Masks of metal and enamel.

“Masks” – is a series of handmade miniature objects made of metal and enamel.

Created at different times, the masks acquired integrity and completeness in the collection of the same name in the last month, thanks to the initiative Sofia Municipality # Solidarity_In_Culture.

About the author – Yane Gadzhev

Their author is the young artist Yane Gadzhev, who for 9 years has been tempted by the art of metal, an area he approaches with curiosity and lasting interest – initially as a student at the National High School of Applied Arts “St. Luka ”, and later as a graduate of the specialty“ Metal ”of the National Academy of Arts. His graduation a few days ago as a bachelor of metal coincides with the most confused, complex and “distant” period of our time.

Mask background

In recent months, the word mask has been associated almost unambiguously with its protective medical function. Equally unambiguous is the hypothesis of the Chinese genesis of the virus that caused the global pandemic.

The MASKS project is an attempt at artistic opposition to these clichés, because it presents a series of masks inspired by Eastern tradition and style, using as a starting point imagery close to various ancient Asian deities. Symbolism originating from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is also interpreted, such as the skulls, which express the inherent transience of all phenomena, such as the third eye, showing the original wisdom.

Workmanship

Technologically, the objects are made of metal (copper and silver) and enamel and have the characteristic of miniatures. Their size between 3-5 cm and their very nature predispose to looking, to closeness.

Their close-up shooting allows to notice and examine details that are invisible to the naked eye, complex colorful solutions, as well as to trace the transformations that the enamel material goes through in the process of work.

Masks is a multifaceted project, whose existence is both material and virtual, and its presence in a digital environment is an opportunity for feedback, to shorten the social and emotional distance. And above all, a promising start to a dialogue with an audience significantly exceeding the usual viewers of an exhibition.

The MASKI project was implemented with the support of Sofia Municipality, under the initiative “ Solidarity in Culture “