Kaloyan Iliev Kokimoto’s frequent appearance in solo and group exhibitions sometimes makes us think we know his work well, but artists of his calibre always manage to surprise their audiences. In the exhibition Wild Wild East, which is also his first collaboration with Little Bird Place Gallery, we will discover a narrative that conditions his deep connection with the animal world and his characteristic ability to mix fiction and reality in a search for and rediscovery of the limits of our own imaginary world. The appearance of his iconic characters, presented in the form of drawings, prints, collages, paintings and objects, captivates and fills the space with a percussive dose of irony that is not an end in itself, but a cleverly employed technique.
Martina Yordanova
Kaloyan Iliev – Kokimoto was born in 1979 in Varna. He completed his art education at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of „St. St. Cyril and Methodius“, Veliko Tarnovo, master’s degree – specialty Pedagogy of fine art education – specialization Graphics /2008/ and specialization in the graphic department of the Academy of Fine Arts „Wladislav Streminski“ in the city of Lodz, Poland /2008 /. In his works, he recreates the relationships between himself and people in the conditions of a manipulated reality. The extraordinary and darkened worlds that he presents in graphics, drawings, collages, photographs and installations are the result of both his memories and creative inventions. Many of his artworks show his interest in various social problems. The New World Order, the role of modern icons in society and the animals protection are just some of the themes that can repeatedly be found in his works. Moving from religion to politics to everyday absurd situations, Kokimoto is also interested in more common emotional and mental states, such as narcissism, longing for love and beauty. He works with found visual materials and objects, which he enriches with his own narrative developments. He tells his stories in a new way, drawing attention to some specific aspects of the plot and thus re-describing his experiences, but this time as a spectator.
