An exhibition of woodcarver Atanas Yanev’s work opened at Eme gallery in Blagoevgrad, the artist’s daughter Elena Aleksandrova said on Sunday.
Titled The World of Atanas Yanev, the exhibition features 14 woodcarvings, most shown for the first time, and is the second show the family has mounted in his memory.
“Much of his work felt both familiar and unfamiliar, because he avoided showing it, yet he left behind a vast legacy of work,” Aleksandrova said. “I consider it my duty to his memory to bring these works to light so that more people can experience them.”
The exhibition features the subjects that mattered most to him, Aleksandrova said, including the family he always put first, mythological figures, folklore, and scenes recalled from memory. Visitors can explore themes from Greek mythology and Bulgarian folklore, narratives from Homer, and the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as samodivas, samovilas, and mermaids. The show also presents the struggle between good and evil through zoomorphic symbols, along with abundant Christian symbolism alongside folklore and mythology, she added. These themes deeply moved Yanev, she said.
Outside of art, he lived by strict principles. Yet he urged her not to be overly modest, even as he himself was, Aleksandrova said. She described him as deeply moral and proud. “For him, family was truly sacred, and I’m proud to have grown up in a family that never faced upheavals and always gave me a strong sense of moral security,” she said.
Yanev’s works are left unsigned because his style is distinctive and unmistakable, his daughter said. In his early years, he occasionally added delicate inscriptions to some paintings, but over the past 20 years—since his style assumed its current form—he has no longer signed his works, she added.
For many years, Yanev taught at the National Humanities High School St. St. Cyril and Methodius in Blagoevgrad, formerly the Bulgarian Men’s High School in Thessaloniki. Aleksandrova said he took great pleasure in working with students who showed an interest in woodcarving; some grew to love the craft and began practising it themselves. She added that a creator’s calling is to pass on knowledge and skills and give students an initial impetus, after which they develop further through their own sensibilities and worldview, and may even create a world of their own.
Atanas Yanev’s World will be on view for the next two weeks at Eme Gallery in Blagoevgrad.
