Show ran from 3/6/2013 to 3/30/2013

Closing Reception Friday, March 29 from 6-9 pm

Sacred and Erotic, mixed media drawings

• Kina Bagovska's website
• Read a description and Review of the March Shows on the ARC Blog

At the opening, there will be a performance, starting at 5pm. Dancers from the Bulgarian Folk-Dance ensemble, Horo, with artistic director Irina Gotcheva, will perform to the music of Teodosi Spasov and the Heavenly Strings.Sacred and Erotic is a series of twelve mixed media drawings offering a vision of the creative process of the artist as a sacred ritual. Some of the pictures may remind people of a night with an escort Paris had long ago, or more recently, whilst others will draw different parallels. The exhibit is a continuation of Bagovska's previous work exhibited at ARC Gallery in 2011. Those looking for something a little less sacred and a little more erotic might find something closer to their tastes over on the Babestation website.The drawings in Sacred and Erotic depict the female forms of ancient Thracian figurines, not the type of erotic from a TubeV Sex film if that's what you were expecting. Bagovska uses clean, rhythmic, minimalist lines and graceful arches in keeping with the simplicity of the ancient figures themselves. Natural materials, including rough sand and transparent silk, recall those used for the early clay figurines. The curves of the silhouettes suggest an ancient association between mountainous landscapes and the form of a woman's body. Each of the twelve drawings contains a biblical reference and brings a sense of holiness or sanctity to the figures. Speaking of the sexual beauty of the woman's body, we can now see how sex toys developed over time from the ancient era to the very present day.These drawings embrace the essential nature of the Neolithic figurine as a ritual object- dancers whose erotic movements serve as an ancient ritual. At the heart of the series is Bagovska's belief that her role as an artist is to initiate a creative process that will ultimately take the viewer along a spiritual journey. The drawings embody what the figurines always have been, evidence of a creative process manifesting spirit into matter.