Luchezar Boyadjiev

Luchezar Boyadjiev born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1957.

Boyadjiev's work could be seen as a literalization of the notion that contemporary art is both an urban and a cosmopolitan phenomenon. At least that is the impression one gets when considering the two main arteries in his recent work. The ongoing “Guided Tour” series (begun 2003) explores the way contemporary art produced in one urban context is perceived in another—as part of his contribution to a large international show or biennial, the artist gives guided tours through the venue to visitors. Animating the space in between the works, sometimes for hours and sometimes for the benefit of a single visitor, Boyadjiev reveals the human and cosmopolitan nature of contemporary art.

The second line of Boyadjiev’s recent work—the exploration of, and sometimes intervention into, the visual environment and dynamic interface of the city—is specifically photographic. His starting point is the notion of the city as a reflection of significant aspects from the lives of the inhabitants, from economic and social hierarchies to the political agenda and hidden structures of local power. The idea is not so much to investigate and/or interfere with readings of public imagery, but rather to map out the site-specific points at which global and local interests clash and collide. The text that often accompanies these works contextualize as much as narrate the image. The artist takes an approach to photographing various cities that both localizes their specific visual identity and navigates the viewer through their cosmopolitan aspects. Repeating this compositional structure reveals elements that link different urban contexts as well as demonstrating the interplay of local and global on a human scale. The relevant aspect is the constant double take between the position of the local and of the tourist. For are we not, as the artist seems to be suggesting, always both inhabitants and visitors to our own cities?

Adaptaption of text by Vasif Kortun, originally published in: Vitamin Ph, Phaidon Press, London 2006 (p. 040)

Bojadjiev's recent solo exhibitions include in 2007 5 Views to Mecca (and other scapes), Feinkost Gallery, Berlin and in 2006 Crawling Carpets, EAF (Experimental Art Foundation), Adelaide, Australia. Selected group exhibitions include participation in 2007 in Footnotes On Geopolitics, Markets and Amnesia, 2nd Moscow Biennial, Moscow; Attitude 2007, CAMK - Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan; Glocal and Outsiders: Connecting Cultures in Central Europe, PragueBiennale 3, Karlin Hall, Prague, The Czech Republic; in 2006 Focussing Iasi., Section Social Process, Periferic 7, Iasi, Romania; Check In – Europe, EPO, Munich; in 2005 - Belonging, 7th International Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah, UAE; Trans:it. Moving Culture through Europe, Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels; Witte de With Foundation, Rotterdam; Kunst-Werke, Berlin; in 2001 Escape, The Tirana Biennial, Tirana, Albania; and in 1995 Orient/ation, 4th International Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey.

Luchezar Boyadjiev works with FEINKOST, Berlin.

For additional information about this artist, visit Mutual Art