The month of May is symbolically dedicated to letters. This year we will introduce you to four artists who work in the field of calligraphy and handwritten text.
Georgi Gikov
Education: “Graphics” at the National School of Fine Arts “Ilia Petrov” – Sofia; “Book, Illustration and Printed Graphics” (BA) & “Font” (MA) at the National Academy of Arts – Sofia.
Professional experience: Lately I have been mostly dedicated to my master’s project – design of a typeface, mainly inspired by calligraphy. I am open to working as an artist not only in letters, but also in the fields of illustration, graphic design and graphics.
Exhibitions & projects: Recent participations: 2019, 2018 – participation in the exhibitions of the VI “Forum Small Graphic Forms” in Sofia, Montana and Stara Zagora. 2018 – participation in the exhibition of “Pangram”, III International Competition for Students in Type and Calligraphy, Kharkov, Ukraine. 2018 – participation in the exhibition “Non-standard Book Editions for Children” in Generator, Sofia. Exhibition of student diploma projects from the Department of “Book, Illustration and Printed Graphics”, National Academy of Arts, Sofia. 2018 – participation in the exhibition of the 14th Student Drawing Competition, organized by the Department of “Drawing”, National Academy of Arts, Sofia. 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 – participation as a lecturer in the Summer Academy for Children and Students at the National Academy of Arts, Sofia. 2017 – practical training in Sito Studio, project “Student Practices” of the Ministry of Education and Science, Sofia. 2016 (September) – 2017 (February) – student mobility under the Erasmus + program at LUCA – School of Arts, Ghent, Belgium. 2016 – participation in the workshop and exhibition “Lost in Translation”, part of One Design Week, “Kosmos” cinema, Plovdiv. 2016 – participation in the international workshop for creative thinking and design processes “Know-How Show-How”, Sofia.
What does it actually mean to be involved in calligraphy? I ask myself this question quite often. “The art of beautiful writing” is only one definition that can be given. For about 2 years now, my interest in writing signs has been deepening and for myself I find that calligraphy can be a very special way of expression. At a certain point, aesthetics and composition can be more important than the legibility of the letters. In practice, the state and concentration I enter into may be more important than the result of the writing itself.
Is there a difference between “font” and “calligraphy”? If we trace the roots of these two directions historically, we will find that there is not much difference. Once upon a time, “calligraphy” was the “font” that served a book. Nowadays, the distance between the two is greater due to computer tools. A typeface goes through numerous stages before it comes into use. It must be functional, all the characters must harmonize with each other in a variety of scenarios, calligraphy and handwriting can help in the process of creation. This is exactly what I am currently going through with my work on my master's project.
Is calligraphy illustration? It can be a tool for illustration at a certain moment. A lot depends on how and what a given idea needs in its depiction. Calligraphy has the blessing of visualizing your words and thoughts, which can exist on their own without materialization, but a Latin maxim says: “Verba volant, scripta manent” – “What is spoken flies, what is written remains”.
What do you dream of writing/depicting/illustrating through calligraphy? Recently, I have been attracted to the idea of illustrating music. I find that there are interesting connections between calligraphy and music – form, rhythm, movement can be transformed from one to the other and vice versa.
What do people most often NOT know about calligraphy?
Most often, your attention is attracted by a very small but significant detail. There is also a special meditation and contemplation that develop as a way of perception.
Favorite calligraphy examples: One of the main people who taught me at the National Academy of Arts and inspired me to pursue calligraphy is Prof. Todor Vardzhiev. I also mention John Stevens and Dennis Brown as early inspirations. Of course, now there are many favorite authors and works.
Website: https://www.behance.net/georgigikov
Add comment