Nevena Niagolova

Nevena Niagolova is an artist, designer and architect working with a variety of mediums. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, she now resides in Toronto.

Starting with drawing and painting lessons at the age of ten she continued her studies in the National Fine Arts School in Sofia. Since, she has received her BDes in graphic design from OCADU, has studied interaction design at the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab, and has finished her Masters of Architecture in University of Toronto.

After Niagolova’s classical training, she developed an interest in abstract art and interactivity, and in particular the internal conversations a work of art could trigger with a viewer. Her work focuses on the pure expression of emotions, fascinations, influences and the like, gathered through her experiences of the world—a way of an emotional release. In the case of her paintings—they are spontaneous bursts of energy with a dynamic, high contrast relationships; whether explosive or calm—there is always a purpose and balance. Though constantly evolving, there is a sense of determined exploration through intuition and excitement.

In “Messy Excitements,” Nevena does exactly that – she lets her feelings out, directly onto the canvas. There’s no preconceived ideas, no sketches, no “this is how it should look.” There’s only raw sensation – joy, tension, euphoria – unleashed into the open.

The paintings here are not rigidly organized – they do not aim for that ‘ideal’ of preconceived perfection. And that is precisely their point. They are loud, dynamic, sometimes even chaotic. But they are real. They resemble a moment in life more than something that hangs motionlessly on a wall.

“Messy Excitements” doesn’t try to impress – it simply says: “Here I am. This is how I felt. How are you?”

Each painting is like an outburst – something you can’t hold back, nor can you hide. Like laughing through tears. Or stepping on the gas when you feel like crawling out of your skin.

This is art that you’re meant to feel, not to ponder at length. If it hits you in the gut – good. If not – that’s fine too. The important thing is that it’s alive. That it breathes.

“Messy Excitements” is here to remind us that not everything needs to be orderly to be beautiful. Sometimes the best things happen when we just let them.

–– Anthony Gee

• Messy Excitements, PO Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
• painting

• Back at Mallo, Mallo, Toronto, Canada
• painting & jewellery