Pravdoliub Ivanov. The Life of Others is Somehow Easier

Stach Szabłowski
(Easier) Life is (Still) Somewhere Else
 
 
When faced with a choice between the truth of life and its representation developed against the backdrop of art, the third way out – the paradoxical half-truth of post-conceptual art – seems to be the preferred one: such in any case is the position taken by Pravdoliub Ivanov. One of the best internationally recognisable contemporary Bulgarian artists, he creates works which might well be referred to as subtle re-configurations of reality. Pursuing paths pointed to by the artist, we rarely leave the territory of daily life. Here everything seems familiar: we are surrounded with regular objects, everyday use appliances, fragments of current political discourses, and memories from times preceding the pulling back of the Iron Curtain. A post-transformation landscape lays itself out before our eyes; we live in post-communist Europe, a globalised world, neo-liberal order – in other words, we feel at home. As it were, this does not necessarily mean that we feel particularly good: we sense that other people have it somewhat easier. […]