(EUR)
Maja Spasova has been presented at international exhibitions and festivals such as Venice Biennial, ARTEC Nagoya, Dak’art Senegal. She has more than 100 solo shows at art museums and galleries in Europe and overseas.
The artist has realised numerous art projects in urban public space and is represented in public and private collections all over the world.
Education:
High School of Fine Art, Sofia 1974 – 78; Academy of Fine Art, Sofia 1979 – 84; Guest-student at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm, 1986 – 87.
We are very pleased to be able to support Maja’s exhibition with the Socially Engaged Arts Salon (SEAS) in Brighton by offering space for Maja to live and work during the exhibition THE SOUP.
Artists’ statement:
THE SOUP is ongoing since 2016. It is a part of the project HUNGER.
The soup is a simple ancient dish. Soup can be done on anything, even on a nail. All kinds of people eat soup, poor and rich, young and old. The good mother makes soup, as well as the wicked witch. The soup figures in many folk tales and proverbs. And isn’t the Art world but a single huge soup cauldron!
I’ve filmed a large number of people while eating soup. The installation is presented with several monitors on the walls, where the filmed appear one after the other. Each screen presents different sequences of different lengths, all sequences are looped. In this way, an infinite variety in the installation is achieved. The sounds heard are spoons against bowls, grumbling, occasional words.
In the middle of the room stands a long table. Free soup is served for the visitor.
The exhibition becomes a soup kitchen. Those who want to participate in the project are filmed on the spot, of course while eating soup. Thus the content of the installation is constantly growing.
Regarding the soup kitchen: it can be easily achieved with sponsorship from a cafe or restaurant chain. And wouldn’t it be better if I, the artist, make soup every day. The visitors enter the room carrying the soup bowls. Eating the soup surrounded by the moving images reinforces the character of the installation: devotion, affinity and participation.
The sources of inspiration for THE SOUP: “Two Old Men Eating Soup” by Goya, “The Potato Eaters” by Van Gogh, “The Dining Room” by Raoul Marek.
HUNGER is a series of participatory works employing different media and formats.
The project explores the deprivation of food, undernourishment and deficiencies in nutrients in a contemporary context. Hunger is both cause and result of conflicts on a local and international level. Hunger is a powerful weapon in every war.
During my AiR at Blast Theory/SEAS Dec 2021 and as part of the project HUNGER I am starting the work THE WORLD’s DINING TABLE. Each participant will contribute with drawings and text creating descriptions/representations of their favourite dish.
About SEAS
SEAS (Socially Engaged Art Salon) is an award-wining artists’ led organisation that promotes socially engaged art practices and artists from underrepresented sectors and works with marginalised communities through exhibitions, workshops, and cultural events. It also offers artists’ support programmes and residencies.
SEAS’ programme takes place at Black and Minorities Ethnic Community Partnership (BMECP) Centre, The LGBTQAI+ Ledward Centre (TLC) the up and coming Brighton’s LGBTQAI+ centre, and at the Jubilee Library. SEAS is the South East hub of the Social Art Network (SAN) and we often collaborate with invited curators, art institutes, charities and community organisations.
Founded by the artist Dr Gil Mualem-Doron in 2016, and supported by Art Council England and Brighton&Hove City Council, SEAS is a beacon for socially and politically engaged art in Brighton and south-East England.