Bulgarian artist Nedko Solakov (b. 1957) understands fear. While living for three decades under a dictatorship he was no stranger to the secret police. In his art, however, he has maintained a level of humour and sincerity that's as remarkable as it is touching.First exhibited last summer at Documenta 12, "Fears" consists of 99 drawings on paper, each 19 x 28 cm, and each bearing a handwritten caption. Together they represent a catalogue of worries, apprehensions and phobias that veer from the hilarious to the arresting. Some are personal (no. 27 shows an abstract shape bearing the word 'AIDS', with a caption that reads, 'One of my biggest fears (sometimes the biggest), and I am not really screwing around.'). Others resemble timeless fables (no. 2: 'A mightly devil is listening to the problems of a little sinner. It seems that the devil will help the little sinner solve his problems. However, he wants something in return - one the sinner's daily fears. The devil is curious what the feeling of having a fear is like. ').Others are snapshots of existential despair (no. 78 shows a figure pausing at the edge of a cliff: 'A desperate man wants to commit suicide by jumping from a cliff. Here comes an unexpected obstacle - there is no water down there, only stones, very hard and ominously looking stones.'). Even at its darkest, "Fears" still radiates Solakov's whimsical humour. Solakov's work has been shown in the world's top museums, including Kunsthaus Zurich, the Centre for Contemporary Art in Kitakushu and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It has also been included in major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (2007 and 2001), Documenta 12 (2007) and biennials in Sydney (2008), Istanbul (2005), Gwangju (2002), Havana (2001) and Lyon (2000), among others.
