My first Publication 1926874721_Alumni_Magazine_June_2010 | Seite 23

Issue 3, June 2010
Polina Kocheva ‘07
Passion for Art and a Dream
That Came True
S ince I was little, I have always dreamed
of being an artist. That is why, after
graduating from ACS, I went to study
Illustration in the Netherlands, at the
Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht
(Utrecht School of the Arts).
When I first arrived at Utrecht,
everything was very exciting to me. I
instantly fell in love with the country
and the Dutch way of life. Everyone
was friendly and helpful; for instance,
whenever I was looking at a map in the
street, someone would come up to me
and ask if I needed directions.
Studying Illustration was even more
exciting, since it was a dream come true.
For me personally, Typography was the
most interesting subject. In this class, we
printed and bound books, all by hand.
The final project was “The Fridge”,
an illustration book we produced in
80 copies. It was called “The Fridge”
because it looks exactly like a fridge:
the cover is made out of white metal
and one can stick magnets onto it. The
illustrations depict an ordinary day:
getting up, taking a shower, catching the
bus, having lunch, etc. Everything was
done by hand.
However, the course went a little slower
than I expected. We focused primarily on
experimental art, while I actually wanted
to study more design and digital art.
In addition, even though at first most
lectures were taught in English, it turned
out that later all of them were taught in
Dutch. I only have a basic knowledge
of that language and that was a great
problem for me. After thinking things
over, I decided that I had to move to
another university.
I first wanted to portray “extreme”
emotions, for example, screaming rage
or joyful tears. Painting an “extreme”
portrait like that would give me a feeling
that resembled a rush of adrenaline.
Later I also started painting calm and
relaxed faces in order to add contrast to
the series. By January, I had about 25 of
these black and white faces. The twisted,
screaming ones were painted from
photos, and I sometimes asked a friend
or classmate to pose for a calm one.
The friend who posed for the twentieth
portrait was actually the first to suggest
that I should have an exhibition, more or
less as a joke. However, I took the idea
seriously and later talked about it with
Stefan Tchakarov, my current art teacher
and also a great painter. He gave me lots
of useful advice on how exactly I should
organize the event.
Finding the place for the exhibition was
just as spontaneous. In April, I walked
into Mood café for the first time. I
happened to be carrying a painting from
my figure drawing class. A man, who
later turned out to be the owner of the
place, asked me if I could show him the
painting. When I did, he wanted to see
my other works, so I showed him my
portfolio website. He said that if I ever
decide to have an exhibition, I should do
it there, at Mood.
So it was decided. Once we had
an agreement on the opening date,
everything seemed to move on fast
forward. I had never thought that an
exhibition would require such hard work
and organization. All of my portraits and
illustrations were painted on thin paper,
so I had to glue them onto cardboard.
Given that they were all 100 cm in height
and 70 cm in width, this was not an easy
task. Afterwards, I had to attach the
painting to the glass that would cover it
with special brackets. I also had to figure
out how to hang them on the walls. All
of this was done by me, my mother, and
the owner of Mood. We still managed
to finish just in time and everything was
perfect for the opening of the exhibition.
Now, I am extremely pleased to see my
work exhibited in such a professional
manner. The gratification it brings me
is simply indescribable. I sincerely hope
that I will have at least one more such
exhibit before I leave for the Netherlands
in August.
Of course, everyone is invited to come
by and see my creations. Mood Café is
located at Tzar Boris III 90, near the
Krasno Selo market. There is also a great
chance of meeting me as well, because I
often spend my evenings there.
Overall, as you can guess, I am enjoying
life after ACS and all the opportunities
that I am offered. Pursuing an art-related
education and career is different and, in
my opinion, a little harder than other
fields. I believe that I have found the best
option for me with Art and Technology.
I wish that all ACS students will find
their passion in life and chase it, even if
it seems hard at first… like I did.
This is why in August I am starting a
major in Art & Technology at Saxion
University of Applied Sciences, also in
the Netherlands.
Currently, I am staying in Bulgaria. As
you may have heard, last Saturday was
the opening of my first solo exhibition,
at Mood café in Sofia. I can honestly say
that it was one of the best experiences
of my life.
It all started in November, when I began
painting a series of large black and white
portraits that depicted various human
emotions. It was a spontaneous idea.
Polina celebrates Koninginnedag - Queen’s Day, the national holiday in the Netherlands
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