ABOUT THE ARTIST

Yordan Kondov Jr. was born on 3rd of January 1984 in the city Varna (back then People’s Republic of Bulgaria), Bulgaria. The artist’s parental grandfather was a local famous political figure and an engineer and his mother’s father was an eminent doctor.

Kondov’s father is a mechanic and his mother is a literature teacher. From a very early age Yordan was determined to follow his grandfather’s footsteps and become a doctor. For that reason he started studying in a specialized highschool dedicated to intense studying of biology and chemistry. Back then this was the best way to prepare for medical university entrance exams. 

 In the following years Kondov felt biology and chemistry were not what his heart desired. Meanwhile in 1998 he started a career as a ballroom dance competitor with no significant success except few podium finishes. Nevertheless this experience was related to art and much closer to what Yordan could feel as a right way to go. Usually most artists have done anything possible to start painting but Kondov did something different. 

He went against his nature as an abstract expressionist and tried to follow other people’s life path. There were early signs of art tallent. In 1995 Kondov started painting small abstract paintings with egg tempera. They were appreciated by few art teachers in Kondov's school.

 They tried to encourage him to follow a career as an artist but Yordan did not accept this well. Back then his way of thinking did not allow him to consider such a life path as a serious thing to do. 

After graduating from high school the artist started studying Journalism and Public Relations in a local university. This education really felt more natural and pleasant and Kondov graduated Magna cum laude. Till that period Yordan never thought highly of his own intellectual abilities. 

In 2002 the expressionist tried to find a job as a radio or TV journalist. 

Unfortunately  he was born with nasal malformation and his voice sounded badly when recorded. Yordan quickly realized a TV career was an impossible goal. In the following years Kondov started teaching ballroom dancing, participated in dancing gigs in summer resorts and also started a few minor business ventures.

 Even slowly Kondov was getting closer to art. In 2011 he started a graphic design career that lasted for almost a decade. Design was indeed closer to art but could not provide the freedom of expression Yordan needed. Being controlled every step of the way is not a dream for a free spirit. The work depends entirely on other people's wishes and demands. 

These years felt unpleasant but carved the pathway to a true desire and it was called abstract expressionism. Painting is the only thing that touched the artist like nothing else before. When Kondov touched brushes and paint for the first time all previous fake life distractions disappeared. He finally knew what his true desire was and to this day Yordan does nothing else but paint.

 He loves creating large paintings because they feel closer to real life. You can walk around your artwork, you can spread your arms and still be in the boundaries of the painting. Smaller canvases could not provide the pleasure and artistic freedom Kondov desired. Even later a dream was born. A lifetime goal manifested itself in an unmistakably clear way.

In terms of artistic philosophy the painter believes abstract expressionism today is too often closed in a lifeless color scheme. This trend became a fashion that influenced too many artists all over the world. Kondov believes pleasurable and appealing colors must make their way back in abstract expressionism. This is one Yordan's major artistic goals. He prefers expressive brushstrokes that gradually transition into softer edges between paint marks.

 Variety is what keeps a viewer's mind involved. Part of that variety comes with the lack of dedicated focal point. Part of the artist's style is the effect of organized chaos. Every time Kondov creates a repeating pattern he breaks it so the painting could feel alive and impossible to comprehend in one look. The color scheme of Yordan's work is based on a 8 color color wheel which adds a feel of harmony in a chaotic composition.