The Smile of Buddha

Exhibition
“The Smile of Buddha”
RADA TZANKOVA
April 23 – May 10, 2025

Rakursi Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition “The Smile of Buddha” by Rada Tzankova. Rada’s works bring a special mood, emotion and lightness. They have a strong impact with the light, colors and delicate drawing that transport the viewer to the moment and, regardless of the plot, immerse him in contemplation.

Last year, the French art magazine “Artension” dedicated a special issue to her work, tracing her path from Bulgaria in the late 1990s and her work, created with emotion, talent and perseverance. The texts in the magazine are by famous French authors and curators, including Emmanuel Daydé and Christian Nurbergen, as well as Bulgarians Georgi Toshev and writer Yana Borisova. The magazine will also be presented at the current exhibition.

In 2024, Rada Tzankova received the Duc d’Aumale Painting Prize of the Institut de France, which is awarded once every five years to distinguished artists and intellectuals.

About her exhibition, the arist says:

“The Land of Smiles” – that’s what they call Thailand. Where the colors are bright and we feel how the freedom of life vibrates not only on the streets, but also in Nature!

Thai-freedom; land-land.

I decided to name the series of paintings that I present at the Rakursi gallery “The Smile of Buddha” because most of them are inspired by Thailand, or were painted there, at the spot.

The idea for this trip was “Working a way”. I took my painting materials and settled on the island of Koh Phangan, near the ocean in one of those wooden bungalows that shake from the strong gusts of wind.

In Thailand, Buddhism is not interpreted – it is simply lived. The mysterious smile of Buddha is depicted in the sculptures and murals in the temples, and it captivated me.

In the series of 20 drawings ” The Smile of Buddha “, which I decided to name the exhibition, I show moments from places that moved me with their light and energy, gathered in a patchwork!

The colorful Thai papers appear as a symbol of the different life origins of each of us – our personal data: birthplace, family origin, DNA, state policy. In these paintings I seek answers to the question: How the different origins of each of us can be harmoniously combined into a whole among all, and complement our HUMAN PATCHWORK WORLD!

On Friday, April 25 at 7:00 PM, composer Martin Markov will present “Meditative Improvisations” – musical pieces based on the works of Rada Tzankova.