Lyoudmila Milanova

A collage which shows overpopulated nature sites. The human figure inside of this tableau seems to adapt to its environment intuitively, so that in the composition shown a balance is created.

Bulgaria

Sofia

Little Bird Place

Photography

Hidden Object I

Some psychologists argue that one experiences happiness when the boundaries of the soul expand. And the role of boundary in the physical body is played by the skin, and the knowledge of the surface of the body seems to correspond with the notion of the boundaries of the psychic. When we get warm, we relax and expand, and vice versa – the cold tightens us, contract us.

In this exhibition, Lyoudmila Milanova is interested in the manoeuvring between transitional conditions. In processes of transformation, she looks for moments of even a brief “balance” and “equilibration” in a general sense, working not with theory or philosophy, but observing and analysing changes in the state of matter, mists and evaporation, bodily sensations, and even emotional states. However, the search for equilibrium goes through a series of logical and physical contradictions – warm and cold, nature and science. Even the metaphorical “warmth” of the interior in the Little Bird Place gallery contrasts with the installation in it.

The main artistic tool is temperature. Temperature on the surface of the body, or as a natural element of the landscape is an essential factor to account for the presence of life, of “aliveness”. But the heat or the cold cannot be recreated in a tactile manner only by visual means. The viewer must immerse himself, feel the amplitudes in degrees with his bodily receptors. Paradoxically, this is achieved with the use of ‘neutral’ technical devices – specially adapted and designed to control and regulate temperature or humidity levels.

There is no claim for “artist’s magic” here – various functional and technological parts of the installation are on display, like exposed organs and arteries, and the artist keeps no secret about how they work. Objects such as wires, switches or sensors have their own beauty, they are artistic elements, and seen in their entirety, can even be interpreted as a sculpture or painting.

Daniela Radeva

Moments of Brief Balance

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