Slavica Janešlieva

State of Things is a body of work through which I navigate the spaces between personal experience, collective memory, and contemporary social realities. In this exhibition, I confront questions that often have no clear answers, and explore solutions that sometimes fail to resolve the problems they address. My practice is deeply rooted in memory—fragmented, fleeting, and subjective—but I constantly extend it beyond the personal, connecting my experiences to broader societal and global concerns. I am interested in how intimate narratives can reflect, illuminate, or challenge larger social and political dynamics. Memories, for me, are both material and metaphor. They are elusive, layered, and sometimes contradictory, yet they provide the means to explore how the past shapes the present. Through my work, I invite viewers to consider the intersections of individual and collective histories, and to reflect on the ways small, personal stories can resonate with broader cultural experiences. Two works in particular embody these concerns: Immigrant, Emigrant or Maybe I and Monument Dedicated to the End of 20th and Beginning of 21st Century (with two unintentional human errors). In Immigrant, Emigrant or Maybe I, a sugar-coated “Europe” conceals 2,700 sharp screws and 13 kilograms of candy. This tactile juxtaposition represents the promises and perils of migration, capturing both global crises and the intimate fears, desires, and resilience of those who move across borders. The work reflects my interest in how personal experience is inseparable from social and political realities. In Monument Dedicated to the End of 20th and Beginning of 21st Century, I examine what we choose to commemorate and what we overlook. The “two unintentional human errors” draw attention to imperfection, omission, and contradiction in collective memory. I aim to provoke reflection on the values and priorities that shape our legacy and the stories we tell about history and the present. My process combines classical printmaking techniques, installation, and mixed media, allowing me to render abstract ideas tangible. I work with metaphor, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship to engage viewers, encouraging them to look closely, question assumptions, and reconsider the narratives we construct about time, memory, and society. Through State of Things, I hope to open a space where reflection, empathy, and critical awareness coexist. I believe art may not always change reality, but it can illuminate it, reveal hidden truths, and offer new ways of perceiving the tensions and continuities that define our existence.