In brief
British artist Lee Maelzer inaugurated her exhibition "Hayden" at Sofia’s Cable Depot Gallery, spotlighting the human figure within abandoned urban interiors. Curated by Iavor Lubomirov, the show runs from October 29 to November 21 and is part of a Ministry funded project. The exhibition centers on model Hayden Hughes, using her as a vehicle to explore themes of loneliness, social inequality, and intimacy in deserted spaces.
At the repurposed Cable Depot Gallery in Sofia, British artist Lee Maelzer opened the solo exhibition “Hayden” on October 29, 2027. The show, running through November 21, invites viewers to contemplate how human presence—and its absence—shapes the city’s urban experience. BTA reports that Maelzer’s work explores intimacy within these forsaken interiors.
Maelzer uses muted palettes and layered compositions to depict abandoned staircases, vacant rooms, and rusted machinery, all of which echo her longstanding fascination with the traces of life that linger after occupation. According to BTA, the exhibition probes “human presence, intimacy and the relationship between people and space” by confronting the viewer with the space itself.
Curator Iavor Lubomirov 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,
For more than 15 years Maelzer has explored urban environments through painting, collage and experimental film, frequently staging figures against the backdrop of abandoned interiors. BTA notes that her earlier pieces commonly feature staircases and ruins, where the human form is absent yet the scent of existence persists.
In Hayden, the artist places model Hayden Hughes at the heart of the narrative, allowing the figure to occupy the same deserted spaces that once bore only the echo of void. The model appears in a series of poses that invite spectators to become participants in a dialogue between body and building.
The gallery description highlights themes of loneliness, social inequality and alienation, with BTA emphasizing that the juxtaposition of the lone figure and the empty architecture amplifies feelings of isolation and marginalization within metropolitan environments.
Born in London, Maelzer graduated from Central Saint Martins and earned a master’s degree in painting from the Royal College of Art. She has exhibited internationally, most recently at the National Portrait Gallery in London, and was awarded the Abbey Fellowship at the British School at Rome in 2004.
Hayden is part of the project “In the Process of Translation – The Periphery at the Center,” financed by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture under the 2025 Open Call for Visual Arts. The project, coordinated by the Bulgarian Literature Foundation, aims to bring global contemporary art into the national discourse.
Cable Depot Gallery, a renovated industrial hub, has long hosted experimental displays that challenge traditional exhibition formats. BTA reports that the venue’s unfinished walls and exposed infrastructure complement Maelzer’s aesthetic of decayed urbanity, providing an authentic backdrop for the thematic inquiry.
Critics compare the exhibition to immersive installations at London’s Tate Modern, praising Maelzer’s blend of portraiture and environmental architecture. BTA reports that the presence of Hughes offers a personal counterpoint to the impersonal urban backdrop, emphasizing human empathy and inviting viewers to question the boundaries between the individual and space.
According to BTA, visitors attending the exhibition are urged to confront the uncomfortable coexistence of the human figure with the abandoned surroundings, transforming the act of viewing into an immersive experience that critiques contemporary social conditions.
