Anton Terziev
Anton Terziev, a contemporary Bulgarian artist, is a master of using sharp irony as his artistic tool to engage with various contemporary subjects. His works are characterized by a profound use of iconography that conveys a stark and critical imagery. In his artistic repertoire, Anton skillfully weaves together elements of stakes, skills, and storytelling, resulting in figurative contemporary art that carries a fine touch of social commentary, humor, and messages about the artist's condition.
Anton Terziev draws inspiration from two distinct sources. Firstly, his art is often born from real-life occurrences, unfolding around him in a way that sparks his creative process. Secondly, his imagination plays a pivotal role in his work, allowing him to craft vivid and thought-provoking imagery. Each of his creations is garnished with subtle elements of pop culture, extracted from movies and books. Embedded within every piece is a narrative, a metatext that enriches the viewer's experience without overwhelming them, for Anton believes that good art communicates softly but effectively.
What distinguishes Anton's work is his unwavering commitment to leaving his audience with a sense of open-ended wonder. His pieces invite viewers to engage in a dialogue with the art, encouraging them to interpret, question, and explore the narratives he presents. Choosing the perfect title for his works is a challenge that he often tackles by drawing inspiration from literature, cinema, or music.
Anton Terziev's career as a painter is intricately intertwined with his identity as a writer. His ideas take shape in the form of paintings and art objects, reflecting his diverse talents. Beyond painting, he brings his artistic vision to life through performances, filmmaking, and design, demonstrating a multifaceted approach to creative expression.
Discover contemporary artworks by Anton Terziev, browse recent artworks and buy online. Categories: contemporary bulgarian artists. Artistic domains: Painting, Drawing. Account type: Artist , member since 2023 (Country of origin Bulgaria). Buy Anton Terziev's latest works on Artmajeur: Discover great art by contemporary artist Anton Terziev. Browse artworks, buy original art or high end prints.
Artist Value, Biography, Artist's studio:
Exclusive selection at discounted prices • 32 artworks
View allCommissioned • 1 artwork
View allQuiet Riots • 14 artworks
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In this series things move on several layers, with different speed and direction. The title itself contains[...]
In this series things move on several layers, with different speed and direction. The title itself contains a paradox. The idea came from my wish to throw a bridge over to my father, at the end of his life. To repair our failed connection by putting myself in his shoes. A peculiar archeology of childhood in search of lost time became integrated into the background. And on the foreground are the forms of resistance, which are of great interest to me for being the light part of every person’s biography. When do they become conscious, what paths they follow, how do they entice us. That’s why I put my son in open situations of generational and cultural dissonance. These are knots, which I’d like to untie and reconfigure myself.
Early works • 23 artworks
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Terzlev's sports paintings are directly related 10 the policies and attitudes of contemporary nationalism,[...]
Terzlev's sports paintings are directly related 10 the policies and attitudes of contemporary nationalism, depicting a game that is overly serious and aggressive. One image illustrates the contrast between the bright, calm world of people playing and the shock of a recently detonated bomb, Its smoke spiraling aver the tops of the buildings. Terziev also considers consumerism, borrowing commercial slogans to highlight their use of sex and violence.
All of this goes far beyond traditional Pop art, which purloined the aesthetic dimensions of consumer culture - Terziev's attitude is rather more critical. He paints rationally, often borrowing from photorealism, while at the same lime applying paint expressively. The result is a multi-layered visual experience, serious despite deriving from mass culture.
His work derives from television and commercials and the neo-conceptual art of the 1990. Terziev's painting is figurative, but he intervenes with additional text and pop elements; it might reference politics, sports or computer games! as well as religious or social realities or metaphors.
Contemporary '2006
All of this goes far beyond traditional Pop art, which purloined the aesthetic dimensions of consumer culture - Terziev's attitude is rather more critical. He paints rationally, often borrowing from photorealism, while at the same lime applying paint expressively. The result is a multi-layered visual experience, serious despite deriving from mass culture.
His work derives from television and commercials and the neo-conceptual art of the 1990. Terziev's painting is figurative, but he intervenes with additional text and pop elements; it might reference politics, sports or computer games! as well as religious or social realities or metaphors.
Contemporary '2006
METACANON • 9 artworks
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Pop culture fabricates all sorts of saviors.
A comic super hero or an antidepressant pill, they both[...]
Pop culture fabricates all sorts of saviors.
A comic super hero or an antidepressant pill, they both secure the absolute simulacrum – the illusion of protection and security.
The contemporary iconography works in stereotypes.
These stereotypes manufacture copies of the original – archetype, and this particular archetype derives from the concept of God.
