99 Fears

Bulgarian artist Nedko Solakov (b. 1957) understands fear. While living for three decades under a dictatorship, he was no stranger to the secret police. In his art, however, he has maintained a level of humor and sincerity that is as remarkable as it is touching.
Fears, which was first exhibited at Documenta 12 in 2007, consists of 99 drawings on paper. Each of the drawings is 19 x 28 centimeters and bears a handwritten caption. Together they represent a catalogue of worries, apprehensions, and phobias that veer from the hilarious to the arresting. Some are personal (no. 27 shows an abstract shape bearing the word ‘AIDS’, with a caption that reads, ‘One of my biggest fears (sometimes the biggest), and I am not really screwing around.’). Other fears resemble timeless fables (no. 2: ‘A mighty devil is listening to the problems of a little sinner. It seems that the devil will help the little sinner solve his problems. However, he wants something in return one of the sinner’s daily fears. The devil is curious what the feeling of having a fear is like.’). Others are snapshots of existential despair (no. 78 shows a figure pausing at the edge of a cliff: ‘A desperate man wants to commit suicide by jumping from a cliff. Here comes an unexpected obstacle there is no water down there, only stones, very hard and ominous looking stones.’). Even at its darkest, Fears still radiates Solakov’s whimsical humor.
Solakov’s work has been shown in the world’s top museums, including Kunsthaus Zürich, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Kitakushu, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It has also been included in major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (2007 and 2001), Documenta 12 (2007), and biennials in Sydney (2008), Istanbul (2005), Gwangju (2002), Havana (2001), and Lyon (2000), among others.