Excursive Objects: Peter Tzanev

Three chairs and one with two banded legs, 2018

I call “excursive objects” the access of my consciousness to the phenomenal independence of a certain kind of interaction between the objects that create new objects. These new objects are “wandering”, “deviating” from the usual modes of perception. These are objects that appear as temporary configurations. They have an illusory nature and can not be supported by narrative structures of communication or conceptual forms of representation. These are objects that are constantly withdrawing from their presence. Their appearance in my consciousness depends on how much I have blocked the “social brain” of the parts from which they are composed, and how much I succeed in following and retaining them as autonomous configurations that have their own visual “theory of mind”.

Excursive objects appear as a phenomenal experience, not as “real things” that we can take with us at home, explain to someone or transfer to the museum. Excursion objects happen at the same time beyond thinking about art and beyond exploring objects as an understandable part of the world around us. In this sense, they apply equally to the mind of the little child and to the consciousness of every casual spectator or artistic expert.

Peter Tzanev is Professor of Psychology of Art at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia. Doctor of Art Sciences. He is the author of the books “Psychology of Art” (2008), “Psychological Approaches in Art Studies” (2009), “Image and Consciousness in Art Therapy” (2017), co-authored by Prof. Vladimir Nikitin, “Unrecognized Bulgarian Abstraction” ) together with Prof. Stanislav Pamukchiev.

On important solo exhibitions:
Discontinuation of the site (2015) Goethe Institute, Sofia and Gallery Contemporary Space, Varna; Instruments of Empathy (2011) “Raiko Alexiev” Gallery, Sofia; Unpredictably transparent. Heterochronic Installations (2010) Atelier Plastilin Gallery, Sofia; Ectoplastic drawings and installations (2009) Exhibition Center “Shipka” 6, Sofia; Exercises of Perfection (2006) Gallery “Irida”, Sofia.

Important exhibitions:
The image is no longer available (2017) Curator’s project by Vessela Nozharova, Credo Bonum Gallery, Sofia; Parallel, Daire Gallery, Accompanying Program of the 14th Istanbul Biennial (2015); Athens Photo Festival (2015) Benaki Museum, Athens; Imago Mundi. Luciano Benetton Collection (2015) Giorgio Cini, Venice; Redefining the Space of Everyday Life, Curators: Irina Batkova, Ezgi Bakçay Çolak, Gaia Gallery, Istanbul (2015); The Forgotten Pioneer Movement (2014), District. Kunst und Kulturförderung; Berlin, Germany; Recorded memories (2013), Museum of Photography Braunschweig, Germany; Why Duchamp? From the site to the museum and back (2012) curatorial project of Maria Vassileva, Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art.

Works of the artist are shown in: National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest; Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Rijeka; CerModern, Ankara; Warehouse A ‘, Port of Thessaloniki; Nicosia Municipal Arts Center; Collegium Artisticum, Sarajevo.