Symbiosis between travel, life, and art
“I believe that to some extent it is important for every person to travel. Traveling abroad also contributes in some form to the journey towards ourselves, which is a valuable journey for every person, especially an artist… It brings inspiration on a conscious and subconscious level. It can also bring renewal, developing self-reflection, stepping out of one's own comfort zone, learning, exploring, and exchanging.” - shares Viktoriya Georgieva - MOUSE in the context of the two trips with Visionary in 2022 and 2023.
In 2022, as a part of its artistic annual program supported by National culture fund - One year grant 2021, Visionary`s team distinguished a leading pillar - the exchange between artists. This is how the idea for a trip to Italy and participating in the Pompei Street art festival 2022 for 2 Bulgarian artists and a cultural manager, appeared. Then Angelova, Ioan Tsenkov - JahOne and Victoria Georgieva - Mouse met the artists Se Cordeiro (Brazil) and Santa Gross (Colombia). Creating an informal and very friendly contact, the group decided to create a joint exchange project between the 3 countries Bulgaria, Brazil and Colombia the next year. Thus, from the end of 2022, the collaborators began to look for opportunities to fund the idea and to create mural projects in each country with the common thread being the presentation of the “Street Art for Home” exhibition (a collaborative project between Sito Studio and Visionary) in the three countries.
"We called it Symbiosis because, on the one hand, we wanted to emphasize the mutually beneficial relations between organizations and artists from different countries, and on the other - to show the connection between life, travel and art as a valuable interaction, reflecting each of these separate aspects. " - Delyana Angelova reveals about the choice of the name of the project.
In the summer of 2023, as the 1st step of the exchange between Bulgaria, Brazil and Colombia, Acidum Project (Brazil), Sé Cordeiro (Brazil) and Santa Gross (Colombia) came to Sofia to participate in a series of mural projects by Visionary - "Propheticos" and "SEASONS" respectively, as well as to create unique serigraphy artworks in Sito Studio as part of the 2nd edition of the “Street art for Home” project. While the Symbiosis project is the continuation and the 2nd stage of the exchange that happened in October-November 2023 and includes the trip of a Bulgarian group to Latin America to participate in an art residency, urban art festivals and the presentation of the “Street art for home” exhibition in São Paulo and Bogotá.
With the financial support of the National Culture Fund, the Mobility and Development Programme - 2023, and the support of the Bulgarian Embassy in Brazil, the Visionary team traveled to South America almost immediately after the opening of the “Street art for home” 2023 exhibition at Sito Studio, Sofia to present it in two more cities - São Paulo (03-15.10.) and Bogotá (03-05.11.).
The traveling group, copying the model of the Italian trip in 2022, again consisted of 2 Bulgarian mural artists - JahOne and Mouse, and Visionary's project manager - Delyana Angelova. They crossed almost the whole of Brazil, visiting the 3 biggest cities in the country - São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza. They visited their friend and partner in the project - Sé Cordeiro, in the city of Cunha, where they were part of the creative residency of the Cuas Arte and created 2 murals, and had a meeting-presentation with students and young artists from Cuas Arte. In Fortaleza, the group was welcomed by the Acidum Project team and participated in a number of informal meetings and the Alem da Rua festival, performed this year in the oldest favela in Fortaleza - Inferninho.
“For me, this trip was just like a dream come true, an opportunity to experience Brazil, which is the home country of some of the most inspiring artists for me, who have influenced me throughout my creative journey.
I am extremely grateful to Dееdee and Yoan from VISIONARY who felt my emotions and embraced the idea of traveling with them, who trusted me and gave me this opportunity to share this journey together! I admire their willingness, courage and strength.
The opportunity to feel those places...each city with its specific atmosphere, spirit and dynamics. To dive into this wonderful nature, get to know those amazing people, and see so many impressive artworks! It's hard to describe in words everything I experienced during this adventure. For me it brings a lot of magic! Every place, every person, every view... My fellow artists, the children, every single flower, the song of the birds in Cunha, the applause of the people on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro at sunset, admiration of the majesty of Nature, the ocean, the favela, the samba.” - shares Viktoriya Georgieva.
The next part of the project unfolded in Colombia under the hosting of Santa Gross and the transmedia art studio Traque . The Bulgarian artists participated in Bogotá's urban art festival, La Playa - diverse art district, and created unique murals. The Street Art for home exhibition was shown for three days at the Cloud space and has received solid interest from the Colombian art scene.
Here are more impressions of the artists about the trip and their experience in 3 questions and the answers to them ↓↓↓
What impressed you the most about the whole trip?
JahOne: The kindness and warmth of the people. Fresh fruit and ice cold beer. In terms of places, I was impressed by Rio de Janeiro and Bogotá with their large painted neighborhoods and living areas.
MOUSE: The whole journey in itself is a miracle for me. An intense adventure that will forever leave a mark on my heart. Every single day, everything we touched, all the places and people - they are an invariable part of this whole magical picture.
If you had to compare the street art scene/works in Brazil to those in Colombia - how would you distinguish them? How are they similar and how are they different?
JahOne: The street art scene is developing at a rapid pace in both countries. Cities invest in the development of this culture with the clear idea that this type of art enriches the urban environment and brings income from tourism. My observation about the styles is that in Brazil you can observe more of a "mural" trend - artists working mainly with a roller and a brush, while in Colombia, especially Bogotá, the trend is graffiti pieces and characters spray painted.
MOUSE: The stage is massive. The scale is huge. The range is large - I certainly find a similarity in that, as well as in the colors and styles. The themes that unfold Latin American culture, history and spirituality are present in both. Bogotá, for me, is the most large-scale painted city that I have seen live so far. On every street and every corner, things on the level, a huge variety of styles. In Bogotá I saw about ten ladies painting together on one wall - a sight that filled my soul.
Will the trip affect your development as an artist?
JahOne: For me, collecting impressions while traveling, meeting different cultures, confronting different trends and approaches and sharing experiences with artists from all over the world is enriching for any artist and is the way in which they draw inspiration and develop their creativity.
MOUSE: Time will tell. In some form, I believe I am yet to unfold inspiration in my works. I would really like it if we could all be able to apply something from the experience here and there, despite the big difference in the two realities. Things will find their place and time.I believe and I would be happy to one day return to those lands again.
More details about the trip can be found in Visionary Talks - interview for the magazine ВИЖ! (April 2024).
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About the artists:
MOUSE, Victoria Georgieva works in urban space and not only. Visual artist in the sphere of painting, drawing / illustration, object / installation. Co-founder of the art collectives SUNSHINERS and FAMOU. She is the winner of the Red Pony Art Gallery Award for painting, Plovdiv, Bulgaria and the UNICREDIT Bulbank Award for Young Talents 2018. She was nominated for the Stoyan Kambarev Foundation Award "Flight in Art" 2018.
JahOne, Ioan Tsenkov is a muralist, graphic designer and creative director. He graduated from the National Academy of Arts in 2013, majoring in Graphic Design and Advertising. He has experience in advertising design for various commercial brands, but his true passion and power of self-expression is mural art.
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Photos in the publication: Visionary archive
Photos in the cover: Visionary archive, Joao Neto, Traque
Partners in the project are Visionary, Sito Studio, Traque, Santa Gross, Sé Cordeiro, Cuas Arte, Alma da Rua Gallery, Acidum Project, Alem da rua festival.
The project is realized with the financial support of the National Culture Fund, Mobility and Development Programme - 2023.
Special thanks to H. E. Bozhidara Sarchadzhieva - the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Brazil and to the Embassy of Brazil in Bulgaria for the support of the project.