Sofia Dimova solo show 16 February - 16 March 2023
Opening: 16.02 | 18:30
"Street Angel" explores the female body and empowerment when one feels most vulnerable emotionally and mentally. Through the symbolism of the blue and green palette, the project seeks the meditative state where one is alone with oneself, longing for the touch of peace and harmony between soul and body. "Street Angel" dives into the female psyche through distorted imagery, remaining an enigma. "Street Angel" turns its back on the carnal, the material and the lust for sensuality. Deeply unapologetic, it reclaims her power.
"The construction of Sofia Dimova's multimedia installation is based on a shared insight, which she both reveals and invites the audience to empathize with. Leading viewers along the very path to the final sensation, Dimova unfolds an intimate conversation and moment of self-realization.
Street Angel is at first glance a story about the human body. Sofia Dimova presents us with a dissection of the ego, seemingly distinguishing the corporeal from the emotional. Only to meet us with the illusion of physical tangibility, that unconvincing mask of our perishable identities. Spirit and body is an inexhaustibly ancient concept that each of us must adapt to ourselves.
The unscrupulous femininity of the installation strikes with honesty and vulnerability, but also serves as a testament to honesty. Sofia openly admits that these are precisely her doubts. And it is with this directness that she seeks dialogue with the viewer. Increasingly, we find confessionalism in her work. Like peering into someone's secret diary. The very fact that she ratifies these subjective experiences in a public dialogue speaks of a new culture of social identity.
Looking at Sophia's work, it seems to me that we are increasingly moving towards a world in which inner doubts are dialogized rather than buried in premeditated emotional sabotage. Which is why I look forward to where the velvet monsters, the casts of everyday life and memories, softened by the blue-green tone of the exhibition, will take me again. Good night, Sofia!* R. Gerasimova * "Good Night Sofia" is a story by Lino Aldani about the corporeality of female identity, human relationships and the general unsatisfactoriness of culture. It was published in Bulgarian as "Onirofilm" in the Galactica Library. “
Text: Ralitsa Gerasimova
About Sofia Dimova:
Sofia Dimova (1996) is a multidisciplinary artist, born in Varna. She graduated from Minerva Academy (Groningen, The Netherlands) with a degree in Fine Arts in 2019. In her practice, Sofia combines different materials and techniques that help her to create an interconnection between personal, fundamental and socio-political issues that seek content and message beyond classical aesthetics. The visual language she uses is sharp and direct and follows its own logic. This rebellion against trivial artistic appearance is extremely effective among the audience. Since her return to Bulgaria in 2020, Sofia Dimova has had three solo exhibitions and participated in over fifteen group exhibitions, including four abroad - Munich, Paris, Glasgow and Prague. Sofia is part of the team of the newly opened cultural space "ReBonkers" in Varna.
With the support of the National Culture Fund.
