Velislav Georgiev is a senior public artist and designer with an art practice stretching over more than 20 years. He has created over 30 public sculptures and has been a fulltime public artist for more than 10 years. His practice also includes a number of war memorials and a broad range of functional artworks such as seats, signage, gates, shelters and pavement treatments. More than half of Velislav’s commissions have been by direct invitation.
Collaboration
Velislav collaborates with other artists and designers. His major collaborative partnership is with Anuradha Patel. Together Velislav and Anuradha have been awarded various public commissions. The most recent is Fearless, a landmark sculpture for Moorabool Shire Council’s new civic hub in Darley.
Consultancies
As an experienced consultant, Velislav advised the City of Greater Dandenong during the construction of the EastLink Motorway on the preservation of cleared timber as sculptural material. He frequently consults with private sector design professionals on integrating art into urban, interior, landscape, and architectural designs. Most recently he worked as a consultant on Monash City Council’s Eaton Mall Redevelopment (with Anuradha Patel).
New Techniques, Novel Materials, and Artistic Initiatives
In his public art practice, Velislav tends to use materials that have been tested over time but he is also interested in new materials and the novel use of traditional materials. With his colleague Annee Miron, he worked with rammed earth to create sculptures in the landscape for the redeveloped Middle Brighton Baths (believed to be a first). More recently, he developed a new etching technique to detail stainless steel.
In 1998, Velislav created a driveby-walkby suburban art wall in Cochrane Street in Brighton. In 2010, he established an International Artist/Designer-in-Residence program through Wombat Regional Arts Network and hosted the first recipient Ayob bin Ismail (Lecturer, Industrial Design, Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore). Most recently, Velislav curated an exhibition in collaboration with Nikoli Stoychev, which involved artists in Bulgaria and Australia.
Play Sculpture Specialist
Through working with designers at Mary Jeavons Landscape Architects, Velislav developed a specialisation in designing play sculpture. He has worked with play safety experts and his play sculptures meet Australian Playground Safety Standards.
Community Development Artist
A significant number of Velislav’s public artworks have been designed in collaboration with communities. He has worked creatively with seniors, children, disadvantaged community members, CALD communities and general community members to create outstanding artworks.
Applied Arts
Velislav has been making commissioned furniture and architectural details for more than 20 years.
New Commissions
Velislav accepts direct commissions from private clients and from government and corporate clients.