In fact the only information, which we cannot acquire by our standard means of perception, and which the religion is calling transcendence, can help us in the new interpretation and orientation for the symbolic systems.
Combining the elements of the orthodox Christianity and the secular iconography in the Metacanon cycle decomposes them and their shutter systems.
Goal: reconsidering their functions and the contradictories between them, uncovering the power seeking mechanism and strictures, determining their political and social roll.
Widely hypertrophied, the iconographic details are amputated from the backsword perspective of the evangelic ethics.
As post operated bodies, they bear the scars from the mass culture. Scars which they don’t want to cover up.
The most valued in the world and the most feared in the world don’t change their places here.
They are left to be in a merciless, egocentric perspective of the secular peace.
A world in which, nobody is sure in the inevitability of their demise.
A world in which, nobody is praying to God because this same Gog may send him someone who will insult him in the name of a spiritual growth.
“Metacanon” doesn`t deceive you that there is a different point of view except the apparent one.
It keeps your balance. “Metacanon” doesn`t take you out of your world, out of your horizon, out of your sight.
The modern man`s dilemma is not between a “God with a restraining mask” and “God – Batman” but in what closes the nameless thumb of God.
And do we have to exclude ourselves form a big part of our lives? This particular part which, in a manner of fact holds up the barrier for entering the world.
A comic super hero or an antidepressant pill, they both secure the absolute simulacrum – the illusion of protection and security.
The contemporary iconography works in stereotypes.
These stereotypes manufacture copies of the original – archetype, and this particular archetype derives from the concept of God.
In fact the only information, which we cannot acquire by our standard means of perception, and which the religion is calling transcendence, can help us in the new interpretation and orientation for the symbolic systems.
Combining the elements of the orthodox Christianity and the secular iconography in the Metacanon cycle decomposes them and their shutter systems.
Goal: reconsidering their functions and the contradictories between them, uncovering the power seeking mechanism and strictures, determining their political and social roll.
Widely hypertrophied, the iconographic details are amputated from the backsword perspective of the evangelic ethics.
As post operated bodies, they bear the scars from the mass culture. Scars which they don’t want to cover up.
The most valued in the world and the most feared in the world don’t change their places here.
They are left to be in a merciless, egocentric perspective of the secular peace.
A world in which, nobody is sure in the inevitability of their demise.
A world in which, nobody is praying to God because this same Gog may send him someone who will insult him in the name of a spiritual growth.
“Metacanon” doesn`t deceive you that there is a different point of view except the apparent one.
It keeps your balance. “Metacanon” doesn`t take you out of your world, out of your horizon, out of your sight.
The modern man`s dilemma is not between a “God with a restraining mask” and “God – Batman” but in what closes the nameless thumb of God.
And do we have to exclude ourselves form a big part of our lives? This particular part which, in a manner of fact holds up the barrier for entering the world.
Glory Be • 6 artworks
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Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings, object and photogprahy (2019- )
Private Societies • 9 artworks
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Some of my "Private Societies" are made up by me, others really exist. But for me in this project it[...]
Some of my "Private Societies" are made up by me, others really exist. But for me in this project it is not so much whether they are real or fictitious. Unlike "secret societies", Private Societies are not shrouded in such secrecy and have little influence and power over society. I started this series thinking about what brings people together in groups driven by common causes, goals or beliefs. A sense of sociality, of being included in a particular group, is one of the basic human needs. But this inclusiveness often crosses over into bigotry and strange relationships.
Urban Playgrounds • 7 artworks
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ink drawings
Erotic drawings • 7 artworks
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Part of No Time For Losers series of drawings, paintings and objects (2019-)
Hidden Games • 7 artworks
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“I think therefore I play” is an aphorism I heart by chance that sticks with me in the most needed times.[...]
“I think therefore I play” is an aphorism I heart by chance that sticks with me in the most needed times. An idea coming not from a philosopher but a phootballer. An idea by a homo sapiens who happens to be homo ludens if you are reading the fine print.
“I think therefore I play” is a simple yet elegant sign off to the bestseller biography of the famous football player and a perfect example for the versatility of meaning. An example for a double meaning in the political context as well. The game here though has quite the field and the score has an enormous magnitude for different social groups around the world and that's what interests me as a painter. Today games are played constantly, games with a prize pool in which people are drowning.
But let us get back to the game at hand, the game which is a long lasting fascination and an interest to me. I`m eager to tackle the broad spectrum of meanings coming from this single, yet multilayered word - game. The Olympic ones, the children ones and of course the ones that have nothing to do with rules, keeping score or arriving to a winner.
