Pravdoliub Ivanov at National Autumn Exhibitions, Plovdiv 2025, curated by Vesselа Nozharova

Pravdoliub Ivanov  

Suite for Garlic and Gold

Site-specific project

Hindlian House / Maaza, Old city of Plovdiv

01 - 30 September, 2025

Part of “A Particle of River” – National Autumn Exhibitions, Plovdiv 2025, curated by Vesselа Nozharova


The installation takes place in the enigmatic maaza—a peculiar building in the courtyard of the Hindliyan House. Too ornate to be just a storage room, yet too small and unusual to serve as a residence, it has sparked various interpretations of its function: from a treasury for luxury goods, to a hiding place for wealth, or a simple storeroom for household supplies.

This ambiguity led the artist to recall traditional materials once used to bind gold leaf in icon painting—garlic, honey, egg white, linseed oil, and shellac. The work transforms the space into a minimalist environment that unites these historical references with contemporary gestures: sealed canvases block all daylight, a golden string connects the two floors in a state of suspension, a stone levitates, and a gilded canvas on the house façade pays homage to the Hindliyan descendants who sheltered Armenian refugees in 1915.

Hidden within the installation lies a small gilded detail, left undisclosed to preserve the mystery of the maaza.

Materials: steel rope, canvas, stone, 23-carat gold leaf, Schlagmetal, garlic, honey, shellac, oil emulsions.

(Note: The title “Suite” refers to both the musical form and the architectural sequence of rooms, evoking a cycle of interconnected ideas. The golden string is not meant to be played.)