HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ISKRA VELITCHKOVA
Iskra Velitchkova, Un-distance series © Kate Vass Galerie
In this article, we would like to focus on one of our talented artists, Iskra Velitchkova, who is celebrating her birthday today.
Iskra Velitchkova is a Bulgarian self-taught artist, currently living in Spain. Her works explore the interactions between machines and humans, and how this relationship can help us better understand our limits and ourselves. As a visual thinker, Iskra has a proven record in the tech and artificial intelligence industry, which she now applies to her own artistic research.
Tradition and culture are essential elements of her work, which she combines with her Balkan roots and the influences of Mediterranean culture to create unique and authentic pieces. Iskra's art is inspired by her belief in the power of dialogue between science, art, and people. Her work explores questions about roots and limits, as well as the intersection of emotions, traditions, and cultures. Her art combines abstraction and figuration, often featuring minimalist elements, that are reminiscent of movements, such as Bauhaus, Suprematism, and Dadaism. Her works are often connected with organic shapes that remind us of particular elements from nature.
Iskra’s work is based on a combination of digital media and physical, traditional materials and methods. She uses generative techniques to explore different patterns and ways of representation. Then she trains artificial neuronal networks to find relationships, new shapes, and spaces. This process leads her to create new media digital pieces, physical paintings using acrylic, oil, and ink, plotted generative works, and sculpture pieces made of clay.
Iskra's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including at prestigious events such as Art Basel Miami, IEEE VIS Berlin, and Art SG in Singapore. Her recent exhibitions include "Proof of People" in London, "Unblock Gaudi" at the Museum Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, and "Natively Digital 1.3: Generative Art" at Sotheby's New York.
Projects
Kate Vass Galerie has been collaborating with Iskra Velitchkova since 2022, starting with the Phygital exhibition which explored the works of generative artists with both digital and physical components. For the show, Iskra presented three pieces from her “Un-distance” series: “#1 You”, “#2 You and me”, and “#3 Us”. Each piece consisted of a digital NFT and a plotter drawing. While the digital pieces were created using Processing, for the physical works, she used a plotter machine to create the drawings on paper using a pen and ink, and she hand-painted the background. Iskra tried out a new technique for this project by layering multiple drawings on top of each other. By working with the limitations of the computer and embracing the randomness of the process, she was able to create unexpected and intriguing results that made her question the nature of the outcome. The project aimed to create an algorithm by carefully balancing lines, colors, and overlaps to give the impression of a spring emerging.
Iskra Velitchkova, Psychedelic chicken © Kate Vass Galerie
In the beginning of 2023, Kate Vass Galerie collaborated again with Iskra on the project PAL, which was showcased at the Art SG fair in Singapore. PAL is an inaugural collaborative performance created by Iskra and another generative artist, Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez. The live performance lasted for four days, from January 11th to 15th, during the art fair. The installation included an analogue computer, a video recorder, one VHS tape, a timer, a generative system attached to a digital screen, and a magnet. The entire process was recorded on the VHS tape, which was then digitized to create 100 unique pieces. These 100 unique works were launched as NFTs on KVG's digital component, a new marketplace called K011. PAL explores the imperfections and connections between humans and machines and questions how their interactions can create unexpected beauty in the imperfections. During the performance, the VHS tape was continuously played and rewound on an old VHS-player, while a small magnet was passed over it to induce random distortions and real-life interference, creating unique and unpredictable variations.
Works in our Collection
We are honored to have several works by Iskra Velitchkova in our collection, including one work from her “PAL” and “Un-distance” series, as well as her well-known work "Psychedelic chicken." For the past years, Iskra has been exploring the anatomy of bird shapes through her work. She employs recursive methods to build, break, and refine her own generative models, exploring how organic and natural illusions can emerge from code through human intervention in the process.
It is fascinating to see how she translates these explorations into her art, resulting in unique and intriguing pieces that blend technology and traditional art techniques.
Happy birthday, Iskra, and best wishes for the coming years!
Iskra Velitchkova and Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez, PAL #3 © Kate Vass Galerie