SALON 77
*The Architecture of the Invisible*, along with the *Traces* and *Invisible Graphs* series by visual and multimedia artist Strahil Petrovski, represents a key segment of his artistic practice—one rooted in post-conceptual inquiry and *Art Informel*.
Petrovski explores themes of memory, the passage of time, existentialism, and personal and collective identity.
Within the context of Petrovski’s body of work, the concept of “invisible graphs”—framed through the poetics of *Art Informel*—marks a natural evolution of his previous work involving materials, textures, and abstract networks. He deeply investigates materiality and the archaeology of the surface, where the painting is not merely a depiction but a physical effect. This approach fuses the essence of *Art Informel* with contemporary conceptual concerns—such as the synthesis of *Informel* with the concept of invisible graphs, color, and atmosphere, as well as the aesthetics of archaeology and technology.
He employs dense, tactile base layers—incorporating sand, pigment, bitumen, resin, or industrial materials—to create a rough, tangible structure. The surface appears scorched, eroded, or layered with sediment, lending the painting the character of a wall, a rock face, or a record unearthed from time itself. The term “graphs” refers to lines, networks, cartographic diagrams, or visual records of the digital and emotional code of modern man. He does not draw these matrices and networks in the classical sense; instead, he incises, imprints, or conceals them beneath layers of matter (an *art informel* mass). They remain invisible because they are not visually aggressive; they exist as fissures, furrows, imprints, or subtle geometric reactions within the very fabric of the image.
He combines a profound knowledge of material technology—gained through his work in conservation and restoration—with contemporary artistic currents; consequently, his works convey the impression of having undergone processes of aging, corrosion, and decay.
Through the tactile layering characteristic of *art informel*, a monochrome palette, and the transformation of texture and words into physical objects, Petrovski has developed a distinctive aesthetic language in which matter itself serves as a witness to time.
By merging tradition with contemporary media—ranging from object-paintings to video installations—his work offers more than just a visual experience; it invites the viewer to engage in deep introspection and to re-examine issues of social and personal responsibility.
Strahil Petrovski has established himself as one of the most consistent and authentic representatives of contemporary post-conceptual art in the Balkans. His body of work functions as a visual and sensory manifesto on human existence in contemporary society.
Strahil Petrovski was born in 1974 in Kumanovo. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Skopje, where he also completed his postgraduate studies. He is employed at the National Conservation Center in Skopje as a senior conservator-restorer and is active on the art scene as a painter and visual artist. His work encompasses a wide range of media—from traditional painting and drawing to conceptual performance art, video installation, and photography.
He has received numerous prestigious awards and international accolades for his artistic work. He is a member of the Association of Fine Artists of Macedonia and boasts an extensive artistic career, featuring dozens of solo exhibitions and a hundred group exhibitions both at home and abroad.
Strahil Petrovski’s exhibition will run from September 10 to September 30, 2026.