site.btaThree Bulgarians at Third Edition of Homo Faber Biennial for Crafts

Three Bulgarians are among the participants in the third edition of the Homo Faber Biennial for Crafts. It is curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship from September 1 to 30 on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

Among the selected Bulgarian works are pieces by contemporary jeweller Dimitar Stankov and the maker of Kuker masks Lyudmil Yordanov. Along with them, interior design student Yana Tsenov is among the young exhibition guides chosen by competition to introduce visitors to the history of the works and their authors, the Bulgarian team said.

The theme of the Biennial, The Journey of Life, invites visitors to explore the central role of handmade objects in everyday life. It includes 10 thematic exhibitions. The art directors are Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini, who talk about the relationship of craftsmanship with human life. The exhibitions showcase over 800 fine objects by more than 400 artists from 70 countries.

Dimitar Stankov has been selected to participate in the Biennale for the second time. This year he presents Sake 2, a silver sake tumbler set with167 gems, including white diamonds and red and orange sapphires.

Lyudmil Yordanov is a third generation mask maker. Two of his handmade masks from the region of Graovo are in the Dreams exhibition of the Biennale. One is ritual and the other is decorative and he uses three crafts to make them: woodcarving, leatherworking and hornworking. 

"The making of Kuker masks is an ancient craft linked to the oldest traditions on our lands. Although the craft is threatened with extinction, in recent years I have seen an increased interest from all over the world in the Kuker tradition, which helps to popularize them and attract more and more young people," says Lyudmil Yordanov.

Part of the Biennale is an educational programme that gives applied arts and design students from around the world the opportunity to spend six weeks in Venice. During their residency, the young people take on the role of guides. Yana Tsenov is among the 60 guides selected. She graduated from a fashion college in Vienna and is currently studying interior design in Vienna, where she was born. She speaks perfect Bulgarian and cherishes dear memories of her time spent with her grandparents in Bulgaria, and her favourite motif is embroidery. For all her projects Jana draws inspiration from Bulgarian crafts and her thesis explores the intertwining of innovation and tradition with a focus on Bulgarian embroidery.