Letters, as signs of respective fonts are a synthesis of thehuman development of intellect and form, a link between the visual and audioexpression, between the gesture and the anticipation, time and space, man andGod.The enigmas revolving around the oldest Slavic literacy –the Glagolitsa (Glagolitic alphabet) and its projections over the various erasand cultures are an inspiration to the Bulgarian artist Antonia Duende. By themeans of her work, unified under the title “Glagolitsa Traces”, the artistwelcomes us into an ancient and modern world of spiritual layers correspondingto the East and the West, the North and the South. In this cycle of aquarelleson Chinese paper, the author uses the images of the so called “CroatianGlagolitsa” and furthermore seeks for a universal Slavic, universal Europeanand universal human message conveyed by the tradition of Cyril and Methodiusthat bearing the anti-dogmatic character and humanity is very much alive today.Through the complex treatment of sheets and aquarelle, by addition of andcomparison with other sign systems like the neuma in the church songs of John Kukuzel, or with text fragments of other alphabets, the artist seeks dialogueand multi-stratification in different cultures of one universal, generalcontemporary world. The mystical combination of the circle, the cross andtriangle, which are the baseline of the Glagolitsa signs, is fortified by theauthor’s coloring of character and artistic flavour.Antonia Duende lives and works in Berlin,and successfully exhibits her work in various capitals in Europeand worldwide. Her work carries the mark of rooted traditions of the Bulgarianand European art, as well as the visual heritage of numerous folklore andreligious styles, combined with the avant - garde of the 20th century.Being the daughter of writers – the talented poet, Prvan Stefanov and theliterary researcher, Professor Nadezhda Dragova, the artist bears the favorableinfluence of today’s syncretism, unavoidable for attaining pinnacles in art.
Dimitar Hristov,Director of CIC of Republic of Bulgaria in Republic of Macedonia