On the occasion of the solo exhibition Triadista by artist Kaloyan Ivanov, opened on 13 October 2026 at Studio 21 Gallery in Split, a lecture and discussion with the artist was held at the Arts Academy of the University of Split, Department of Painting, on 15 October 2026. During the event, Kaloyan Ivanov presented his perspective on the concepts of development and reflection, both pictorial and existential, referring to examples from the history of art and philosophy. The lecture itself was titled How to Begin?
Kaloyan Ivanov (Sofia, 1986) is a Bulgarian artist working in the fields of painting, performance, and installation art. He graduated in Painting from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2009. He has exhibited in Bulgaria, Croatia, the United States, and South Korea, among other venues, including the 28th Slavonian Biennale at the Museum of Fine Arts in Osijek.
The Triadista series, currently exhibited at Studio 21 Gallery, consists of thirty black-and-white paintings executed in acrylic on canvas mounted on arched wooden panels reminiscent of an iconostasis. The title derives from the medieval name of Sofia, and the series combines iconographic forms with abstract geometric motifs inspired by the legacy of American Modernism.
The lecture by Kaloyan Ivanov was organized by Josip Šurlin, Teaching Assistant at the Department of Painting, Arts Academy in Split, in collaboration with Miran Blažek, Associate Professor at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, and Ivor Igrec, Coordinator of the Exhibition Programme at Studio 21 Gallery.
The activity was co-funded by the European Union through the institutional research project KUZ: Contact – Art in the Community (KUZ: Kontakt – umjetnost u zajednici), IP-UNIST-56, Arts Academy, University of Split.
Photo: Ivan Kolovrat.
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