Gregory Volk,
Critic and full time faculty VCU School of the Arts
I showed him the prints from candidacy and the Bulgarian resort series. As well as the video with my 8mm film with preface by Claire playing the role of the critic.
He liked the candidacy prints, in his words, they are very strong images, great photographs. However, his main concern is their proximity to the work by other photographers, Gursky, Struth and Ruff. His challenge to me was to make the topic I am examining my own by having a personal style unmistakable with the others. Once again he pointed to Nedko Solakov, who like me is Bulgarian and Gregory knows personally. I showed him the Bulgarian vacation industry photos which he liked, they depict something different from the common knowledge.
However, the topic of nature and land use after the fall of communism is quite common topic where I am from. What should my "foreign" work be: form and subject matter to appeal the audience in the US or a personal investigation of what I am interested in? 95% of foreign art is selected to fit within the local narrative of what the world is. It needs to be different but only to the extent to strengthen the notions of what it is out there. Identity and differences are shoved in the face of the audience, however, the way they want to see it. Otherwise people are confused and simply dismiss the work if their expectations are not met.
Surprisingly, Gregory liked the video with Claire. He suggested to have more of this faces spewing nonsense with authority.
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