Five projects in the public space that can be seen in the area of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
In recent years, the area of the Center has become a hub for cultural innovation and art, hosting several inspiring projects in the public environment. Now, five exceptional artworks enrich the urban landscape and invite you to a unique experience.
1. Nevena Ekimova:
Trash to Treasure is a project by artist Nevena Ekimova, featuring sculpture and video. The project presents the audience of Gabrovo with an environmentally conscious way to contemplate issues related to waste and recycling. The exhibition includes a sculpture made from household and industrial waste, displayed in the courtyard of the former Textile Technical School, as well as a video series, dedicated to the environmental strategies employed by six local enterprises. The Trash to Treasure project traces the fate of waste and its connection to the environment and society, emphasizing the importance of recycling and sustainable waste management.
Stoyan Dechev is a multidisciplinary artist working with various artistic media and materials. His work focuses on the combination of historical and mythological themes with current issues such as nature, feminism, and others. One of his projects, Access, restores the pillars of the Textile Technical School building and artistically integrates the connection between the history and the future of the location.
3. Hans Hamands:
Hans Hamands is an artist who contemplates the importance of rivers and their influence, using the textile industry as inspiration for his works. He examines how the textile production practices of the past affect the environment and the rivers, highlighting the harmful consequences but also the potential beauty created by this process. The artwork is located in the Yantra River, near the bridge of the Museum of Humor and Satire.
4. Pia Rognes:
Pia Rognes is a sculptor specializing in textile materials and techniques, allowing her to express inner conflicts and destructive behavior. She combines sensory and emotional aspects, exploring the tension between positive and negative objects. Her sculpture in the courtyard of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center symbolizes change and raises questions about pain and its meaning.
5. Martin Penev:
Martin Penev is a Bulgarian artist working with various artistic media and themes. He combines childlike naivety and imagination with objects and installations that prompt viewers to contemplate identity, politics, history, and humor. One of his installations, The Ancient Mammoth, which is set to be unveiled on Friday at 7:30 PM, satirizes forgery and identity crises in society. His works are creative, socially engaged, and provocative.
The Trash to Treasure project is produced by the Museum of Humor and Satire with the financial support of the Municipality of Gabrovo and is part of initiatives dedicated to the European Commission’s European Green Leaf environmental award for 2021. The project is implemented with logistical support from the Regional Innovation Center Ambitious Gabrovо. The project is carried out in partnership with: Plastform Ltd., Terahim 97 Ltd., Vizo Ltd., Mak Ltd., LS Tubes Ltd., STS Pack Holding Ltd., Eco Project Ltd., Regional Non-Hazardous Waste Depot – Gabrovo, Cap Gabrovo Initiative.
PERSONAL REALITY – photographic explorations
Within RADLAB’s annual program, six authors were invited to explore the theme of Personal Reality. Now, we present six photographic series, hand-printed in the studio base located in Gabrovo, using 23 alternative photographic techniques. These processes often involve the creation of images through photosensitive chemicals and DIY tools. The photographers invent their own mediums and methods of work to emphasize the importance of the creative process. Artistic production is an alchemical experiment, a systematic chronicle of exploration that combines disciplines such as chemistry, physics, and psychology with the artists’ own thoughts, attitudes, and relationships as a collective.
This is photography today!
Participants:
Vladislav Lepoev
Vanessa Lu
Ivelin Penchev – Ivicha Lilyana
Karadjova Nikola
Dyulgyarov USHA
RADLAB Studio
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, former Textile Technical School – Gabrovo Floor I 15:00 // October 7, 2023
The exhibition PERSONAL REALITY is realized as part of the project “Alternative Photography in Contemporary Art and Education” with the financial support of the National Culture Fund.
RESIDENCE FOR BALANCE – The Ancient Mammoth, Martin Penev
Martin Penev (born 1985) lives and works in Sofia. In 2009 he took his MA in Theology from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and in 2012 – MA in Digital Arts from the National Academy of Arts, Sofia. Since 2010 he has participated in group and solo projects in a number of festivals and events in Bulgaria and abroad. He has interests in object, installation, interactive design, performance.
