Stefan NIKOLAEV

Stefan Nikolaev was born in Bulgaria in 1970 and studied at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1997, he founded the Parisian space Glassbox, where he is currently co-director. Living between Paris and Sofia, the artist exhibited at the Center for Contemporary Art in Glasgow in 2006 and presented his exhibition « Bad Lux » the same year in Nantes, focusing on themes of nostalgia and disappearance.

His works are largely influenced by his dual cultural background, which is why they manifest themselves through an aesthetic of displacement.

Stefan Nikolaev draws inspiration from the codes that govern our current society, which is inundated with logos and signage that are identical everywhere. His art has a dual character; it is a synthesis of minimal art and Pop Art, blending economy of means and vibrant colors.

In the manner of a contemporary Andy Warhol, Stefan Nikolaev appropriates images from mass culture to create his luminous still lifes. He develops a vocabulary of objects and brands, seeking to capture the chaotic atmosphere of duty-free zones, those spaces of exchange where cultures and histories intersect in suspended time.

Assembling Murano glass neons and hammered copper supports, the artist creates object-sculptures. He seeks to go beyond the « Pop » aesthetic by not simply magnifying the mass-produced object, but also by giving it a functionality.