WOC@Home is an Online Artist Residency hosted by World of Co, an improved version of the program that we have been running during the last six months of 2020.
Since 2017, World of Co has organized the artist residency programs in Sofia, Bulgaria, introducing the local art and culture to more than 150 international artists. However from May 2020, we introduced to our audience the virtual artist residency program in response to the circumstances that the organization was facing. We consider the online artist residencies is a relevant format for supporting and connecting artists in times of social isolation and limited travel opportunities. The program is well structured but at the same time is designed to be open, shaped by the ideas and the creative interaction.
Tiger who came for T, (A5 Neopastel on paper)
Sat upon a wa', (A5 Neopastel on paper)
Bandito, (A5 Neopastel on paper)
Big Slope, (A5 Neopastel on paper)
Gus n' Buster, (A5 Neopastel on paper)
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
Sculptural cut outs, mounted on foamboard
"Many young men, myself included, appear to lead funny, carefree and crazy lives. I have been inspired to transform this personal element of reality into artworks based on specific animal motifs. Combining this concept with satire and fantastical elements, I aim to take this carousel of masculine absurdity and make it the focal point of my work. I have entitled the world these young men find themselves within "The Dude Zone". This is a world driven by escapism, full of outsiders in a structured domain of order and rules; rules to which these dudes have no regard for.
These men are stuck in a state of limbo between their teens and adulthood, where hedonic pleasures such as drink, drugs and crazy behaviour are used in attempts to quench their escapist fantasies. Young, confused and fuelled by the absurd, these young men are hell-bent on pursuing pleasure above all else; much to the dismay of the rest of society. I felt urban animals like the fox and the stray cat seemed like fitting characters for my artworks. These animals are usually deemed to be beautiful and graceful creatures.
However, once corrupted by their urban environment they are seen in a completely different light; engulfed by the crude and dirty aspects of this life. Nonetheless, it is a messy and crude world. So, the best way to show this is to be just as messy and just as crude."