I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else

I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else - selfportrait, Schmincke oils on canvas. Size: 70 x 90 cm, 2017, Anton Terziev. Nikolai Nedelchev' Image and Likeness collection
Foto: Vasil Tanev Credit: Stanislav Belovski Photo: © the artist

Title credit: Danny Aiello (1933-2019) ’s big-hearted memoir I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else: My Life on the Street

Unexhibited

For the red palette of colours i was influenced by the Leon Golub' astonishing paintings; the close up pose took from my beloved filmmaker John Cassavetes

Anton Terziev’s “I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else” is a self-portrait that adeptly explores the fluid nature of identity. Dominated by a deep red background, the painting directs our attention to the artist’s introspective gaze and the film strip he holds—an evocative device that underscores both the passage of time and the ever-changing roles we adopt. Terziev’s expressive brushwork and carefully layered textures blur the boundaries between memory and self-reflection, implying that identity unfolds gradually, much like sequential frames on a reel. The interplay between the vivid background and the meditative figure enhances the sense of inner tension, emphasizing a personal journey through recollection, transformation, and the evolving narrative of self.