the dual role of the picture as a component of a larger composition and as a finished solitary object of art.

My inspirations often stem from scientific and philosophical concepts. My interest is in the artistic interpretation of theories, derived from robust logical methods, and metaphoric rethinking of hypotheses that suggest ideas relevant to everyday life. Such exploration tends to illustrate and highlight the emotional shaping of human responses to the interaction between the mind and the corporeal world. Focusing upon these interactions can facilitate the artist's immersion in the moment, illuminating the here and now. It is this experience that I struggle to trace and commemorate in my work.

Another source of inspiration for me is music. Being a musician myself I have always been fascinated by the emotional dialogue that takes place between the musicians and the audience in a live musical performance. Translating the intensity and the dynamic of such a performance into the "frozen" images of my pictures has been a lifelong goal. For me the interplay of figurative and abstract imagery is analogous to a musical improvisation over classical scales - one can begin and end in the same key but the journey always takes different paths.

In my latest works I have been exploring different materials and mediums - linen and canvas, paper, wood, cardboard and window blinds. The media and techniques used in the creative process reflect the underlying artistic concept - the mixture of "incompatible" pigments with different viscosity and solubility results in unpredictable interactions that "spill" from one picture to the next. This idea is amplified by neighboring realistic images and collages with expressive, more abstract brush strokes - a juxtaposition that prepares the viewer for the unexpected. It also requires that the viewer "complete" the artwork by "connecting the dots" and "filling in the blanks" in their mind thus bringing into life personalized versions of their own.

Vassily Kandinsky once wrote: "Art is a path every man must walk. Every man must walk it creatively (whether actively or passively). And there is no spiritually mature man who does not need this path or manage to avoid it." To me it seems that the effort to actively walk this path will be the most rewarding one.

Iliyan Ivanov

SELECTED SHOWS:
2019
NYART Inaugural group show
2018
Art from the Boros, group show, Denise Bibro Fine Arts, New York, NY
The Forrest of Grimm, one-man show, Gitler & ___ gallery, New York, NY
Plain Air, 8th annual group show and artist residence, Municipal Hall, Sozopol BG
2017
Clio Art Fair, New York, NY
Fridge Art Fair, New York, NY
Winter Salon, group show, Thomas Jaeckel gallery, New York, NY
Thru the Rabbit Hole Nation V, group show, Sideshow gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Safe Space, 10th Annual group show for the Openings collective, presenter and co-curator
St Paul the Apostle, New York, NY
2016
Oasis, pop-up jazz lounge and group art show, Gitler & ____ gallery, New York, NY
Winter Group Show, group show, Thomas Jaeckel gallery, New York, NY
Thru the Rabbit Hole, group show, Sideshow gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2015
Fridge Art Fair, Miami Art Basel, Miami, FL
International Biennial Art, presented by Paul Cabezas, Miami FL
Cross Narratives and Other Stories II, two-man show Molly Krom gallery, New York, NY
Cross Narratives and Other Stories, two-man show, chashama, New York, NY
2014
Biennial Art Fair, Nina Torres gallery, Miami, FL
Hispanic Benevolent Society Group Show, New York, NY
Paintings and Sculptures, Winter Salon group show, Thomas Jaeckel gallery, New York, NY
2013
First Person, Plural, Openings collective group show, presenter and co-curator,
St Francis College, Brooklyn, NY
One of a Kind, original artist’s books group show, AC Art Institute, New York, NY
2012
Frenzy into Folly, St. Paul 5th annual group show, New York, NY
Art in Embassies Program, US Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria
2011
Art and Healing, Alfa Gallery, two-man show, New Brunswick, NJ
Rumble Above the Clouds, St. Paul 5th annual group show, New York, NY
Contemporary Art Network at NY International Art Show, New York, NY
One of a Kind, original artist’s books group show, Pierre Menard Gallery, Cambridge, MA
32 Below, group show, St. Cecilia Chapel, Brooklyn NY
2010
Naked Measures, St. Paul 4th annual group show, New York
Turning the Corner, one-man show, Thomas Jaeckel Gallery, New York, NY
Contemporary Art Network at the Fashion District Art Festival, New York, NY
Three Painters, three-man show, Prince George Gallery, New York, NY
Escape from New York Project, group show, Paterson, NJ
2009
The Third Day After, two-man show, Alfa Art Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ
Invitational Summer Group Show, Denise Bibro Fine Arts, New York, NY
God Doesn’t Like Ugly, St. Paul the Apostle annual group show, New York, NY
NY Small Works, Fifth Annual Juried Show, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn NY
And Suddenly…, the Sketchbook Project, ID#12593, Brooklyn Art Library, Brooklyn, NY
2008
The Red Dot, Vagabond Gallery, New York, NY
The Bridge Art Fair, Vagabond Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2007
New York Emerging Artists, group show, Houghton Gallery at the Cooper Union Foundation, New York, NY
Who? Why? Where? How? When? Is God? St. Paul the Apostle annual group show, New York, NY
Waiting, group show, Broadway Gallery, New York, NY
2006
Open Chapters, two-man show, Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria, New York, NY
Artists Talk on Art (ATOA) Save the Archives Live Auction, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, NY
Toronto Spring Salon, group show, Toronto, Canada
Art Basel, Vagabond Gallery, Miami, FL
2005
Revolving Doors, Projection Presentation, 9th Annual d.u.m.b.o. Art under the Bridge Festival, Brooklyn, NY
2004
Invitational Summer Group Show, Denise Bibro Fine Arts, New York, NY
The New York Collection, Albright-Knox Art Museum, Buffalo, NY

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Circle Foundation for the Arts Quarterly Magazine, Transformations Juried Edition 2018
Featured Interview with the Artist in Contemporary Art Curator magazine 2018
Art & Beyond, Back Cover Winner in the Nude Special Juried Edition, 2015
Canvas: Artists Showcase, Juried Edition, 2013
Studio Visit, Spring Juried Edition, 2011
Iliyan Ivanov interviewed by Grant Jarrett in World Best Art, Sorrell Publishing, 2008
Coleman, Byron; “Iliyan Ivanov: Visual Composition as “Musical” Event”, Gallery & Studio Magazine, Vol. 6 No. 2, November-December 2003
AFFILIATIONS:
Viewing Program Slide Registry, the Drawing Center, SoHo, NY
Momenta Art Slide Registry, Williamsburg, NY
Artist Space Slide Registry, New York, NY
EDUCATION:
National Academy of Design, School of Fine Arts, New York, NY
George Yanakiev Art Studio, Burgas, Bulgaria