The objects created by Martin Penev are both direct and mysterious in a kind of child-like way. They remind us simultaneously of the defenselessness but also of the unconditional freedom of fantasy confronted with the unknown and the unexplainable.
His hybrid forms neglect the rational and push forward the empathy. The references to toys and to something primordial in the shape of the object, as well as the “buildup” of the installation are attracting the grown up viewers to the “naiveté”; the deformations and the obsessive presence of his objects in the space are pushing the viewers into a labyrinth of interpretations.
Luchezar Boyadjiev
The Ancient Mammoth About to be Created
The installation is an ironic look at counterfeiting, substitution, demagoguery. The mammoth did co-exist with the human race after all, and we probably have an innate, unconscious memory of our life together, of what happened. An extinct species is mock-recreated in a space reminiscent of a natural history museum. The museum institution serves for the conservation, restoration and display of historical artifacts, but in this case the “historical” is yet to be created.
In sociopolitical terms, “creating an ancient mammoth” can be a mystification of history, ideological shaping of the past, appropriation of achievements and successes of past societies and cultures. All matter of populism, propaganda, political demagoguery and extreme nationalism.
On a personal level, “creating an ancient mammoth” can be used to describe identity crises. The individual creates urgent imitative constructions to define oneself in an aggressive world or, through the projection of the personal inner fears, creates an external enemy, in the struggle against which one finds one’s own identity.
The installation can also be thought of as an irony of kitsch, fakery, and the surrounding aesthetics in general.
Mini Mastaba – a creative and educational workshop for children
OnOctober 7th and 8th, from 11:00 until 17:00 the Center will host a fun and dynamic event for children – building a Mini Mastaba.
In the workshop, the children of Gabrovo, with the help of their parents and the team of the Museum of Humor and Satire, will have the opportunity to participate in the recreation of the Mastaba – one of the most emblematic projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The young artists will be involved in drawing sketches and making collages, as well as in the physical realization of the sculpture. The structure will be built using cans painted in cheerful bright colors.
Those wishing to participate in the workshop can submit a request for participation in advance until 17:00 on October 5th by phone at 0894937728 (Ivelina Angelova – events coordinator). Registration is not mandatory but is necessary for the preparation of materials.
Program – open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
October 6, Friday 18:00 – 22:00 Open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
18:00 – 19:00 Open Studios: Nevena Ekimova, RadLab Studio, Radoil Serafimov, Gergana Rankel, Deyan Boev, Evgeni Nedev, Andreiana Doikin, Dragomila Doikin, Galina Dineva, Pavel Tsarov/filthy rags 19:30 Opening, “Mammoth,” sculpture by Martin Penev, under the bus station underpass 18:00 – 21:00 Film screening 18:00 – 21:00 Pop-up shop
October 7, Saturday 11:00 – 24:00 Open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
11:00 – 17:00 Children’s workshops: “Mastabata” and “Landscape Collage” 11:00 – 20:00 Film screenings
11:00 – 20:00 Pop-up shop 11:30 – 12:00 Tour of the exhibitions “Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Projects” and “Born in Gabrovo” with Evgenia Atanasova-Teneva 12:00 – 20:00 Open Studios: Nevena Ekimova, RadLab Studio, Radoil Serafimov, Gergana Rankel, Deyan Boev, Evgeni Nedev, Andreiana Doikin, Dragomila Doikin, Galina Dineva, Pavel Tsarov/filthy rags 20:00 Address by Vladimir Yavashev 20:30 – 00:00 Party with DJ sets by Valdy and Georgi Ruzhev
October 8, Sunday 11:00 – 18:00 Open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
11:00 – 18:00 Film screenings 12:00 – 14:00 Open Studios: Nevena Ekimova, RadLab Studio, Radoil Serafimov, Gergana Rankel, Deyan Boev, Evgeni Nedev, Andreiana Doikin, Dragomila Doikin, Galina Dineva, Pavel Tsarov/filthy rags 11:00 – 17:00 Children’s workshops: “Mastabata” and “Landscape Collage”
11:00 – 18:00 Pop-up shop
Two music bands from Gabrovo receive support and encouragement for development at the Christo and Jean-Claude Center
The punk rock band Visoko Krvno consists of three young people from Gabrovo who will graduate from high school in less than a year. The boys started playing music as children, and four years ago they formed a band with the desire to share their original music with the world. They describe their style as DIY punk rock.
