Public Republic

An interview with the sculptor Vesselin Lambrev by Ina Ivanova
Translation by Asya Draganova

“Sculpture is jealous”

To have a conversation with Vesselin Lambrev is a pleasure comparable to the ones felt when sinking into the fine lines of his sculptures. Soft, sophisticated charm and a unique sense of rhythm guide his speech. That is why I don’t want to take an interview in the classical sense of the phrase: it is enough just to say I am listening to the sculptor’s description of how he sees the world. And we are smoking.

I am trying to use my eyes for art. A man of art creates a spiritual product. Some people think that artists are the spoiled ones within a society because sometimes you have to spend five hours doing nothing and just staring; then we actually do some work including materials. The true job of an artist is to assimilate and materialise thoughts.

The biography of Vesselin Lambrev includes an impressive amount of exhibitions in Bulgaria and outside the country. He graduated at a fine arts school in Smolian where he specialised in the production of metal plastics taught by the sculptor Angel Stoianov. In 1989 he graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. He was taught by professor Dimitar Boikov and was awarded a diploma in sculpture. During his university years he specialised in the class of the well-known Vezhdi Rashidov. Vesselin established his own studio in the Academy for musical, performing and Fine arts in the city of Plovdiv and taught there until 2002. He has had solo exhibitions twice in France and also in Finland and Slovakia; five times in his home-city Plovdiv as well as in Nessebar and Smolian.

I promised the sculptor I am not going to go over the top with information but I cannot keep myself from mentioning the fact that Vesselin’s works have been exhibited in Spain, in the Dimplomacy Club in the area of Boiana (Sofia), as well as all over Plovdiv. Not surprisingly, Vesselin is the author of “Theatron” – the statue in front of the Drama theatre, Plovdiv. He answers the philosophy of the artist overall:

To make art… is like falling in love. Then there is this constant routine of suffering, the gathering of experience, of understanding of the world. The building of a way of thinking.

Then he paraphrases Michelangelo:

Sculpture is jealous and you have to devote yourself completely.

Does he find it hard to be separate from his own works?

I am interested in where my sculpture goes. To create it is like raising a child. Being torn apart hurts.

Then he recalls that in 2004/2005 his work “Vanga” was about to be bought in Helsinki. But he could not imagine being separated from his work. It was created when the famous Bulgarian prophet Vanga was still alive – in 1989 – and at the moment is part of the exhibition “Point of Boiling of the Substance of Fantasy 3”.

I think it will someday go to the right person.

I am thinking: they will recognise each other – the sculpture and it’s future host. And Vesselin Lambrev will then be ready to sell it.

“Point of Boiling of the Substance of Fantasy 3” takes place in Helsinki and is the first sculpture exhibition of a Bulgarian artist in Scandinavia. What feeling did it leave to the artist? Now, four years later he admits:

People there are taught to understand sculpture. The audience here in Bulgaria has a long way to go until it starts understanding it as a form of art and stops relating it to monuments.

“Point of Boiling of the Substance of Fantasy 2” was released in Bratislava, Slovakia thanks to Victor Hulik’s invitation. Hulik organised the Multinational forum “Sculpture and Object” and Vesselin Labrev was again the first Bulgarian.

“Point of Boiling of the Substance of Fantasy 3” is in my home town – Plovdiv. Here I m finishing the project and I am also showing 5 new things. I am interested in the “eight” – the energy of eternity. Hence why my new works contain some kind of ambition to move higher and higher. … It’s time for spiritual life.

Gallery “George Papazov” is home to the sculptures of Vesselin Lambrev and the canvases of Ivan Kraevski. Two independent exhibitions which surprisingly compliment each other in the harmonious space of the hall.

The two exhibitions started living together. – the sculptor smiles at last and claims that it’s because of the good climate.

But I would prefer to call it a horizon. Because I felt the heaviness of one of his bronze sculptures in my hands – only for a minute while I waited for him to show me the next direction. Higher.