Samuil Stoyanov

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Curator
Maria Vassileva

Is there such a thing as "the big wave"? What is it like and where is it to be found?

According to research, every single moment there are at least ten freak waves reaching 30 meters in height roaming the seas and oceans of the world. Instances have been recorded of ships having come across such waves. Yet, there is also a large number of oceanographers claiming that they are a mere fancy, similar to the stories about sirens and sea monsters. Human practice, however, has been speaking more and more often to the contrary. That is the reason why a lot of researchers today specialize in their prediction. Until that happens, everybody should be alert to the big wave.

The "big wave" is a term also used by mathematicians. After it was established that the universe is expanding and accelerating at an ever-increasing pace, there came the theory of "dark energy". This hypothetical form of energy prompts the universe to expand like a balloon, thus pushing galaxies further apart. The landscape of outer space is gradually growing barren. The "Big Wave" theory offers an alternative explanation according to which galaxies are simply misplaced as a result of the big bang wave passing through space and time.

Regardless of where it might be, the "big wave" is a blend of truth and imagination, scientific fact and legend, evidence and counter-evidence. A substantial body of fictional work is devoted to the sea. Legends of sea nymphs, i. e. the Nereids, are to be found in the folk tradition of many countries. Those beautiful creatures like music and dancing; they entertain sailors and also help them fight perilous storms. Nereid is also the name of planet Neptune's most distant moon. Naming a heavenly body after legendary sea creatures is hardly a coincidence. Enhanced knowledge of the galaxy and water expanses does not make us less attracted to them.

Over the last 20 years the history of Bulgaria, Eastern Europe and the world has had a lot to do with big immigrant waves, which have changed forever interpersonal relationships, as well as whole local cultures. Artists who will participate in the eighth edition of "August in Art" will explore in their works both the specific and metaphorical dimensions of the "big wave", seeking for the points of intersection between reality and fantasy, going all the way from mythical sea creatures through to today's heroes, from poetry through to prose, from the big wave as a natural phenomenon through to the big Bulgarian immigrant wave and global migration. New technologies and approaches will be competing with traditional ones, fairy tales will go hand in hand with reality. Because regardless of technological advancement, using stars in the night sky to find our way, as well as romantic star counts have not been declared void yet.

List of Artists:

Ogms, an initiative of Steven Guermeur, Ivan Moudov and Kamen Stoyanov
Adrian Paci, b. Shkoder, Albania in 1969, lives in Bergamo, Italy
Alla Georgieva, b. 1957 in Kharkov, Ukraine, lives in Sofia
Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov, b. 1971 in Sofia and Varna, live in Sofia
Christian Niccoli, b. 1976 in Bolzano, Italy, lives and works in Berlin
Cvetan Krastev, b. 1961 in Varna, lives in Varna, Bulgaria
Daniela Kostova, b. 1974 in Sofia, lives in New York
Dimitar Traychev, b. 1952 in Shoumen, Bulgaria, lives in Varna, Bulgaria
Fvavio Bonetti, b.1956 in Brescia, Italy, lives in Milano, Italy
Georgi Djongarski, b. 1977 in Pernik, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia
Georgi Dimitrov, b. 1980 in Burgas, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia
HR-Stamenov, b. 1981 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, lives in Milan, Italy
Igor Eskinja, b. 1975 in Rijeka, Croatia, lives in Rijeka, Croatia
Kaloyan Iliev-Kokimoto, b. 1979 in Varna, lives in Varna
Kiril Prashkov, b. 1956 in Sofia, lives in Sofia
Krassimir Terziev, b. 1968 in Dobrich, Bulgaria, lives and works in Sofia
Luchezar Boyadjiev, b. 1957 in Sofia, lives in Sofia
Luiza Margan, b. in 1983 in Rijeka, Croatia, lives in Vienna
Maria Zafirkova, b. 1951 in Batak, Bulgaria, lives in Varna, Bulgaria
Mariana Vassileva, b. 1964 in Dobrich, Bulgaria, lives in Berlin
Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova, b. 1960 in Sofia, lives in Sofia
Nedko Solakov, b. 1957 in Cherven Briag, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia
Neno Belchev, b 1971 in Varna, Bulgaria, lives in Varna, Bulgaria
Olivier Bardin, b. 1969 in Saint-Etienne, France, lives in Paris
Orlin Nedelchev, b. 1976 in Varna, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia
Peter Mintchev, b.1979 in Varna, Bulgaria, lives in Varna, Bulgaria
Petja Dimitrova, b. in 1972 in Sofia, lives in Vienna
Piere Bismuth, b. 1963 in Paris, lives in Brussels
Pravdoliub Ivanov, b. 1964 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia
Renata Poljak, b. 1974 in Split, Croatia, lives in Paris
Samuil Stoyanov, b. 1975 in Dobrich, Bulgaria, lives in Dobrich, Bulgaria
Simeon Simeonov, b. 1962 in Dropla, Bulgaria, lives in Sofia
Sirma Sarafova, b. 1937 in Sofia, lives in Sofia
Vasil Simitchiev, b. 1938 in Sofia, lives in Malmo, Sweden
Vasilena Gankovska, V b. 1978 in Troyan, Bulgaria, lives in Vienna
Vikenti Komitski, b. 1983 in Sofia, lives in Sofia

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