Just about four months ago, on May 19th, the band participated in the Koaka concert, which took place at the Christo and Jean-Claude Center during the Gabrovo Carnival. This was their first performance in their hometown. They shared that when they received the invitation to perform at the Center, they didn’t hesitate much because, for them, it is the ideal space for concerts and rehearsals.
Guitarist Marian Avramov says that the cafeteria of the former Textile Technical School reminds him of the place where the iconic Nirvana song from the early ’90s, Smells Like Teen Spirit, was filmed. The boys have different musical idols, but their favorite bands include Linkin Park, Nirvana, and Godsmack.
The vocalist and guitarist of the band is 19-year-old Marian Avramov, who is currently studying at the Raycho Karolev High School. After graduating, he plans to continue his studies in Sound Engineering at the New Bulgarian University.
The young musicians have also formed a second relatively new band called Agastopia, and their style can be described as alternative grunge. On September 15th, their first album titled Meltdown was released on streaming platforms, and a few days later, they performed live at the rock bar The Pit in the capital.
Marian recalls passing by the former Textile Technical School and dreaming with his friends of playing music there. “The building has a special atmosphere,” he shares, insisting that there are other Gabrovo bands that would rehearse in the cafeteria. In the four years since Visoko Krvno started, the boys had to travel to Sofia to rehearse in a rented studio on the weekends because they couldn’t find a suitable space in town.
The musicians dream of the Christo and Jeanне-Claude Center becoming a thriving place that attracts artists and contributes to the development of the musical and cultural scene in Gabrovo. The center gives them hope that future generations of musicians will have more support and motivation for development.
Photo: Visoko Krvno (2022) Photo: Agastopia (2023)
Nevena Ekimova is among the first Gabrovo-based artists with a studio at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
📷 Boryana Pandova
The author presented two monumental installations in the courtyard of the former textile school, part of the project Тrash to Treasure, even before the building was transformed into an art center.
She defines herself as a creator who loves to experiment and create objects of varying scales. She seizes projects through which she always learns something new, she says, and we would confirm that each time she chooses increasingly challenging tasks on the edge of time and resources, surprising both her surroundings and possibly herself. We are having a conversation with her in her old studio, a few days after the opening of three exhibitions featuring her work within one week.
She shares that from a young age, she was surrounded by women engaged in clothing production and can’t remember when еxactly she learned to sew. She loves working with textiles, and she says it comes naturally to her. She admits to being a passionate collector of fake furs and uses them to create a tactile and visual sensation. She often works with waste materials. Her artworks include a huge creature with an unclear shape between an amoeba and a bear, created from bottle caps, adhesive tape, and car wash brushes, which climbed onto a column in the courtyard of the Center Christo and Jean-Claude in 2021. When it appeared there, the building was still the former Textile Technical School (with ambitions for more). She is also the author of the GardenTown exhibition at the Museum of Humor and Satire—a scaled-down model of a city that children can change (just like real cities, where adults seem to have forgotten they can make an impact and thus mostly grumble). She also designed and executed the mythical but nonexistent (before 2020) Mirror Hall at the Museum of Humor. It was mythical because thousands of visitors were convinced they had entered it before and were very upset that it no longer existed, as is often the case in Bulgaria when something nice exists – it gets demolished. And it (the hall) simply never existed before Nevena. Still, it’s wonderful that this riddle of collective memory was erased with a leap into the rabbit hole (and quite a bit of courage).
