Gergana Elenkova ARTICUL CTION A C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t R e v i e w Special Issue ordinary life's imagery. German art critic and historian Michael Fried once stated that 'materials do not represent, signify, or allude to anything; they are what they are and nothing more.' What werethe propertiesthat you are searching for in the materials that you include in your works? Gergana Elenkova: In my view the use of forms and materials are of important knowledge for the construction and transmission of concepts and messages in my works. For example it is not the same thing to draw an idea, you meant to present in 2D format and then take it to a another level by adding the dimension of space. The means by which you present your concept naturally change and evolve the concept itself. In the creation of theInstalaciones Corporales all the formal, conceptual and perceptual aspects that I want to articulate are taken into account. The installations give opportunities for interaction with the body, where the object starts to manipulate and change the body and in turn the body begins the process of resistance - the inevitability of action and reaction. Apart from their stability and the hardness, the use of wood, steel rivets, brass and leather lead to certain symbolism. In this way, the different narrative possibilities that materials have play an important role in the production of meanings. A symbology that brings to light the visual capacities, that matter and its forms offer us and that express the concept of subjection. Ultimately the body installations are a reflection of the structural forms of power and of the subject subjection to them. Your artistic production feature such unconventional sense of beauty that challenges the logic of ordinary perception, unveiling the connection between beauty and imperfection: how do you considerthe role of aestheticsplaying within your artistic research?