Shaping nature: Rafail Georgiev

Art is one of the most effective ways to express emotions and thoughts; however, this form of expression is shaped by each artist’s personal experiences and sources of inspiration. Sculptor Rafail Georgiev – Raffò skillfully blends elements of nature in his works, aiming to imbue each piece with profound meaning. With permanent installations in 14 different countries in the public sculpture realm, Raffò pushes the boundaries of modern art using traditional materials like stone. In this interview, we will delve into Rafail Georgiev’s artistic journey, his processes of drawing inspiration from nature, and his philosophy of sculpting.

 

Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Rafail Georgiev – Raffò. I am a sculptor and my practice is majorly concentrated in the field of public sculpture. I incorporate in the process of my sculpture various range of materials, techniques, and technologies, but one of my favorite materials to work with is the stone. I have installed a permanent collection of my public sculptures in 14 countries.

How did you start your career as a sculptor? When and how did you decide to pursue art?

I have had the luck to be born into a family of artists, my father is the Bulgarian sculptor Lubomir Dobrev and my mother is the Bulgarian theater actress Maya Kisiova. Perhaps, the intense visual cultural background that I have earned in my family and its area of interest has been the foundation to step with confidence firstly, into the world of art trought the experience, firstly, in the fine art academies in Sofia, Bulgaria(2010), and in Rome, Italy(2014). Secondly, to make my way into the world art scene of public sculpture.

However, If I am doing something important or I have some success in the field of sculpture, that is the result of my dedication, hard work, and this drop of luck that everyone needs to accomplish their objectives.

We can see traces of the basic elements of nature in your art. What effect did being inspired by these elements of nature have on your art?

Since ancient times, people have been trying to understand the meaning and the origins of nature and the relation that is equivalent to the reality of their(human) nature with it. Basically, in a similar way, to the statement above I believe I am looking for the possible relations between Nature (flora and fauna) and human nature(physical and mental). Usually, the man represent the logos (rationality), and the nature is the chaos (irrationality), but in many cases this rule is somewhat controversal and there is a role reversal between them and this is something very interesting for me.

Formally, I enjoy studying nature and its superb geometric organizations and patterns as if I am a scientist, but also as if I am a poet or a philosopher.

 

How has your research with various scientific disciplines, including geometry and anatomy, played a role in your artistic journey and what interesting conclusions have you reached?

The most important conclusion is that all the specified disciplines are deeply related to each other. When it comes to creating or observing a sculptural or any other object for me the analysis that goes through the mentioned disciplines takes a major part in the process. All of them are representations of human logos, but if we agree that art can be developed only with their help, this art is moving towards industrial design and less towards fine art. For this reason, I believe for every successful artist creating fine art, rationality (logos) and Irrationality (chaos) are two existential modes that interpenetrate each other to come out with the best proportion for the current art inspiration.

What do you consider when choosing the marble you use in your sculptures? Which marble do you prefer and why?

May be the most rich palette of colors, textures and different characteristics is the geological fund of the Earth. Usually, the relation between me and the stone comes immediately, and with it can also come inspiration. I respect this material because this is the geological material of our world and is the sincerest representation of the history of nature.

So, it is an easy and not easy approach, because not every sculptural idea can be successfully made in stone. I have worked with stone in the past 16 years (2008) and with time I made my relation with this material that can guide my feelings and logos to understand what I can do from it.

I am inspired to work with all types of stones (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) because their specific characteristics can guide me on what path in sculpture I can take. I have created a public sculpture made from stone in 12 countries around the world, using local stones like marble, travertines, limestones, granites, sandstones, etc. This experience has made my imagination and understanding of the stone material more profound. The sweetest material to work with is a white marble with small to medium crystals, but usually in that material you can do “everything”, the provocation is less for me. In Turkey, I have been honored to make two public sculptures (Manavgat,2017; Alanya,2019). One was made from “Mugla” marble and the other from hard Diabase.

My approach to sculpture goes in different directions, and sometimes I need a very colorful red or blue marble, and I emphasize its power when I mirror-polished it or I just break a piece and take out the real saturated color together with a raw texture. Sometimes I need a clean white, creamy, or grey color using different types of marbles or limestones. Or the blackness of the igneous stones like basalt.

Which projects and goals excite you in your artistic journey? What are your plans for the near future?

I would like to combine other materials with the stone. Till today haven’t and I am looking for possible combinations that don’t look banalic or researched by other artists in art history. The philosophy of a sculpture and the materials that it’s made from must obtain certain layers of harmony and culminate with a synthesis, and this is not an easy task. Therefore, this is a process that can take more time for experimentation to come out with a solution or not.

I am looking forward to enlarge my artistic curiosity working with different media and technologies. For instance from around 10 years I am creating my initial part of my projects for monumental sculpture in stone or in other materials using 3D softwares and modeling on a computer. Having the real idea on what are the physical caracteristis and states of the stone I can permit my self producing projects in 3D.

Can you share the names and characteristics of a few of your favorite projects?

It is difficult to say, because I have a special connections with all my works, but still I can share with you the names of few one that can be relevant in the context of the interveiw.

1. “Organic cube” (South Korea, 2015) is the first large-scale public sculpture that I made from granite(Korean).
2. “The organic hexahedron” (Italy, 2014) made from marble (Royal Perlato – Italy)
3. “I am free from Pandora” ( France, 2021), made from marble (Rouge de Saint-Pons-France)
4. “Mental Curves” (Romania, 2017) made from marble (Rușchița marble Champagne-Romania)
5. “Formations” (Israel, 2023) made from limestone (Hebron cream limestone – Palestine)
6. “Sound the horns” (Turkey, Manavgat, 2017) made form white marble (Mugla marble – Turkey)
7. “Radio kills the video star” (Turkey, Alanya, 2019) made from diabase (Turkey)
8. “Dancing cubes and volumes” (Italy, 2019) made from travertine (Travertino Rapolano – Italy)