NEDKO SOLAKOV: A CORNERED SOLO SHOW #5

The exhibition is open: October 17, 2024 – June 29, 2025

Artist presentation and public talk: October 16, 2024, 6pm

The Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art is thrilled to present Nedko Solakov’s humorous, site-specific installation, located in the museum’s lobby, next to the cloakroom. In this work, Solakov explores the idea of an artist who seeks to view the world from a radically different perspective—literally by turning himself upside down to shift his viewpoint. 

A Cornered Solo Show #5 is being presented in celebration of the museum’s 35th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of Solakov’s solo exhibition, The Collector of Art. The exhibition also marks the Ludwig Foundation's recent acquisition of 12 drawings by Solakov, entitled Correctness (2021). As part of this event, the artist will generously donate A Cornered Solo Show #5 to the museum, along with three additional drawings titled Bad Moves (2023).

About the series

The project, titled A Cornered Solo Show, began in 2021 when Solakov proposed the directors and curators of leading museums to offer him an “insignificant” corner of their institution—outside of the typical exhibition spaces, yet still accessible to the public. To date, four installations have been staged in major European museums, each uniquely tailored to the specific qualities of the chosen corner:

#1 MUDAM – The Contemporary Art Museum of Luxembourg (2021) 
#2 MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Art, Rome (2022) 
#3 Upper Belvedere, Vienna (2023–2024) 
#4 National Gallery, The Palace, Sofia (2024) 

The artist on the series:

“I am asking for a non-usable corner, even outside the margins, something which any other artist would most likely not appreciate. An important detail is that this proposal comes from an artist who is relatively famous internationally. If the proposal came from an emerging artist, it would not be the same. She/he deserves the big official halls for exhibiting significant art.

The particular narrative will come after selecting the corner. In any case it will be a story about our times, when we, even if we are cornered by the crisis situation worldwide, still have to survive, and we will. Also, an artist’s cornered point of view might help us better swallow the bitterness of daily life, because one thing is for sure: my stories for the cornered solo shows will not be pessimistic (or only a little bit for the sake of realism).”

Nedko Solakov (b. 1957, Cherven Bryag, Bulgaria) 

Based in Sofia, Nedko Solakov is one of the most highly regarded artists of his generation. His impressive résumé includes more than 100 solo exhibitions in prestigious museums across Europe, America, and Asia. He has long collaborated with leading international galleries and has participated in numerous international biennials, including those in Istanbul, Sydney, Venice, New Orleans, Tirana, Sharjah, Riga, Kathmandu, Moscow, Seville, São Paulo, Yekaterinburg, and Thessaloniki. Solakov represented Bulgaria at the Venice Biennale in 1999, and he participated 3 times in the main exhibition and 2 times in collateral projects. He also participated twice at documenta, the world's most renowned contemporary art exhibition, in Kassel.