In the painting exhibition by Elisaveta Ivanova and Gabriel Zhelev at the Nenko Balkanski House Museum, the space of their shared past and individual artistic pursuits meet. Under the title Before words, the artists present a visual document of a friendship that began in early childhood and has bloomed into a professional dialogue before the public’s eyes. The exhibition marks a key stage in their development, in which personal experiences and internal conflicts are transformed into a shared artistic territory.
The path of both artists is deeply rooted in the artistic environment of Kazanlak. As graduates of “Academician Dechko Uzunov” National High School of Plastic Arts and Design, they laid the foundations of their style in design classes, but found their true freedom in the school of Vanya Zapryana and Rosen Donchev. It was there, in an environment of shared experience and mentorship, that Elisaveta and Gabriel built their specific sensitivity to colour, form and the emotional charge of the canvas.
Gabriel Zhelev, currently exploring the aesthetics of industrial design at the National Art Academy, brings the dynamics of personal growth into his painting. His works are an attempt at visual translation of the questions and doubts that accompany the construction of identity. Through bold experiments with surfaces and structure, he seeks a way to materialise internal contradictions, transforming them into clear form and idea.
Elisaveta Ivanova complements this exploration with an intuitive approach, in which drawing becomes an intimate conversation with nature and the surrounding world. Her canvases reflect her personal worldview; they are an attempt to capture moments that inspire or shake her. For her, creativity is a process of continuously expanding horizons, in which fantasy is the guiding force, and every brushstroke carries a fragment of her inner rhythm.
In the museum hall, viewers will see how two different worlds meet, diverge, and complement each other in a space existing “before words.” The paintings carry the energy of active creation – from the textured application of paint, lending an almost sculptural density to the works, to delicate colour nuances. This exhibition is both a bold creative debut and a gesture of gratitude to those who have encouraged their pursuit of art from the first stroke until today.
This event is part of the gallery’s cultural calendar marking the 125th anniversary of the founding of the art collection of Art Gallery – Kazanlak.
General media partner: Bulgarian National Radio.