The aphorism of the football player is a mere word play keeping up with the need of the market. Quite evident is that the footballer doesn't have anything to do with the Platon`s genesis of the game. Everyday such a word play can and will be seen all over the media channels. A slogan sells us by playing with our conceptions for meaning. A game in which the more arrogant the writer the better the attention. Advertising has gotten more sinister and to achieve so it has changed the rules of the game or even more so it has changed the game. Today we are not motivated by reason but rather by cheap thrills so the game in which we are involved has ever changing rules and a clock that is always running fast.
The game is just a form of communication but do the players tune in to the same frequencies? How many games are there in the global political game board? Who keeps score and who uses it to gamble? From whom are these games hidden? We can see that there is something going on, we see the passes, sometimes even can read the offside but never can we witness the game in whole. It is not for the everyday spectator even if this spectator is also a pawn on the field.
Our fear of not having entire control over our lives pushes us in thinking that someone somewhere is playing a hidden game. And there isn't any fairplay.
But “Hidden games”* don't end here there are numerous connotations that are yet to be explored.
What are the political boundaries of the Game? Shared rules make up the world where we operate. Physically or mentally, self conscious or not, you will be submitted under the game's goals and rules and invited to the field. And this field can be spread from the four walls of a office to the borders and a country or even a continent. Determining the layout of the play field gives the players a grasp of their potential in the game.
“I think therefore I play” is a simple yet elegant sign off to the bestseller biography of the famous football player and a perfect example for the versatility of meaning. An example for a double meaning in the political context as well. The game here though has quite the field and the score has an enormous magnitude for different social groups around the world and that's what interests me as a painter. Today games are played constantly, games with a prize pool in which people are drowning.
But let us get back to the game at hand, the game which is a long lasting fascination and an interest to me. I`m eager to tackle the broad spectrum of meanings coming from this single, yet multilayered word - game. The Olympic ones, the children ones and of course the ones that have nothing to do with rules, keeping score or arriving to a winner.
The aphorism of the football player is a mere word play keeping up with the need of the market. Quite evident is that the footballer doesn't have anything to do with the Platon`s genesis of the game. Everyday such a word play can and will be seen all over the media channels. A slogan sells us by playing with our conceptions for meaning. A game in which the more arrogant the writer the better the attention. Advertising has gotten more sinister and to achieve so it has changed the rules of the game or even more so it has changed the game. Today we are not motivated by reason but rather by cheap thrills so the game in which we are involved has ever changing rules and a clock that is always running fast.
The game is just a form of communication but do the players tune in to the same frequencies? How many games are there in the global political game board? Who keeps score and who uses it to gamble? From whom are these games hidden? We can see that there is something going on, we see the passes, sometimes even can read the offside but never can we witness the game in whole. It is not for the everyday spectator even if this spectator is also a pawn on the field.
Our fear of not having entire control over our lives pushes us in thinking that someone somewhere is playing a hidden game. And there isn't any fairplay.
But “Hidden games”* don't end here there are numerous connotations that are yet to be explored.
What are the political boundaries of the Game? Shared rules make up the world where we operate. Physically or mentally, self conscious or not, you will be submitted under the game's goals and rules and invited to the field. And this field can be spread from the four walls of a office to the borders and a country or even a continent. Determining the layout of the play field gives the players a grasp of their potential in the game.
No Time For Losers • 47 artworks
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In the series No Time for Losers I examine just that – what it takes from you, what and whom you pay,[...]
In the series No Time for Losers I examine just that – what it takes from you, what and whom you pay, who constructs the content of success as a symbol and metaphor, what is its shelf life? I do it through the well-known moment of triumph, mandatory for sport photographers. A freeze-frame, in which I comment on the role interrelations between the award, the awardee and the award presenter.
I hit the brakes on the rat race for quick, immediate, instagrammable success. This concept is like a tomb. A remarkable pantheon, which you furnish meticulously with awards, trophies in your CV and what not, to the last day of your life.
Whoever wants to be a „relevant participant in the processes“ knows that things like vulnerability, exposedness and sensitivity smell of failure, they don’t make you competitive on the market. Like in sports, whose direct aesthetics I borrow for my series.
From an early age, you have to run in the right lane or track. Lest you compete on top level but outside of the field, or even worse – out of the range of the cameras reporting the game from the pitch.
I hit the brakes on the rat race for quick, immediate, instagrammable success. This concept is like a tomb. A remarkable pantheon, which you furnish meticulously with awards, trophies in your CV and what not, to the last day of your life.
Whoever wants to be a „relevant participant in the processes“ knows that things like vulnerability, exposedness and sensitivity smell of failure, they don’t make you competitive on the market. Like in sports, whose direct aesthetics I borrow for my series.
