“Transitions”

Video installation, 2001
Video, colour, sound

The artwork represents a two-part cycle. In the first part the contradiction between vision and sound, skaters’ jumps and opera music, reveals the dual nature of space - a place for the everyday “outside” culture and elite art “inside”. In the second part the story proceeds from the material environment around the National Palace of Culture (NPC) to the artificial space reminding the inner world and accumulated cultural layers of this environment.
The constant shift of these two parts aims to recreate the constant movement from the cosmic to the everyday and back to our life; from the classical music masterpieces in the halls of NPC to the skate-societies in front of it; from the everyday (“real”) space to the inner (“virtual”) space.

“To Whom It may Concern (The Artist is the Indian of the World)”

Video installation 2001
Video, colour, stereo sound

The video shows a close up of the author’s head decorated with the symbols of war in Indian tradition. It is spinning around its vertical axes in an endless, hypnotic rhythm that is being accompanied by a monotonous author’s monologue on the background of ritual Indian shaman music.
“To whom it may concern” is an artwork created for screening on the architecture of a public space. Being related to the public environment, the installation uses the language of promotion and media propaganda. Still, it is not part of an advertising campaign presenting consumable objects, neither it is a part of an official political campaign. It rather expresses the personal position of the artist, which is a position of resistance. It is a message appealing for war with everyone and everything, including the talking subjects. It is an irrational war, a gesture of symbolic order. It is a voice from the ghetto, from the reserve for vanishing spices.

“My Point of View”

From “Close to the Body” video installation, 1999/2001
Video, black and white with colourful filters, sound

The video shows the woman’s point of view during a sexual act. It includes macro vision of details from a man’s shoulder, breast, neck, ear, which are rhythmically and faster and faster moving forth and back.
A clich? from the intimate world of the woman is repeated and enlarged to the size of a billboard, to vulgarity. At the same time it uses macro vision to enter into the public environment as an advertisement. Advertising intimacy.

"01110110 01100101 01110010 01110011 01100101"

Video installation, 2001
Video, colour, sound

There are different languages in the Universe but the most universal one is a script valid for every intellect and object in the language of nature. It has only two signs in its alphabet: “there is” and “there isn’t”. The whole Universe is based on this simple principle of positive and negative. Each electronic device of present days uses this system called binary code. The human brain also accepts or does not accept impulses through its neural system. Due to these single sensual impulses we do hear, see, feel, think and experience.
Shakespeare’s language is recognised as one of the most beautiful and poetic texts in the history of linguistics. And if it is translated in that most simple and universal language, it will sound like: 11000111 11100 11111001 11101110 00100 11110001 11110010 11110101 11111010 11110010 00100 11101100 11101000 00100 etc.

It is just a game - a competition between the sexes, in which everyone can choose his/her role by him/herself; a role of active or passive image, of one who draws or who is drawn.
The author examines the sexes, as well as their interrelation. Everyone must make a choice and realize what one wins and what looses when choosing one or another position.
In this case, the author is provoked by the big screen on a public space, which reminds her for the World Football Championship and the thousands of eyes staring at the screens. The game she has created takes place on a football playground and has a visual relation to this sport.
By video editing she manipulates the two couples making them participants in a funny and absurd competition.

“Studio Comedy”

Video installation, 2001
Video, colour, stereo sound

In his work the author skilfully combines the contemporary visual clich?s in a format suitable for large public screenings. Using forms, sound and rhythm taken from the current media culture, he creates a fictional piece of reality that has a direct impact on the senses.
The video presents stills from the fast everyday life and the strain movement of people pursuing some aim.

“:) ”

Video installation, 2001
Video, colour, sound

Ivan Nikolov represents himself as an artist who can combine specific sensitivity in a fascinating visual story. He makes visual associations using only the things that surround us. In his video the author, once again, creates a myth around the “ordinary world” we live in. The artwork presents a pure children’s game making the viewer feel the movement and emotion, as well as the crystal piece of happiness they bear.

“Forget about ART”

Video installation, 2001
Video, colour, sound

The project presents, with a great deal of self-irony and without edification, the place and role of art as one of the many alternatives in the free time.
The author shows what the viewers do or would do before, after, or during the screenings within the frames of the screening period.
The video starts with a close up of the author who turns on the screening. At the same time the introductory scripts with the name of the project and author appear on the control monitor. Then the author goes out of the building passing by the crowd of viewers and with variable regularity does the following things: has a drink on the balcony of the NPC panorama bar, walks around in the Bazaar underneath the building and bys clothes, goes to see the beginning of a movie in the “Multiplex” centre, plays bawling in the bawling hall; taken a sandwich he goes back nearly to the presentation site, passes among the viewers and stops the screening.