DERMATOLOGY? ART… 1994, situation

Art is everything that is placed in a set of circumstances.
80% of dermatological diagnostics is due to the doctor’s visual perception and his professional competence.

With “Dermatology? Art” I seek to establish a parallel between dermatology as a wealth of visual finds and the fine arts. Seen as a volumetric treasure trove of plastic forms, anatomy is the main area of study in the art schools, and the facility with which a deformation is expressed is a measure of the skill of the artist. As a consequence, I present the visible, morphologic deviations—that is, the pathology, and in particular the dermatologic one—as a deformation in principle.

Macroscopically, the iconography of dermatological material and its association with various periods and movements in the history of art provoked artists Bozhidar Boyadzhiev, Georgi Ruzhev, Lyubo Kostov, Nedko Solakov and Hristo Mihaylov. I invited them to this project convinced that artists should transcend the traditional means of self-realisation and seek varied artistic expressions beyond the margins of the canvas primer. They all welcomed my direction to begin to complete their ideas in concrete visual forms.

“Dermatology? Art” is the result of this effort. It is a link between the concrete and the unconventional. Through it we strive to usher in a new form of unconventional art, to open a new door and to enhance the estimation of dermatology as a science that is also a visual gold mine.
We express our gratitude to Sofia Medical Academy’s dermatology department and the Bulgarian Dermatological Society for their permission to use the department’s premises and equipment.

Galentin Gatev, M.D., Skin and STDs Specialist
Project Coordinator