From an early age, you have to run in the right lane or track. Lest you compete on top level but outside of the field, or even worse – out of the range of the cameras reporting the game from the pitch.
Recognition
Award Winning
The artist has won prizes and awards
The artist has won prizes and awards
Published in the media
The artist has been published in the media, radio or TV press
The artist has been published in the media, radio or TV press
Editor's Pick
The artist's works have been noticed by the editorial staff
The artist's works have been noticed by the editorial staff
Sold in galleries
The artist is sold in galleries
The artist is sold in galleries
Presented in Art Fairs
The artist participates in art shows and fairs
The artist participates in art shows and fairs
Professional Artist
Exercises the profession of artist as a main activity
Exercises the profession of artist as a main activity
Biography
Anton Terziev, a contemporary Bulgarian artist, is a master of using sharp irony as his artistic tool to engage with various contemporary subjects. His works are characterized by a profound use of iconography that conveys a stark and critical imagery. In his artistic repertoire, Anton skillfully weaves together elements of stakes, skills, and storytelling, resulting in figurative contemporary art that carries a fine touch of social commentary, humor, and messages about the artist's condition.
Anton Terziev draws inspiration from two distinct sources. Firstly, his art is often born from real-life occurrences, unfolding around him in a way that sparks his creative process. Secondly, his imagination plays a pivotal role in his work, allowing him to craft vivid and thought-provoking imagery. Each of his creations is garnished with subtle elements of pop culture, extracted from movies and books. Embedded within every piece is a narrative, a metatext that enriches the viewer's experience without overwhelming them, for Anton believes that good art communicates softly but effectively.
What distinguishes Anton's work is his unwavering commitment to leaving his audience with a sense of open-ended wonder. His pieces invite viewers to engage in a dialogue with the art, encouraging them to interpret, question, and explore the narratives he presents. Choosing the perfect title for his works is a challenge that he often tackles by drawing inspiration from literature, cinema, or music.
Anton Terziev's career as a painter is intricately intertwined with his identity as a writer. His ideas take shape in the form of paintings and art objects, reflecting his diverse talents. Beyond painting, he brings his artistic vision to life through performances, filmmaking, and design, demonstrating a multifaceted approach to creative expression.
- Nationality: BULGARIA
- Date of birth : 1977
- Artistic domains: Works by professional artists,
- Groups: Professional Artist Contemporary Bulgarian Artists
Influences
Education
1999 - 2004
Masters' degree in Natioinal Academy of Art
Sofia,
Bulgaria
1991 - 1996
School of Fine Arts
Sofia,
Bulgaria
Artist value certified
No data available yet
Galleries & Groups
Presented by 11 Art Galleries or Groups
Debetum
(Artists Association, United States)
Schneider Art Cooperation
(Art gallery, Austria)
Aksent Gallery
(Art gallery, Azerbaijan)
1stDibs Bank
(Art gallery, Georgia)
Artforyou
(Art gallery, Netherlands)
BRISS ART GALLERY
(Art gallery, Spain)
THE MOOD COLLECTOR
(Art gallery, Mexico)
Radharani
(Art gallery, Brazil)
Galería MOM-CHILE
(Art gallery, Chile)
NovAtlantis FLAI
(Art gallery, Italy)
Galeria Vertebrae
(Art gallery, Brazil)
Achievements
Prizes and Awards
2007
Award From The National Poetry Competition
Stara Zagora,
Bulgaria
2001
Award For Ceramic Wall Project
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2001
Award For Good Presenting In The National Exhibition For Young Artists
Sofia,
Bulgaria
Collective Expositions
2018
Alianz Group Exhibition
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2018
Schock Und Schrecken", Exhibition At Goethe Institut
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2015
Vienna Contemporary Art Fair
Vienna,
Austria
2011
After The Flight
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2011
Nurtureart
NYC,
United States
2009
Born Independent
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2008
M-Tel Awards For Contemporary Bulgarian Art
Plovdiv,
Bulgaria
2007
The Presence Of The Body
Troy, NY,
United States
2000
Light House A Nd Storm
Bath,
United Kingdom
1999
International Youth Art Festival
Didimotichon,
Greece
Permanent Collections
2023
Part Of Permanent Contemporary Art Collection Of Sofia City Art Gallery
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2003
Avant-Garde And Norm, Svilen Stefanov
Sofia,
Bulgaria
Residencies
2010
Young Visual Artist Award
New York,
United States
Solo Expositions
2020
Success And Succession
Plovdiv,
Bulgaria
2019
Quiet Riots Exhibition At Contemporary Space
Varna,
Bulgaria
2019
Small Victories
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2017
Hidden Games
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2016
Paintings By The Book
