In November 2010 I was one of 4 female artists interviewed by Claudia Crawley’s for her Winning Pathways Coaching blog series on women artists. Claudia is passionate about helping women create the change they desire in life, women’s rights and, of course, art! I’m proud to say she has also bought some of my work. She is also one of my art collectors!

 

Find the Artist Interview Below:

 

‘In her work, Paola creates a reality which is full of movement and dance… She stretches time and space to its maximum, resulting in complete intimacy and nearness of the subject.’ Joel Vos, Philosopher.

 

When you have two loves, and have to sacrifice one to develop the other, what do you do? You find a way of combining the two. This is precisely what south London artist, Paola Minekov, did - she combined her love of ballet and art in paintings depicting ballerinas in motion. These are being exhibited alongside her other works at the Carnegie Library in Herne Hill until 31 December.

 

Bulgarian reared, by artistic parents, Paola spent her childhood immersed in the arts, developing her skills at the National School for Fine Arts in Sofia. She went on to study art at the Avni Institute in Tel Aviv and after 18 months moved to the Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and graduated in Multimedia Design. It was here that she realised that art was her passion - and so continued the journey to develop her own distinctive voice.

 

In 2008, she moved to London, and working as a web designer, decided that to realise that passion she would take a more professional approach to art and create a body of work to exhibit. Her first major exhibition, in 2008, in Varna, Bulgaria at the International Ballet Competition, showcased her work alongside her father’s, the sculptor, Ivan Minekov. In this she was testing out responses to her work –could she make a career of it? Yes she could. 

 

Now an active member of the South London Women Artists in Dulwich, Paola began running her business as a professional artist in January 2010. Exhibitions have since then flowed in a flurry, with a total of twelve, (eleven around the UK and a travelling group show in the US where I have Kiss in Blue now), this year.

 

 

Her first solo exhibition took place on 18 October at City Tower in Moorgate and on 7 November, she fund raised for ‘Honeypot’, (a charity supporting vulnerable children), at the Ballet Gala Night in the Britten Theatre, where she exhibited her paintings of Sarah Kundi, from ‘Ballet Black’, (a company of black and Asian dancers), and Celisa Diuana from the Royal Ballet.

 

Dance, Energy and Movement in Art - The Ballet Paintings

 

Themes run throughout Paola’s work;  her interest in dance, energy and movement, the seeming fragility and vulnerability of ballet dancers alongside their fitness and strength, shine through in the ‘Dancers’ series.  ‘Dancers V’ shows dancers in motion in contrasting shades of blue.  

 

 

‘Ballet Black, Da Gamba’,  another energetic composition, is painted in the warm colours of Africa and emphasises the choreography of the dance. 

 

 

Undercurrent, The Relationship Art Series

 

Another theme is in the ‘Relationship’ art series, where Paola reflects on the influences of her previous relationships and on experiences that are common to women. Unlike the ‘Dancers’ series, these are colder, designed and stylised and painted in muted colours to depict dysfunction. They are informed by the double standards by which women are judged, particularly sexually, and their negative influence on women. ‘The Outsider’ (see below) further illustrates this, hinting at men’s fragile understanding of this influence which makes them ‘outsiders’ in the relationship.

 

 

Paola’s passion for art shines through

 

Her favourite artists are Rembrandt, Monet, Klimt and Schiele and even Damien Hirst. She has now found her own voice and distinctive style. Look for yourself at her work and see her determination and vision.  Perhaps, one day, Paola Minekov will be a household name.

Paola’s works are available for purchase as prints or originals.