Description

Pusha Petrov graduated from the art school at the University of Timisoara, after which she studied at École Supérieure d’Art de Lorraine in Metz. She is a photographer, a medium chosen because it helps the artist to explore the world around her. It is through her camera that she looks at everyday objects and personal identities. The private is contextualized in its social environment by accessories and folkloric elements which refer to different ethnicities. While the artist is interested in identities, her headshots feature people photographed from behind, obscuring the face of the models for the viewer. There is a push to render the subject in generic focus. To do this, she focuses on close-ups of heads that take up all the available space in the photography. The background is almost non-existent, mostly white, so the focus remains on the subject itself. There is no space for distraction. While the social themes explored could be harsh, Pusha Petrov presents them in an aesthetically harmonious way. Zabunj is the most valuable traditional female garb in a small community in Bulgaria called Banat. The costume is embroidered and ornate and it is manufactured by the women in the family. The artist presents this highly decorative piece of clothing as it were a Buddhist mandala, which similarly to the Zabunj, is created by the monks over long hours of work.