Artist Name: Viktor Petrov
Residency Dates: September – October 2024
Born: 1991
Hometown: Pleven, Bulgaria
Lives & Works: Berlin, Germany
URL: viktorpetrov.com | Instagram: @viktornotviktor
Education: 2014 – 2021 | MFA Fine Art/Sculpture, Berlin University of the Arts; Dipl. Fine Art/Sculpture University of Art and Design, Halle
Bio/Statement:
Viktor Petrov is the recipient of the 2023 BAZA Award for young contemporary artists in Bulgaria.
Viktor Petrov’s oeuvre brings together the social, the architectural, and the political body in a dialogue about structural violence. By carefully studying and combining mass products and construction materials, Petrov aims to deconstruct and rearrange the visual syntax of the predominant patriarchal, class, and economic narratives. His creative practice is research-based, both in theoretical and practical terms. Its conceptual grounds are tightly intervened with the construction techniques and the materials chosen specifically for each project. In this manner, the artist transforms polycarbonate riot shields into facade elements to address the abuse of power in democratic states or uses glass ceramic cooktops to explore the structural inequality between productive and reproductive work. Petrov explicitly works on the topic of architecture as an instrument of structuring space and reinforcing ideologies as opposed to his understanding of artistic practice as a mean of questioning and eroding these. This is the reason why his sculptures and installations contain a sense of controversy that creates tension and adds a small pinch of humor on top.
Petrov’s work has been awarded the UdK Art Prize, the Ursula Hanke Förster Prize, the Karl Hofer Scholarship, Deutsche Bank Atelier Scholarship, NEUSTART+ scholarship, and most recently, the BAZA Award for young contemporary art in Bulgaria. Petrov has exhibited in various museums, galleries and art venues across Europe, including in the shows: Dog Days at Structura Gallery, Sofia (2024); 3% at Galerie NADAN, Berlin (2024); Avec Plaisir at Kunstraum Porte, Leipzig (2024); Homoöstase at Galerie Frappant, Hamburg (2023); Tender Points at Kunstverein HAUNT, Berlin (2023); Loose Ends at Künstlerhaus Sootbörn, Hamburg (2023); A Promise of Tomorrow at Kunstverein HAUNT, Berlin (2023); Going Backwards in a Circle at Galerie Burster, Berlin (2022); Zwischen Raster at DOCK 20 Kunstraum und Sammlung Hollenstein, Lustenau (2022); and A Little Piece of at Galerie Intershop, Leipzig (2021).
Support: Viktor Petrov’s residency is made possible with support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.