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2016
Urban Playgrounds
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2012
Contemporary Tools Of Labor
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2009
Disconnected People
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2008
Imagine
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2008
Selected Nature
Bratislava,
Slovakia
2006
Act On Instinct
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2004
Pshychotherapy
Sofia,
Bulgaria
2003
Everything Is Under Control, Xxl Gallery
Sofia,
Bulgaria
Activity on Artmajeur
Last modification date : May 9, 2024
(Member since 2023)
Image views: 135,674
Artworks by Anton Terziev added to favorite collections: 235
Latest News
All the latest news from contemporary artist Anton Terziev
Added Jul 11, 2023
Comments
1
Anton terziev's exhibition Small Victories at Arosita Gallery, Sofia, 2019
Added Sep 29, 2023
Swallowed sentences
Plus 359 Gallery, ulitsa "Galichitsa", Sofia, Bulgaria
Wednesday
27
September
2023
Sunday
22
October
2023
“What we don’t see, doesn’t exist”
Elfriede Jelinek
The obvious, which we deny or ignore, shows us the real. In daily life, we humans tend, consciously or accidentally, to overlook, to repress or to block out inconvenient things from the world around us. We humans are good at using various methods and strategies to defamiliarise reality and assert normality even in the face of a threatening situation. It often proves easier to choose the path of silence or to take shelter in a language devoid of meaning in order to evade and not bring to consciousness a reality with which we do not want to confront.
A protective everyday experience is that unspoken truths are sometimes better left hidden. It seems easier to look away or to remain silent and thus to declare some things non-existent. We don’t always turn over every stone. We prefer not to be aware. Everyone knows the phenomenon of the “elephant in the room”. We all notice the “elephant”, but then we pretend not to see it. “The elephant” that nobody talks about is a very contradictory figure, because the “elephant” has mass, is a big, present-looking
figure, but at the same time it doesn’t really seem to be there. We know we should and yet we can’t talk about it. It, the “elephant”, emerges and the moment it is fully there, it disappears.
But why do we pretend to be blind or deaf or indifferent? Why do we swallow so many obvious things? Why do we turn our gaze away from things that characterise the reality of our lives? Do we not compromise with the lie by looking away and remaining silent? But who decides what is truth and what is a lie? Who has a right to know them? Do not truth and lies appear in one corner as the opposite of what sounds in another corner like a foreign language of which one does not understand a word?
Through a cross-space visual and audio installation, the exhibition swallowed sentences focuses on the relationship between visibility and invisibility, between speaking and concealment, between presence and absence. It leads the viewer into a labyrinth of the obvious, the repressed and the misunderstood, to finally confront him with the question: Why don’t we listen to the “elephants”?
Added Jul 12, 2023
представяне на книгата "Местни герoи", 21.11.2010
Added Jul 12, 2023
представяне на книгата "Местни герoи", 21.11.2010
Added Jul 12, 2023
24.05.2015, Sofia Just in front of the monument “1300 Years of Bulgaria” Anton Terziev is gluing the pages of “Forget Your Past”, an album of monuments from the Soviet Union regime by Nikola Mihov. duration of action: 40' video editing: Rayna Teneva
Reviews and comments
Garjifet
•
Dessin bourré d'humour ! On devine l'artiste s'amuser en réalisant ce dessin ! Bravo l'artiste 🤩
Visionay artist, original, refined, top+++
Félicitations Anton !
What a deep story and a vivid memory, dear Gaëlle! Thank you foro sharing! You are absolutely right, beautiful images are just a facade and could be used for manipulation. Behind them are always a politics involved. Especially when we are talking about these enormously big corporate companies. There is no moral values in their agenda
When I was a little girl (and until today), even if we were on the verge of running out of gasoil during a trip, my mother systematically boycotted Shell stations in response to the sinking of the Amoco Cadiz and the huge oil spill it caused on the coast of Brittany in 1978. I didn't even know how to read yet, but I already knew that the image of a pretty shell could be just a lure that cynically masked an activity leading to the death of real shells.
Bonjour cher Anton, merci pour votre intérêt. Vos œuvres sont impressionnantes. Bonne continuation. Cordiales salutations
Anton, je suis très fan de vos dessins à l'encre, j'apprécie énormément le graphisme de votre série "Urban Playgrounds" BRAVO à vous !
My pleasure, Eric, thank you very much!
Great work, Anton ! Thanks for following me +++
Уникальная работа с философским подходом и даже больше. Браво!
спосибо, болъшое, Оксана!
Than k you very much
Surpuissantes Oeuvres !
Powerful Works!
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