Nevena completed her secondary education at the Aprilov High School and later enrolled in Scandinavian Studies in Sofia. She received a scholarship that allowed her to study “Liberal Arts” in Sweden and Norway (sounds like a major created especially for her), where she met incredible teachers and became an artist.
Upon her return to Gabrovo, she dreamed for years of a place with large spaces to accommodate her outrageously ambitious projects and vast quantities of materials she tends to collect. When she learned that the former Textile School building would become an art center, she turned out to be the most active artist in organizing studios and transforming the old dusty classrooms and workshops there. She remembers how as a child she looked at newspapers and magazines with works by Christo with eyes full of admiration, and she herself wrapped everyday objects and observed the transformation of the artwork with curiosity.
She sees the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center as a place accessible to both artists and art enthusiasts. The studio she now occupies will finally match the scale of her work. She envisions the center as a vibrant space where various cultural and creative activities take place, in which everyone can participate. Such a place is needed not only for today’s artists but also for future generations who will have the opportunity to unleash their imagination and creative skills. Described in this way, the Center sounds exactly like the place for her.
See Nevena’s art live at the following exhibitions:
The New Collection – Center CJC, part of “New Weavers for Gabrovo,” only on 30.09.2023.
Dream Home – Co-op Sofia, until 8.10.2023.
Contemporary Art in the Collection of the European Parliament – nominated works – SAMSI, Sofia, until 21.10.2023.
Tchotchke – Positano Square 1, Sofia – foryouandyourcustomers office, until May 2024.
Launch of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
From October 6th to 8th (Friday to Sunday), the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center is opening its doors to the general public for a three-day event. Vladimir Yavashev, Director of Operations and Projects at Christo and Jeanne-Claude, will mark the occasion with a special address to the guests.
What to expect:
– Exhibitions dedicated to the projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude and Christo’s childhood in Gabrovo.
– Open studios featuring a group of talented artists and designers working at the Center.
– Synth of Patches, a sound installation deployed in halls, rooms, nooks and crannies throughout the entire building, by Stephan A. Shtereff and Emilian Gatsov-Elbi
– Workshops, where a scaled-down model of the Mastabawill be constructed from tin canes.
– Films dedicated to signature projects by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
– A pop-up shop for limited editions.
– Parties and DJ sets, as well as installations and sculptural objects in the space around the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center and the Museum of Humor and Satire featuring Nevena Ekimova (2021), Stoyan Dechev (2023), Hans Hamands, Pia Rognes (2023), and Martin Penev (2023).
The event starts at 18:00 on October 6th, Friday, and continues until 18:00 on October 8th, Sunday. It is organized by the Gabrovo Municipality and the Museum of Humor and Satire with financial support from the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
Program
October 6, Friday 18:00 – 22:00 Open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
18:00 – 19:00 Open Studios: Nevena Ekimova, RadLab Studio, Radoil Serafimov, Gergana Rankel, Deyan Boev, Evgeni Nede, Andreiana Doikin, Dragomila Doikin, Galina Dineva, Pavel Tsarov/filthy rags 19:30 Opening, “Mammoth,” sculpture by Martin Penev, under the bus station underpass 18:00 – 21:00 Film screenings 18:00 – 21:00 Pop-up shop
October 7, Saturday 11:00 – 24:00 Open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
11:00 – 17:00 Children’s workshops: “Mastabata” and “Landscape-Collage” 11:00 – 20:00 Film screenings 11:30 – 12:00 Tour of the exhibitions “Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Projects” and “Born in Gabrovo” with Evgenia Atanasova-Teneva 12:00 – 20:00 Open Studios: Nevena Ekimova, RadLab Studio, Radoil Serafimov, Gergana Rankel, Deyan Boev, Evgeni Nede, Andreiana Doikin, Dragomila Doikin, Galina Dineva, Pavel Tsarov/filthy rags 20:00 Address by Vladimir Yavashev 20:30 – 00:00 Party with DJ sets by Valdy and Georgi Ruzhev
October 8, Sunday 11:00 – 18:00 Open doors at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
11:00 – 18:00 Film screening 12:00 – 14:00 Open Studios: Nevena Ekimova, RadLab Studio, Radoil Serafimov, Gergana Rankel, Deyan Boev, Evgeni Nede, Andreiana Doikin, Dragomila Doikin, Galina Dineva, Pavel Tsarov/filthy rags 11:00 – 17:00 Children’s workshops: “Mastabata” and “Landscape-Collage”
RESIDENCE FOR BALANCE – PIA ROGNES AND HANS HAMMOND SHARE THEIR ART IN GABROVO
On September 27th, an exhibition featuring works by Norwegian artists Pia Rognes and Hans Hammond is set to open. Located just a 5-minute walk from each other, both artworks represent sculptural interventions in urban spaces specially created for the area around the Cristo and Jean-Claude Center in Gabrovo, as well as the bridge near the Museum of Humor and Satire. The event begins at 18:00 at the entrance of the Center (the former Textile Technical School building).
