CONNECTEDNESS
In my interpretation, "Connectedness" is the word encompassing all the information we hold about an image, a sound, a color, a scent, a place, a person... An emotional sense of preserved memory or real presence, a part of the present. Summarily, it's what we feel connected to, whether pleasant or not, yet we return to it, and it reflects on us. The theme of connectedness is unifying for the entire creative process that students undergo. Each piece in this exhibition represents a collection of many small fragments interconnected within the artist's personal consciousness. The artworks encapsulate impressions that influence the outcome. The glass art pieces are individualistic in their nature - stemming from personal connections, but they are also bound by common factors. Students share a space for creating, work together on common tasks, encounter similar difficulties, are tempted by the same expressive means, and a thin invisible thread weaves all of this into their daily creative process.
During the past academic year 2023/2024, students from the art glass studio at New Bulgarian University made an impressive presence in established international forums. The sense of community, shared experience, and support in this macro society forms a strong core of active young artists ready to be part of the world of artistic glass, not only on a local level. The current exhibition showcases works by students realized solely within the current academic year. And since the theme is "Connectedness" uniting the place and people from the art glass studio, the exhibition also features works by alumni students, as well as by the glass art studio's professors, all of them connected by their love for artistic glass.
Curator:
PhD. Monika Naydenova,
Art Glass Studio New Bulgarian University