NATIONAL GALLERY
SOFIA ARSENAL - MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
DO NOT FORGET
David King, Dorian Hirsch
Curator: Polina Angelova
7 February - 10 March 2019
Opening, 7 of February, Thursday at 18.00
SAMCA, 2 “Cherni Vrah” Blvd.
“Do Not Forget” is part of the series of creative interventions of IDentity Projects addressing themes of belonging, time, remembrance and identity. This exhibition consists of the artworks of two multimedia artists: the Series “Stars and Stripes” by David King and the Series “The Order of Chaos” by Dorian Hirsch.
“I meditate on death to question what this life asks of me”, says David King. In his highly conceptual series of drawings created in quick succession and called “Stars and Stripes”, the artist depicts the dissonant extremes of beauty and hope in the horrors of war, order in the heart of chaos, and creation in the gas clouds of destruction.
David King is a multimedia artist. Born in London, UK he currently works and lives in New York, USA. King’s thought provoking and reactionary work has been featured at some of the most prestigious places including Miami Art Basel, Soho Arts Club and Frieze Art Fair. The artist’s creativity extends to music where he is currently recording his debut album at Electric Lady Studios - the studio founded by Jimi Hendrix.
"Creative highs and chaotic lows is the definition of an artist's life”, says Dorian Hirsch. Chaos and creation lie at the base of the artist’s work, which he describes as an automatic reaction to a stream of thoughts without any premeditation. The instinct to fight chaos is the one that the creator ultimately strives to evoke. His father was a child when he escaped from the Auschwitz camp, a fact which affected Dorian’s family, shaped his unique identity and created memories which he will not forget.
Dorian Hirsch is born in the USA. Residing in different countries, he currently works and lives in London, UK. He graduated from “Central Saint Martin’s College” in London. He has numerous gallery exhibitions and in 2018 he exhibited at Tate Modern. Dorian has worked within the photography, film and advertising industry on projects alongside Mario Testino, Liam Gallagher and Thandie Newton, on marketing campaigns for Dolce&Gabanna, French Connection and Smirnoff, and for clients including Conde Nast, the Guardian and the BBC.
“Do Not Forget” will open with David King’s Live Performance. The yellow Star of David that was once a representation of the visual labeling of Jews, mandatory to be worn as a badge of fear, humiliation and division; will be now worn by all our exhibition attendees as a symbolic act of Unification. The audience will gain more knowledge and imaginary power by confronting and exploring untold courage buried in almost forgotten history. Visitors will be invited to reflect on and personalise their museum experience, by sharing their thoughts and feelings on our exhibition board.
“Do Not Forget” will close on the 10th of March 2019 with Dorian Hirsch’s Live Art Performance titled “48,000”. Hirsch’s performance will celebrate the 76th Anniversary of the saving of the Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust. In 1943 Bulgarians wrote one of the most inspiring chapters in the history of the world’s humanity. Almost 48,000 Jews were saved from being deported to the death camps of the Holocaust. “Do Not Forget” exhibition aims to bring awareness to this historical fact.
“Do Not Forget” is a touring exhibition, curated and initiated by Polina Angelova and will support the cultural exchange between the UK, Bulgaria, and Israel.
As a curator Polina Angelova has collaborated with contemporary designers, galleries and institutions including the Design Museum in London, Collect Design Fair, Arper, Clerkenwell Design Week, Hull Studio, Gallery FUMI, developing curatorial projects alongside Justin McGuirk, Tom Wilson, Donna Loveday. She is one of the Co-curators of Re-considering Canon Exhibition at the Design Museum, during LDF 2018.
“Being a curator means to constantly revise hidden parts and unexplored connections of our culture which go hand in hand in art, fashion, design and architecture”, says Polina Angelova
© Do Not Forget Exhibition, IDentity Projects