Paola Minekov

The Dancers Series

The complete collection of the Dancers Series was exhibited for the first time as part of the programme of the Varna International Ballet Competition in 2008, in a joint exhibition with Paola's father, the sculptor Ivan Minekov. The exhibition was opened by the organisers of the Competition, covered by the Bulgarian National Television and attended by Élisabeth Platel. The Dancers paintings received critical acclaim by Prof. Dr. V. V. Vanslov, Director of the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Art at The Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow who also attended the exhibition. In 2010 Paola created 3 additional paintings for a Charity Ballet Gala in the Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music in London. The paintings are based on sketches of Celisa Diuana, a dancer from The Royal Ballet and dancers from the Ballet Black Dance Company. In the audience were Dame Vivienne Westwood, Clemency Burton-Hill, Monica Mason & Maina Gielgud.

Description: Great bold strokes uncover composite figures, enveloped in the soft light of the stage. The figure here is just a silhouette, without outlines, and the stroke of colour alone creates the form. The soft gentle tones impart an almost physical sense of light, dispersing and contrasting in the ballet costumes.

The Undercurrents Series

The Undercurrents Series explores the feminine perspective of relationships between lovers, friends and family members. In 2007 the painting Everywoman became the symbol of a research into the psychological impact of genetic breast and ovarian cancer at the Leiden University Medical Centre. In 2011 Everywoman was used on the cover of the research publication. In 2011-2012 Paola collaborated with art critic and author Claudia Moscovici, creating The Seducer painting, inspired by Moscovici's research and novel by the same name, to raise awareness of psychopathic seduction and domestic abuse of women.

The Faberge Big Egg Hunt

In 2012 Paola created Colourful World, one of the 200 giant fibreglass eggs hidden across London as part of The Big Egg Hunt. She was inspired to paint the globe as an interlocking jigsaw, using primary colours to suggest a playful childlike simplicity which contrasts with the complex reality of geopolitics. The egg was featured in numerous publications in the UK and Bulgaria. It sold at auction for £4350.