Taming Fire
Fire has been mankind’s steady yet tempestuous companion from the dawn of civilization. Thus, no one should be surprised that our cultural landscape is sprinkled with many references to fire, fueling our imagination, interlocking with history, and filling the airwaves with drama, heroism, and dare.
In Taming Fire, Igor Josifov embraces the challenge and proceeds by drawing portraits of iconic figures to engage our intellect, evoke feelings ranging from excitement to anxiety, and walk us down memory lane. He also veers to abstraction and unites contrasting elements, as in the blur series, merging human faces, snowmen, and fireballs. In the process, Josifov unleashes a creative drive and makes the fire submit to his will and whimsy.
The allure of this primeval element is magical, intoxicating, and forever intriguing. The seduction borders on danger, destruction, and at the same time dreams of hope, lifted by the flames of shuttle missions dispatched to outer space and the remotest stars. This dual nature of fire suggests an endless reservoir of material for legends and a deep source of fascination for many artists around the world.
– Excerpt from the Taming Fire catalog, by Hanna Regev, Contemporary Art Curator and Author
'Muse' Fire Reflection on linen 127 x 127 cm (50 in)
‘Collecting memories’ - Installation, 2014 - Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings
'Faces of memory' - reflection, Burned Paper, signed(lower right) 162 x 115cm (64 x 45 in) Executed in 2013
River of Memories - Fire Reflection On Paper - 114 x 914 cm
Igor Josifov - J.D. - 2013 - Fire on paper
Of interest are the focus on pop culture icons, a selection that defines him and his contemporaries. It’s a way of understanding himself better and becoming the insider. His chosen media enable him to explore and uncover the psychological depth in each of these individuals.
By and large, they run the gamut of famous people from Nelson Mandela and Marcel Duchamp to James Dean, David Bowie, Kate Moss, and others who remain anonymous. Each is counted as a passing memory and a contributing member of our society and culture with potent legacies that ignite our imagination and inspiration.
It further establishes Josifov as an international artist who performed at the MoMA in New York as well as at the Maraya Art Center in the United Arab Emirates while his burned drawings have already been exhibited in Paris at the Grand Palais, in Skopje, Macedonia at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Montenegro at the National Gallery in Cetinje, in Italy at Palazzo Mora for the exhibition Personal Structures organized by the European Cultural Centre in the context of Biennale Arte in Venice.
- Hanna Regev, Contemporary Art Curato,r and Author
'Perfect Departure' - Fire Reflection on Linen 150 x 150 cm 2016
'Nelson Mandela' - Burned Paper 45 x 45 cm 2013
'Up Up High', Fire Reflection on Linen, 150x150cm (60 x 60 in) , 2015
'Kiss' Fire Reflection on Linen, 150x150cm (60 x 60 in) , 2015
'Faces of Memories' - Burned paper 64 x 45 inches, 2013
'Sunrise' - Fire Reflection on Linen, 150x150cm (60 x 60 in) , 2015
Igor Josifov, ‘III Self Portraits ’
Fire on Paper, 2012-2014
Working with fire is a dangerous preoccupation, and this is an essential element in understanding Josifov’s art-making, as well as his deeply invested self-identity as an artist. He is consumed by a process of self-imposed control, patience, and intense concentration to deal with the danger and uncertainty he manufactures, qualities which are reflected in the very act of choosing the life of an artist. These realizations are a hallmark of his identity. “Being an artist is a dangerous profession, when in a way you give your life for art, and it is a constant commitment if your heart is truly in it. For me, it is my first and last relationship, something that I can’t get from human beings, but I can see it in the art or artist. That’s what beauty is about, and beauty can be dangerous. It’s dangerous dance artists play.” Drawing with fire is very demanding and requires extreme alertness. “I have to be in the right state of mind while I’m burning paper.
After each burning act ensues a dialogue like a painter applying paint to canvas. It inspires me to make new works, explore different types of paper, themes, and scales. Each time, I face adifferentchallenges, because I never know what the final work will look like. It often comes as a surprise, which makes me want to become the master of the technique and to perfect the application of fire to paper.”
When painting, he adopts Klein’s quote, which suggests that the drawing represents the prison while the color represents freedom. In this case, fire is the liberating force for Josifov.
