TAR PAPER SERIES (1991-2008)
THIS UNIQUE ART SERIES CONSISTS AT PRESENT OF 25 INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF VARIOUS DIMENSIONS. THE ROOTS OF THIS BODY OF WORK DATE AS EARLY AS 1991 WHEN ROBERT CREATED A SERIES OF WALL PAINTINGS ON LARGE ROLLS OF TAR PAPER. IN THIS EXPERIMENT HE CULTIVATED NEW PICTORIAL SPACE BY DECONSTRUCTING IMAGERY ASSOCIATED WITH SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIALOGUES. YEARS LATER HE REVISITED THESE WORKS AND DIVIDED SEVERAL OF THE TAR PAPER PAINTINGS INTO SMALLER FRAGMENTS. THESE FRAGMENTS WERE THE BASIS FOR A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH THE FELLOW ARTIST ILIYAN IVANOV THAT BOTH OF THEM HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING FOR SOME TIME. IN RESULT, THESE FRAGMENTS WERE INVIGORATED BY INTEGRATING ABSTRACT AND REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGERY FROM BOTH ARTISTS' HIGHLY INDIVIDUAL VISUAL STYLES.
THE PHYSICAL DECONSTRUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL WORKS AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT 'REINVESTMENT'- TO BE ADDRESSED BY ANOTHER'S CREATIVE HAND- SEEMS TO EMULATE A PROCESS CURRENTLY BEING UNDERTAKEN BY MANY INDIVIDUALS REGARDING THEIR PERSONAL ASSETS IN THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF THE CURRENT US FINANCIAL CRISIS. THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES ARE RIPE FOR PRACTICING RISK, DIVERSITY, AND COLLABORATION. WHY NOT INCORPORATE THIS VERY MODEL IN CREATIVE ENDEAVORS AMONGST ARTISTS? FOR WHAT GREATER ASSET DOES THE ARTIST CLAIM THEN THE INVESTMENT OF THE CREATIVE SPIRIT INTO HIS OR HER OWN WORKS? BY CONTINUING TO PROMOTE INNOVATIVE DIALOGUES ROBERT AND ILIYAN ARE IN A CONSTANT PURSUIT FOR POSSIBLE ANSWERS TO THESE TIMELESS QUESTIONS.
ILIYAN IVANOV & ROBERT AITCHINSON
