SONIC STRUCTURES

Stefan Todorov – SONIC STRUCTURES

Gallery UNDER THE MANGO TREE is pleased to present an exhibition of paintings on silk canvas by a Bulgarian artist Stefan Todorov, his first solo show in Berlin. The forms, although different on each canvas seem to be connected by an invisible force of their origin, exuding a throbbing latent energy, humanistic and otherworldly at the same time.

When you go through all the works, it seems that these are the pages of a same book.
A book in black Leather with the title inscribed in gold letters. Each page is painted on Silk and there are ways in it to reach the God and the Devils. If you didn’t know what these pages are, you might confuse it for a lost medieval tome – which relates to another world. And yet, through these works a real story unfolds; of an individual or a collective? The colors, the spaces, the structures which often appear in these works could be – the inner landscapes where the remnants of history and dreams of a future may be perpetrating the ways of life. A story – with a deep personal imagery, immediate presence, ageless.

Distinctive motifs are common to most of the Todorov´s works: in some instances they may challenge the viewer like an archaic pictures ciphers or symbols; a language of its own “…possibly like the nearest symbol next to us, which everyone uses to express themselves, are the alphabets. One and same symbols are re-ordered/rearranged to convey unique messages… ” – as Todorov explains it himself.

While Todorov investigates relations of color, spatial form, and perception; he often finds inspiration for his work in the compositional and structural qualities of music. He identifies the relationship of space in a work of art to that of music – the recognition of space in-between the tones to the fluidity of line and color in a constant relation to changing conditions. His interest in the rhythmic qualities and the interrelation between aural phenomena, skillful maneuver, and visual experience supports the flow like a musical composition; any change in the interconnected structure of the forms alters the entire experience of the work.

The dynamism that is self-evident in the works has been sustained over a course of Todorov’s career – spanning over more than 20 years – with continued interest in the vitality of form and steadfastly remaining engaged in realizing it’s limitless possibilities.

Stefan Todorov was born in 1977, in Sofia where he at present lives and works. He stands distinctly apart in the art landscape in Bulgaria with his commitment to an oeuvre with it´s pursuit of abstraction. Recognized as the most prominent young painter in 1998 by the East- West Euro Intellectual property association, Sofia, Bulgaria, Stefan Todorov has also received recognition for his abstract symbolism under the high Patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

His works are in private collections as those of HRM King Hassan II of Morocco, The Imperial Court of Japan, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton and many international collectors.