The exhibition, “Journey to the Image,” offers an unconventional view of the artistic career of Lika Yanko, as noted by National Gallery Director Anelia Nikolaeva during the opening at The Palace branch. Nikolaeva stated that the gallery received 130 works from Lika Yanko’s bequest, making the show a focus on one of the most significant women artists. The exhibition’s primary emphasis is on Lika Yanko’s early period, exploring works that differ from her more recognizable schematic collages.
Curators Nikolay Ushtavaliiski and Iva Veleva structured the narrative around a physical journey: the movement through the settings and imagery of socialist Bulgaria during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ushtavaliiski explained that while the state art apparatus in the 1960s financed art, directing artists to depict industrial and agricultural labor, a separate, informal movement existed. A close circle of women artists, including Lika Yanko, began undertaking annual plein air sessions across regions like the Rhodope Mountains, Melnik, and Sozopol.
These informal gatherings persisted throughout the decade. The exhibition aims to situate Lika Yanko’s output within this broader context—both the established art of the period and this less documented circle of female artists.
Topics: #gallery #lika #yanko
I’m curious to see what “unconventional” means when viewing her career.