A multi-coloured fusion of celebration and introspection, ‘Carnival – Celebration of Life’ by Mihov takes viewers on a transcultural journey through the World’s most spirited festivities — from the opulent masked balls of Venice to the vivid colours of South and Southeast Asia’s street carnivals. Rendered in fluid, expressive strokes, the piece fuses global traditions into a single moment suspended in time.  

 

Sketched and painted while Mihov was traveling across continents, the work first began its life at the fairy-tale Leela Palace, overseeing the Indian Ocean in Chennai, India, during Holi — the festival of colours. The work then accompanied the artist across the globe: from the masked mystique of Venice, the regal spirit of the Royal Ascot, the bustling vibrancy of Singapore, the beaches of Vietnam, the warmth of Thailand, and the layered cultural textures of Malaysia.  

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Each destination left a trace, a pigment, a brushstroke and a mood — culminating in a celebration of human expression. Within the masquerade, there is joy, but also disquiet — a sense that beneath the revelry, lies something more fragile, the full spectrum of the human emotion captured during the artists travels.

 

‘Carnival – Celebration of Life’ is not merely a carnival, it is a depiction of life - where joy, love, sadness, ecstasy, and power-struggles whirl together in a timeless parade.  

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Provenance:

Part of Mihov's 1st Solo Exhibition at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute, London, 2018
Exhibited at Chelsea National Army Museum, The Flux Exhibition, London, 2018

Exhibited in Public at Grand Union Station (bill-board form), Los Angeles, 2017  

Featured in interviews with BTV, Bulgarian National Radio. the Success Stories Magazine, and the book Successful Bulgarians Abroad (translation from Bulgarian)