ISKRA VELITCHKOVA
Iskra Velitchkova (b.1988) is a Bulgarian self-taught artist currently based in Madrid.
Her work explores the present and potential interactions between humans and machines and how instead of making technology more human, this relationship can push us to understand our limits better.
She believes that roots and tradition can nurture her work with greater truth. Bringing together her Balkan origins with the influence that Mediterranean culture has had on her over her history, she uses this context to build upon her work. After a proven record in the tech and artificial intelligence industry as a visual thinker, Iskra decided to apply her knowledge and experience at the service of her research.
Her work is based on mixed techniques: she explores new media combining digital formats and physical nature. She uses generative technology, artificial neural networks, and plastic arts, she plots on canvas and plays with clay.
“Figures”
Part of Art Budapest “Interthinking” in 2024 Oct.
In FIGURES, Iskra pays homage to Victor Vasarely by reflecting on the geometric harmony and dynamic use of color that make his art enduring. By alternating red and blue circles, she aims to create a rhythmic grid that invites the viewer into an optical challenge. This interaction between shape and color becomes a dialogue between the artwork and the observer, a conversation she seeks to capture in this piece.
The artwork will be showcased at the Art Salon Budapest - 'Interthinking' exhibition at Budapest Art Factory in Budapest and is dedicated to the legacy of the renowned Hungarian artist, Victor Vasarely.
“The fallopian visitor - A disinformated work”
Part of Art Salon “Node to Node” in 2023 Oct.
In the ever-evolving realm of generative art, where the boundaries of expression are constantly pushed and blamed at the same time, we find ourselves navigating through the uncharted territories of thought and perception. Controversy, fear, debate, and constraint have been unwavering companions on this artistic voyage, as well as in life, guiding us through the ever-familiar, or rather, the perceptually comprehensible. It is within these explorations that we recognize our own fertile soil. The topic of our times, probably.
Across the expanse of our history, the norms, regulations, and social constructs have cast morality as the imperfect yet indispensable vehicle ferrying us toward a better coexistence. However, there is a paradox for this very construct. While acting as a facilitator of peace, it simultaneously erects an ethereal barrier between our consciousness and the raw truths and what we actually can process.
In our contemporary epoch, an age inundated with unprecedented torrents of information and knowledge, we struggle with a profound fear—fear of grappling inadequately with the profound implications of this newfound freedom. The freedom to express, to absorb, to cleanse, and ultimately, to decipher. Thus, we christen this era as the epoch of disinformation, and with humility, we seek absolution in our pursuit of enlightenment.
Machines, those silent sentinels of alienation, now stand as silent witnesses to our creative endeavors, as we, their creators, we do orchestrate their potential. Within these developing automatons, we contemplate the potential for emotional connection, the core of consciousness, and the domain of contemplation. And this contemplation encourages a deep self-examination.
PAL w/ Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez
Exhibited at Art SG, 2023
PAL is a collaboration between Marcelo Soria-Rodriguez and Iskra Velitchkova where both are exploring, for the first time together, all these questions by a very simple premise: a circle in the middle, that represents the ideal union, approached by each in a unique and vulnerable way, with two generative systems that play with the notion of circle and try to approach the central, perfect union in different manners. PAL is a curation of 100 individual artworks based on a unique generative system. Once selected, the artists recorded them onto a VHS tape. During a 4 days live performance at Kate Vass Gallery during Art Singapore 2023, the artists played the tape continuously at the booth.
UN-DISTANCE SERIES
Part of the PHYGITAL show in 2022
Un-distance is a generative exploration of the intersection of digital and physical. Technology today allows us to play in an unprecedented playground of graphic information where generative art opens the door to the most bizarre and complex geometry. Being subjected to the computational limits & the randomness of some processes brings impressive outcomes that beg the experimenter to question deeply the nature of the results. The artist will of course guide the algorithm, but it is inherent in the process the commitment with the machine to be surprised in the end.
Figures 3, 2024
SOLD
Giclée Print
Image: 25 x 25 cm
Framed: 40 x 40 cm
Unique
Exhibited at "Art Salon Budapest - Interthinking" exhibition
Description:
In FIGURES, I pay homage to Victor Vasarely by reflecting on the geometric harmony and dynamic use of color that make his art enduring. By alternating red and blue circles, I aim to create a rhythmic grid that invites the viewer into an optical challenge. This interaction between shape and color becomes a dialogue between the artwork and the observer, a conversation I seek to capture in this piece.
The four images I created echo this dialogue, drawing inspiration from Vasarely's structured compositions and vivid color palettes. Each image explores the relationship between squares and circles, a hallmark of his work. The use of vibrant reds and deep blues is more than an aesthetic choice; it’s a nod to Vasarely’s ability to evoke emotion through contrast and repetition. Through this approach, I hope to carry his pioneering spirit into today's visual culture.
Figures 1 and 4, positioned diagonally, create an illusion of depth and movement through intricate line work that only reveals itself upon closer inspection. This careful detailing produces a sense of light emerging from seemingly nowhere, exploring the interplay of color, lines, and shapes.
In contrast, Figures 2 and 3 introduce a more contemporary twist. I believe it was Coco Chanel who said that fashion must represent the current era, and whoever represents it best, wins. I'm not quite sure what it means to win or lose when it comes to art, but I do think this statement applies to fashion and art in general. We are children of our time, and the only thing we can aspire to is to honor the legacy of the minds that changed our past and bring their look to the eyes of today.
If I were to define the way I see the world today, I would describe it as a vast calculator, constantly adding what propels us forward and subtracting what we no longer need. This process, for better or worse, is what shapes us. Like any evolving idea, the advancement of a shared culture is vital. The culture surrounding algorithmic art draws upon recent decades, where nostalgia converges with the raw power of computation to bring to light what was once hidden—like a giant magnifying glass. Engaging in this dialogue, I aim to connect with the reference work through pixels and the intricate patterns that emerge beneath deceptively simple forms, as seen in Figures 1 and 4.
-Iskra Vetlichkova