Born in 1964 in Bulgaria, Ognian Zekoff moved to Montreal, Canada where he lives and works. He graduated from the National Art School in Sofia (1978-1983) and the National Art Academy (MFA 1985-1991).
He continues the strong tradition of European art school using the technique of charcoal drawing and oil painting on canvas finding their new powerful vision and place in the contemporary art. He stays true to these classic and universal painting techniques, never working from a photograph but only from live objects and models.
Over the years his work has gained international recognition – He has exhibited in 22 solo shows as well as being part of over...
Born in 1964 in Bulgaria, Ognian Zekoff moved to Montreal, Canada where he lives and works. He graduated from the National Art School in Sofia (1978-1983) and the National Art Academy (MFA 1985-1991).
He continues the strong tradition of European art school using the technique of charcoal drawing and oil painting on canvas finding their new powerful vision and place in the contemporary art. He stays true to these classic and universal painting techniques, never working from a photograph but only from live objects and models.
Over the years his work has gained international recognition – He has exhibited in 22 solo shows as well as being part of over 40 group exhibitions all over Europe, North America and Asia and has received numerous international awards. He participated in many International Art Fairs including Toronto (2007, 2008, 2010, 2014), Moscow and Dubai just to name a few. Zekoff’s paintings are currently housed in important collections all around the world including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Sofia, Bulgaria also Beijing, China, as well as the Fondation Cité des Arts in Paris, France amongst others.
He gives you every visual feature of the subject matter; every wrinkle, fold and line of the hands, every minute detail of a body, an apple or even a loaf of bread. The hands are one of the most expressive parts of the human body. Zekoff has mastered the ability to capture what is the mood of his subject by simply portraying the hands. Their imaginative positions have an incredible emotive power and can conjure a range of states of mind such as anxiety, concern, protection and love. Life pulses from the fingertips of one figure and transfers its energy to the fingertips of another. There is a sense of innocence and longing in these lifelike representations of bare flesh. Zekoff's figures are typically depicted in a peaceful and vulnerable state, lying somewhere in the realm between dreaming and wakefulness.
The artist's technique adds such a tangible quality to the viewing experience that one can almost feel the surface texture of the subject. Zekoff creates a new reality through his images that generates a feeling of crossing the boundaries between space and time. The order and repetition of forms in his compositions reflects a harmonious equilibrium. The simplicity and purity of these stimulating images exude a soothing calm as they contradict the overwhelming influx of images that saturate and convolute our everyday lives in modern society.
Breena Langevin & Johanne Thompson
