In brief
British artist Lee Maelzer presented her exhibition "Hayden" at Cable Depot Gallery in Sofia, examining intimacy within derelict environments from Oct 29 to Nov 21, 2027. Curated by Iavor Lubomirov, the show centers on model Hayden Hughes and is part of a Ministry‑of‑Culture‑funded visual‑arts project.
British artist Lee Maelzer opened the exhibition Hayden at Cable Depot Gallery in Sofia on 29 October, with the show running until 21 November 2027.
The solo show, curated by Iavor Lubomirov, uses Maelzer’s signature exploration of abandoned urban interiors to examine themes of loneliness, social inequality, and alienation through the figure of model Hayden Hughes.
Lubomirov wrote in the curatorial text that "Just as she is able to paint human presence in an empty room, she is able here to paint her own presence for us through the figure of Mr. Hughes".
The exhibition is part of a larger project titled "In the Process of Translation – The Periphery at the Center," funded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture under the 2025 Open Call for Visual Arts and coordinated by the Bulgarian Literature Foundation.
Maelzer, born in London, earned a degree from Central Saint Martins and a master’s in painting from the Royal College of Art. She has shown work in the UK and abroad, including at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and was awarded the Abbey Fellowship at the British School at Rome in 2004.
She teaches fine art at the University of East London, and her early work has consistently focused on painting the absence of people in decaying interiors, using a muted colour palette and cinematic compositions to create a sense of hidden presence.
