Title: “The Invisible scenery”
Artist: Gergana Ivanova & Ioana Țurcan
Country: Romania/Bulgaria
Gergana Ivanova completed both a BA and MA in Graphic art and Printmaking at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia, along with a second major in Theory and Practice of Art Education. Through her art, Gergana is dedicated to recreating concepts about the origin and nature of humanity in our three-dimensional world, combining different artistic media. She is recognized for important awards such as the Young Author Award at the 5th Small Graphic Forms Forum and the NAА License Award at the Wittgenstein House Summer Academy in Vienna. Gergana has also been selected as an artist at prestigious festivals such as Cubos de las Tentaciones at the 8th FIG Bilbao Paper Art Festival in Spain and received a special honorary award for her contribution to contemporary graphic art at the 10th Bitola International Graphic Art Triennial.
Gergana has exhibited in numerous galleries and events both in Bulgaria and abroad, including Istanbul, Italy, Turkey, Germany and many others. She has participated in workshops and residency programs such as “Museum of Senseless Invisibility” – Master Class by Teodor Ushew, Theater of the Senses, ECHO III “For memory’s sake” – Bucharest Visual Arts Residency, Little Bird Place Artist Residency, NeoNlitic2 installation project, and others. In 2022, Gergana was one of the artists selected for the sixth edition of the 180° Festival – Laboratory for Innovative Art, presented at the Goethe Institute.
Ioana Țurcan is present through her work as a filmmaker, interdisciplinary artist and sometimes a cultural producer, with a formal education in Cinematography, Photography and Media (BA), Documentary Filmmaking (MA) and Film/Video Production (MFA), the latter completed on a Fulbright Fellowship, and a post-MA in Critical Images: Dignity and Representation at Royal Institute of Art, Sweden. Currently she is taking a freestanding course at the HDK-Valand, Gothenburg University on Contemporary Art and Health and is part of the 2024 cohort of fellows for CEC ArtsLink International Fellowship.
Over the years she has been selected for numerous exhibitions and festivals both in Romania and abroad, among them we mention The Wrong Biennale, Biennale of Western Balkans, LIFELIKE: Invoking Ghosts at La Cave, French Institute, Cluj, DARLINGS TO KILL, DARLINGS TO KISS, SwitchLab, Bucharest, Romania; HOME: a world between forgetfulness and persistence, Târgu Mureș, Romania; GESTURES OF CARE, White Cuib Gallery, Cluj, Romania; IT WAS, IT IS, IT WILL BE. IN PROCESS itinerant at Morawa Palace and Entropa Gallery in Poland,; RESTLESS IMAGE, UNRESOLVED GAZE, Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Serbia; REPRESENTATIONS, INTERRUPTED – Mejan Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden; HIBERNACULUM SHOW, The Works Visual Arts Society, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 20th INTERNATIONAL OPEN, Women Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA.
In 2022 with the transnational artist collective, an office, developed site-specific activations present at Documenta 15 (Germany), Fotograf Festival (Czech Republic) and Centrul de Proiecte (Romania).
Artists’s Vision:
This exploration is intrinsically linked to ongoing research about female directors and their invaluable contributions to the world of cinema. The study of feminist filmmaking has unveiled the remarkable achievements of women in the industry, shedding light on their unique perspectives, innovative storytelling techniques, and their role in challenging and reshaping societal norms. Movies like “The Purple Mask” (1916) by Grace Cunard, “A Santanotte”(1922) by Elvira Notari and “Intolerance” (1916) by D. W. Griffith show this. This research is an essential part of the larger narrative surrounding feminist cinema, highlighting not only the power of storytelling but also the critical importance of diversity and gender equity in the realm of filmmaking.
The film industry, like numerous others, requires a complete restructuring due to its gender imbalances and discriminatory features. Creating more diverse sectors and practices will not only enrich the internal creative process but will result in higher degrees of the viewer’s identification with the characters on screen, reflecting the variety of human experiences. The role of women in cinema has evolved significantly from the early days of the motion pictures industry to its present. In the early days of cinema women were mostly featured as actresses, portrayed in limiting roles complying with the societal norms. Slowly, females were being spotted behind the scenes and gradually, behind the camera.
Through their artwork, Gergana and Ioana have dedicated themselves to exploring the recurring theme of recognizing female directors. Through a collage approach, the artists are craftily expanding the realm of contemplation for the exhibition viewers. They incorporate a boldly expressed quote by Alice Guy- Blaché on women’s involvement in the film industry, merging it with Grace Cunard’s still from “The Purple Mask” that reflects on the limitless of women’s abilities. Additionally, they feature Elvira Notari’s acclaimed work “A Santanotte” and D.W. Griffith’s second film, “Intolerance”, responding to accusations of racism and supremacy following “Birth of a Nation”.
While initially it might seem complex to interconnect these three films, a common thread unites them- namely the theme of female empowerment or, at least, the portrayal of women in roles, challenging traditional expectations.
Gergana and Ioana’s work provides a crucial perspective of the female participation within a predominantly male-dominated film industry. Offering a platform for discussions and challenging of the prevailing norms is what the brave artists set in a skillful manner – Zhana Kalinova, curator