What to expect: exciting contemporary art, an international audience, a panoramic stroll between the two artworks, and refreshments typical of an art exhibition opening.
Pia Rognes uses textile materials and techniques to explore themes related to inner conflicts and destructive behavior. Her works involve the fusion of sensory, positively charged objects with disgust-inducing, negatively charged ones. She examines the interaction between them and how it can impact human emotions.
The sculpture created by Pia Rognes for Gabrovo resembles a giant larva – a symbol of change and the pain it brings. It raises questions about beauty and therapy in the context of pain and transformation. For more information, visit Pia Rognes’s website.
Photo of Pia Rognes: Magnus Elvar Jonsson
Hans Hammond reflects on the importance of rivers and their interaction with humanity. This artist creates vibrant textile works representing rivers during the period of the textile industry in Gabrovo. He emphasizes the connection between the textile industry and the water resources used in textile production in the past.
Hammond reminds us of the crucial role that rivers play in our world as a source of water, habitat, and energy. For more information, visit Hans Hammond’s website.
The opening of the fourth and final installation, created by artist Martin Penev, is scheduled for October 6th.
Cristo and Jean-Claude Center – A Clean Slate for Brand New Events
What?
The Cristo and Jean-Claude Center is a 32-year-old dream of a group of Gabrovo residents – a dream that twisted, accelerated, and sometimes faltered but is now determinedly moving towards realization. This dream recently found its home in the former Textile Technical School, which in its prime years welcomed over a thousand students daily, preparing them to fuel one of the city’s main industries. In the past few weeks, with the joint efforts of the Gabrovo Municipality and the team at the Museum of Humor and Satire, preparations have begun to make the building ready for active use and for several exciting events at the beginning of this autumn. But we need the help of volunteers to have a completely clean place for entirely new events.
When?
From September 14 to September 29, 2023.
Every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (you can dedicate as much time as you have).
Important: You should be able to join the activities from the start, as there will be a safety briefing for the teams.
Where?
Cristo and Jean-Claude Center, former Textile Technical School, Gabrovo, 72 “Bryanska” Street.
Organizer
Museum of Humor and Satire.
Why participate?
You will help a building with history regain its good appearance and operate again for a better future. If you studied there, you can even visit your old classroom! You will assist the Cristo and Jean-Claude Center in reaching more people by telling them about the building and upcoming activities. You will meet new and interesting people who share common passions and interests.
Required skills?
No specific skills are required, except knowing how to handle a broom or at least a rag and having a willingness to sort and arrange.
Equipment needed?
Opt for comfortable old clothes and shoes that you won’t mind getting dirty or torn. We will provide masks and gloves according to your activity. Oh, and don’t forget to bring friends along!
What is provided?
You can count on water and non-alcoholic beverages.
Health risks?
Due to dust in the building, the activity is not suitable for asthmatics and people with respiratory problems. Others can rely on the masks we provide. We believe there are no other health risks as long as you follow the preliminary instructions.
How to get involved?
You can fill out the online formor sign up by calling 066 807229.
