In brief
British artist Lee Maelzer will showcase her new exhibition "Hayden" at Cable Depot Gallery in Sofia from 29 October to 21 November. The show examines human presence and intimacy in derelict urban environments, centering on model Hayden Hughes as a foregrounding figure. Curated by Iavor Lubomirov, the exhibition forms part of a Ministry of Culture funded project in Bulgaria.
British artist Lee Maelzer opened her new exhibition "Hayden" on 29 October at Cable Depot Gallery in Sofia, the series of works explores presence in abandoned urban spaces and features model Hayden Hughes.
According to the gallery, the exhibition uses a muted colour palette and cinematic compositions to interrogate themes such as loneliness, social inequality and alienation. The works allude to the artist’s long‑standing engagement with abandoned interiors, stair‑cases and ruins where the human figure is absent but traces of human presence remain.
In this iteration, Maelzer places a human figure at the center of the narrative. Hayden Hughes, the model to whom the exhibition is dedicated, appears in various poses and compositions, turning the desolate settings from her earlier repertoire into settings for an encounter between the artist, the model and the viewer.
Curator Iavor Lubomirov, who has known Maelzer’s work for years, described the exhibition’s intent in the curatorial text, saying, "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." Lubomirov emphasised that the first solo exhibition he organised in his curatorial career was Maelzer’s.
Maelzer was born in London, is a graduate of Central Saint Martins and holds a master’s degree in painting from the Royal College of Art. Her work has been exhibited in the UK and abroad, including at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 2004 she received the Abbey Fellowship at the British School at Rome and teaches fine art at the University of East London.
"Hayden" is part of the project "In the Process of Translation – The Periphery at the Center" by the Bulgarian Literature Foundation. The project is funded by the Culture Ministry under the 2025 Open Call for Visual Arts, according to the gallery’s statement.
The exhibition arrives at a time when Sofia’s cultural scene is increasingly engaging with contemporary artists who navigate the intersection of memory, space and identity. By inviting a model into abandoned urban backdrops, Maelzer signals a shift from the representational to the experiential, aligning with the Ministry’s broader agenda to support cross‑disciplinary, non‑commercial art initiatives.
There are no uncertainties about the exhibition’s programming or content beyond what has been publicly stated.
