In brief
In Sofia’s Cable Depot Gallery, British artist Lee Maelzer opened her exhibition 'Hayden' on 29 October, running until 21 November. The show examines loneliness and social inequality through the lens of abandoned interiors, featuring model Hayden Hughes as a central figure. The exhibition is part of a Ministry of Culture–funded project "In the Process of Translation – The Periphery at the Center."
In Sofia’s Cable Depot Gallery, British artist Lee Maelzer opened her new exhibition Hayden on 29 October, inviting visitors to step into abandoned urban spaces that echo with absent human presence. Those inside experience Maelzer’s muted colour palette and cinematic compositions that turn neglected staircases and ruins into stages for an unexpected encounter with a visible figure: model Hayden Hughes, who occupies the centre of the show’s narrative.
The former railway depot, converted into a contemporary art venue, offers high, vaulted ceilings and river‑black steel beams that give the exhibition its stark, intimate atmosphere. Maelzer’s canvases fill many of the walls, each piece choreographing an empty space that feels heavily charged—waiting, as though the occupant might return any moment.
Unlike earlier shows where humans appeared as traces—a doorway glimpse, a shadow on a wall—Hayden places the human figure in full view. Hughes is rendered in a range of poses, from a contemplative pause against a cracked wall to a dynamic stance within a derelict kitchen. In these compositions, the model becomes a witness to the loneliness and inequality that Maelzer says dominate contemporary urban life. The juxtaposition of inhabited and abandoned invites viewers to question how space shapes, and is shaped by, human experience.
Curator Iavor Lubomirov, who first organised Maelzer’s solo exhibition early in his career, wrote in the curatorial text, “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, who has remained a key advocate for Maelzer’s work, noted that the exhibit returns to themes he has explored for years—loneliness, social inequality, and alienation—while adding a new layer of intimacy through the artist’s relationship with her model.
Maelzer, born in London, studied at Central Saint Martins and earned a master’s degree in painting from the Royal College of Art. For over fifteen years she has produced a body of work that includes painting, collage and experimental film, consistently probing urban environments. Her works, shown in the UK and beyond—including the National Portrait Gallery in London and a 2004 Abbey Fellowship at the British School in Rome—often feature abandoned interiors where human figures are absent yet their traces linger.
The exhibition is part of the project "In the Process of Translation – The Periphery at the Center," organised by the Bulgarian Literature Foundation and funded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture through the 2025 Open Call for Visual Arts. This partnership aims to bring international contemporary art to a broader Bulgarian audience, enriching the city’s cultural landscape.
Local art commentators describe the opening as a quiet but powerful reminder of how city spaces can reflect and influence social realities. The show’s focus on both emptiness and presence encourages Sofia visitors to reconsider everyday locations—how a vacant stairwell or a decaying kitchen might speak of isolation, opportunity, or overlooked community life.
Hayden will remain on view at Cable Depot Gallery from 29 October until 21 November. The venue maintains its usual Thursday–Tuesday schedule, opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. Visitors can also join guided talks hosted by the curator on selected days during the exhibition run.
