mnogo pozdravi

40in x 16in

Suspended

Materials: Brass rod, half-round wire, solder, horse hair, Soviet era film portraits, photo transfer

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Definition from Oxford Languages

[lock·et]

noun

1. a small ornamental case, typically made of gold or silver, worn around a person’s neck on a chain and used to hold things of sentimental value, such as a photograph or lock of hair.

Wikipedia defines a locket as: a pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item such as a lock of hair. Lockets are usually given to loved ones on holidays such as Valentine’s Day and occasions such as christenings, weddings and, most noticeably during the Victorian Age, funerals.

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In the Bulgarian language, mnogo pozdravi [phonetic pronunciation] is a phrase used to greet a loved one
who isn’t present in the room–to let them know they’re being thought of. It is commonly used in conversation & over the phone. The direct English translation is many greetings.

This work consists of 44 found portraits from Soviet Era Russia, with a sibling portrait split in two. An additional photo transfer is included. Brass rod is used to hold these photographs, each one fit together & connected with wire bindings. Where the brass intersects, brown horse hair is braided over it’s joints. The piece is linked by chain & suspended to cast a shadow onto itself.

The frame alludes to a mirrored heart in wrought iron fence architecture, appearing in Vancouver neighbourhoods & existing across regions that utilized the material. The heart is a classic design that is easily shaped to depict a motif of the body symbolizing love, among other ties. Wrought iron was historically used to build structures, ships, & adornments for landmarks, meaning it had to withstand the wearing of time.

The act of being loved, remembered, & cherished is captured in a physical photograph, preserving souls intertwined by fate in this locket.

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mnogo pozdravi is an homage to a home that was never fully experienced. A home that presents itself in the form of friends & family, strangers, language, physical spaces; yet remains where it has always existed & can be returned to. The people depicted in these portraits aren’t related by blood to the artist. They blanket a period of time lived by her parents & grandparents during Communist Bulgaria–spanning around 44 years–facing their own coming of human experience.

As a child, Kalina received a locket from her Mom’s friend–the two met in Edmonton & bonded over their Bulgarian roots. This locket remained empty for a number of years, unsure of what to hold.

Additional information–the artist’s Baba lives along the Danube river, which holds a gorge between Serbia & Romania’s boundary known as the “Iron Gates”. The last King of Dacia has his face carved into the stone of the cliffside.