Nedko Solakov; 99 Fears

99 Fears is a catalogue of insecurities created by acclaimed contemporary artist Nedko Solakov. By focusing on personal worries - from war, AIDS and plane crashes to writer's block, infidelity and the size of one's CV - 99 Fears depicts the general free-floating anxiety of modern life in hilarious detail. In the artist's inimitable voice, handwritten captions bring the drawings to life with bold strokes of self-deprecating humour. These are the fears of an everyman but also those of an artist who grew up under communism, with all its represssions and privations, only to find a new set of apprehensions waiting for him under capitalism. Nothing, however, can match his dread of the future, with all its shapeless, unspeakable terrors. By plumbing the depths of his anxiety, Solakov emerges with his belief in the human spirit intact and his tongue firmly in cheek. If 99 Fears teaches us anything, it is to stop worrying and embrace the only thing we need to be afraid of: fear itself. is a catalogue of insecurities created by acclaimed contemporary artist Nedko Solakov.
By focusing on personal worries - from war, AIDS and plane crashes to writer's block, infidelity and the size of one's CV - 99 Fears depicts the general free-floating anxiety of modern life in hilarious detail. In the artist's inimitable voice, handwritten captions bring the drawings to life with bold strokes of self-deprecating humour. These are the fears of an everyman but also those of an artist who grew up under communism, with all its represssions and privations, only to find a new set of apprehensions waiting for him under capitalism. Nothing, however, can match his dread of the future, with all its shapeless, unspeakable terrors. By plumbing the depths of his anxiety, Solakov emerges with his belief in the human spirit intact and his tongue firmly in cheek. If 99 Fears teaches us anything, it is to stop worrying and embrace the only thing we need to be afraid of: fear itself. For this Collector's Edition, Solakov has made ink drawings directly on the printed book - a unique drawing on a different page of each edition.
This specially bound book is presented in a handmade box along with a new engraving, Fear #999, exceptionally printed on hand-torn mould paper in an edition of 100 and signed and numbered by the artist. It is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to own a unique work and a limited-edition print by one of the world's most widely exhibited and admired contemporary artists.