Christian Vatchkov是一位出生于1988年的保加利亚艺术家，他在索非亚长大，这是一座将自身古老历史与近代社会主义、后社会主义建筑融为一体的欧洲城市。当还是高中生时，他曾在热爱的绘画与一心向往的哲学之间左右为难，最后选择学习拉丁语与古希腊语。这几年的学习让他意识到，研究古代文化并不是研究本身的最终目的，而是理解当下并切实行动的工具。这个想法引导他完成了索非亚大学社会学学士的学习，他的毕业论文是关于持续流行的线上社交网络Facebook的论文。在布达佩斯中欧大学学习社会人类学硕士课程的期间，他对数字人类学领域产生了兴趣，这最终使他回到了热爱的视觉艺术领域。 天堂一半，男人一半 Half by Heaven, Half by Men, 2019布面综合材料 marker and photo transfer on canvas, 50x40 cm
从2013年开始，他在索非亚大学攻读文化研究博士学位的同时，他积极重拾绘画。在撰写关于数字空间中艺术家与艺术品表现的论文时，他对艺术理论和历史以及艺术界最新的变化和趋势有了更详尽的了解。这个时期，他开始教授当代艺术，并且在位于索菲亚的地下画廊举办了首次个展，展出了一系列具象和抽象的作品。攻读博士学位的最后一年，他搬到了尼泊尔加德满都，随后去了日本名古屋。在亚洲的这一年给他留下了深刻的印象，同时给了他关于佛教哲学和视觉艺术之间联系的全新视角。生活就像一盒巧克力 Life was Like a Box of Chocolates, 2020综合材料 Acrylics, marker, drip pen and photo transfer on canvas, 50x40 cm 2019年他出版了书作《救世主艺术》，这是一项关于线上艺术市场与社交网络Instagram的研究。他痴迷于人工智能重塑艺术的可能性，由于作为非人类的代理，在艺术家的刻意控制之外做出选择，他把理论工作聚焦在“受控随机性”的概念上。这种艺术史性的分析方法让他着手研究早期达达派主义诗人的作品，比如特里斯唐·查拉、音乐家约翰·凯奇和罗伯特·劳森伯格的艺术等。在绘画实践中，他同样开始探索受控随机性的概念，反思绘画行为不仅是实现目的的手段（指艺术作品的生产），也是一种独立地可实践的思考练习。此处无星球 There is no Planet, 2021综合材料 Acrylics, marker, drip pen and photo transfer on canvas, 50x40 cm
艺术成为了他实现关于古代文化与哲学，技术进步与社会秩序的矛盾思想与情感之间对话的焦点。就这三个类别以及他们之间的交叉点而言，没有比中国更吸引人的地方了。2019年迁居广东后的一年半中，克里斯蒂安一直致力于在中山古镇重要经历的绘画和写作。目前他工作和居住于中国苏州。 Christian Vatchkov is a Bulgarian artist born in 1988. He grew up in Sofia - a European city blending its ancient past with more recent socialist and post-socialist architecture. Torn between his love for drawing and painting and his keen interests in Philosophy, he eventually chose to pursue the study of Latin and Ancient Greek as a high-school student.During these years, he realized that the study of Ancient cultures was not a viable goal in itself, but rather a tool for understanding and acting into the present. That led him to complete a BA in Sociology in Sofia University, where he wrote his thesis on the still gaining in popularity online social network - Facebook. While doing his MA in Social Anthropology in the Central European University, Budapest, his interests shifted to the field of Digital Anthropology which eventually led him back to his love for the visual arts.
融化的蜡烛 Melted Candle, 2019 布面综合材料 acrylics and marker on canvas, 50x40 cmSince 2013 he has resumed painting actively, while pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies at Sofia University. While writing his thesis on the topic of the presentation of artists and artworks in digital space, he became intimately acquainted with the history and theory of art and the latest shifts and trends in the art world. During this period, he started teaching contemporary art and had his first solo-exhibition in the Underground gallery in Sofia, showing a collection of both representational and abstract works.In the final year of his PhD, he moved to Kathmandu, Nepal and subsequently to Nagoya, Japan. This year spent in Asia left a great impression on him and gave him a new perspective on the connection between Buddhist philosophy and visual art.流体大师 Fluidmaster, 2019布面综合材料 acrylics, pencil, oil stick and photo transfer on canvas, 50x40 cm In 2019 he published the book “Salvator Mundi Artis”, a study on the online art market and the social network Instagram. Fascinated by the possibilities of AI to reshape the arts, as a non-human agent making choices which are outside of the deliberate control of the artist, he focused his theoretical work on the concept of “controlled randomness”.His art historical approach led him to the study of the works of early dadaist poets like Tristan Tzara, the musician John Cage and the art of Robert Rauschenbert, among many others. In his painterly practice he started exploring the same idea of controlled randomness, reflecting on the act of painting not only as a means to an end (the production of an artwork), but as a practical meditative exercise in its own right.她敲鼓 She Bangs the Drums, 2019布面综合材料 pencil and photo transfer on canvas, 50x40 cm Art became the focal point where he could realize the dialogue between his conflicting thoughts and feelings about ancient cultures and philosophies, technological advancement and societal order. And as far as all these three categories and the intersections between them are concerned there was hardly a more tempting destination to explore than China. After relocating to Guangdong in 2019, he dedicated the past year and a half exclusively to painting and writing about the formative experience of his stay in Zhongshan and the town of Guzhen. Currently he works and lives in Suzhou. 正在展出 Current 延伸阅读 Read More 深圳市福田区深南大道1003号1楼No.1003 Shennan Ave, Futian, Shenzhen138 2333 5003, 免费参观 Free entry 开放时间 Opening Time周一 Mon 13:00-19:00周二至周日 Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00