Curator Martina Yordanova
30.09 – 27.10.2023
Little Bird Place
Opening – 30.09.2023 (Saturday) – 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Kaloyan Iliev Kokimoto’s frequent appearance in solo and group exhibitions sometimes makes us think we know his work well, but artists of his calibre always manage to surprise their audiences. In the exhibition Wild Wild East, which is also his first collaboration with Little Bird Place Gallery, we will discover a narrative that conditions his deep connection with the animal world and his characteristic ability to mix fiction and reality in a search for and rediscovery of the limits of our own imaginary world. The appearance of his iconic characters, presented in the form of drawings, prints, collages, paintings and objects, captivates and fills the space with a percussive dose of irony that is not an end in itself, but a cleverly employed technique.
The main character in the presented exposition is a comic hybrid of a half-human – half-cat or the imaginary alter ego of the author, bearing the name Kokimoto. Maneki-neko, or the Waving Cat, which has become a symbol of good luck and fortune, dates back to the 17th century. Since then, it has permanently established itself among the symbols of popular culture and can be seen at every shop or restaurant entrance greeting visitors and bestowing them with good fortune. Similarly, you can find Kokimoto’s alter ego in his works, hopping from drawing to collage, appearing suddenly and inappropriately, witnessing incidents and events and commenting on them through his reality. He skillfully handles the images and characters imprinted in our consciousness, which he provokes and places in extraordinary and unfamiliar circumstances, conquering and filling the space occupied by iconic signs and symbols, And so Kokimoto’s alter ego knows no boundaries and can be seen literally everywhere.
The other intrusive character, or rather antihero, that has permanently settled into Kokimoto’s life and become his pet is the computer worm Kido. This self-replicating creature was discovered back in 2005 in the artist’s computer, and ever since then they have coexisted, at first literally, then through the works in which Kido began to appear and multiply in our imagination.
A strong palette, a vivacious style and a pop sensitivity characterize the work of Kaloyan Iliev-Kokimoto, who does not conceal his inspiration from the Japanese kawaii culture that played a decisive role in catalyzing a global phenomenon that has also reached art, namely the aesthetics of cuteness, that which seems to us endearing, sweet and appealing at the same time. It is often used to present extremely sinister and unpleasant scenarios, to critique contemporary events and our way of life, global phenomena and problems, just as it happens in the current exhibition Wild Wild East.
In an interview, Umberto Eco states that in order to be able to understand our present existence and to be able to explain it rationally so that we can continue on our path at all, we need to create fictions. It is these which help to make sense of and process what is happening around us. The micro-narratives in Kokimoto’s oeuvre are fictions, reimagined from real life, which are reflected in his works and come back to us, the viewers, as a nuanced exploration of human behavior, grounded in historical and art historical references and a sharp sense of humor.
Martina Yordanova
See all works from the exhibition HERE!
Kaloyan Iliev – Kokimoto was born in 1979 in Varna. He completed his art education at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”, Veliko Tarnovo, master’s degree – specialty Pedagogy of fine art education – specialization Graphics /2008/ and specialization in the graphic department of the Academy of Fine Arts “Wladislav Streminski” in the city of Lodz, Poland /2008 /. In his works, he recreates the relationships between himself and people in the conditions of a manipulated reality. The extraordinary and darkened worlds that he presents in graphics, drawings, collages, photographs and installations are the result of both his memories and creative inventions. Many of his artworks show his interest in various social problems. The New World Order, the role of modern icons in society and the animals protection are just some of the themes that can repeatedly be found in his works. Moving from religion to politics to everyday absurd situations, Kokimoto is also interested in more common emotional and mental states, such as narcissism, longing for love and beauty. He works with found visual materials and objects, which he enriches with his own narrative developments. He tells his stories in a new way, drawing attention to some specific aspects of the plot and thus re-describing his experiences, but this time as a spectator.
The project was implemented with the financial support of the National Fund “Culture” under the program “One-year grant – 2022”
