Iva Gueorguieva

Iva Gueorguieva (b.1974) is known for her complex, abstract, large scale paintings that feature a frenetic mix of overlapping collage, line, shape, and color. Influenced by the materialism of Art Povera, the physicality of Gutai, the playfulness of Cubist collage, and the political satire of George Grosz, she is a painter of energy, bringing together an emotional intensity and physical passion. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1974, Iva immigrated with her parents and two younger brothers to the United States in 1990. Her work is included in numerous museum collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego.

The works on paper are the result of the slowing down of life and intense sense of precarity during the current lockdown. The layers are a stacking of both slow, deliberate marks and glazes of color and quick slashes and cuts.

The black and white ink drawings are records of Iva’s emotional response to various turning points during the early few weeks of the lockdown, whether in touch with friends around the world or finding meaningful ways to explain the situation to her young son.

The “Cast” drawings were made last fall, when the artist broke her foot and was stuck for seven weeks with a giant cast during the fires that started in Simi Valley. Many of the drawings reference Iva’s feelings of helplessness and the toxic pollution still in the land, the history of military testing in California and the inability or futility to flee.