Bulgarian Artist Promotes Global View

On Thursday, Novermber 6, UCBA Professor Maia Toteva and the Depart- ment of Art and Visual Communication held a speaking event featuring noted visual artist Vitto Valentinov.

During the event Valentinov present- ed several pieces of his work, including several photos, a short making of a video involving one of his projects, called “Criti- cal Mass,” and a short film he made called “Artifacts.”

He also discussed his latest piece, called “Balance,” which premiered on No- vember 10 at the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.

A native of Bulgaria, Valentinov is a graduate of the National Academy of Arts in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where he studied mural painting.

“It was also a very tough school to get into,” he explained. “It was either go to school or join the army, which did not interest me at all.”

Many of Valentinov’s works feature the scientific elements and themes, including physics, anatomy, and biology. “I

always liked looking at things from different angles,” he said.

“Using these really helped me get a different reality in a way, which helped me expand my work.”

He has also drawn influences from other concepts and real life events. He said he came up with “Artifacts” as he was moving out of his old studio.

Toteva, UCBA Assistant Professor of Art History, came into contact with the main campus about Valentinov and managed to arrange a speaking event for him. “I think modern art is inspirational,” she said, “and it has the students think about the space available and their ideas about it.”

She also noted how we are becoming a more global world and a world more de- pendent on our imagination.

“We should work on inviting more global artists and global instructors to help our students become more global citizens,” she said

For more information on upcoming events or about the art program at UCBA, contact Professor Toteva at totevama@ucmail.uc.edu.

For more information about Vitto Valentinov and his work, go to his website, vittovalentinov.com.