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The LUNAR award statuettes are true works of art. They were created by Georgi Apostolov – an artist with deep family roots in sculpture and professional experience in 3D design and the gaming industry. After years of working across traditional sculpture, digital modeling, and 3D printing, he has fused these distinct worlds into a unique visual language. We spoke with him about the intersection of traditional techniques and new technologies, as well as his desire to contribute to contemporary culture in Bulgaria.
My name is Georgi Apostolov.
Like my grandfather – who is a sculptor, just like my father…
I’ve been involved in art for as long as I can remember. People show me various things I made back then – pieces that someone actually took the trouble to cast in brass or fire in ceramic. It was mostly my mother who did that – she’s a ceramicist.
Ever since I was young, I couldn’t imagine any career other than being an artist. The mere thought of working in an office or doing something else I didn’t understand – filled me with dread.
Well, I ended up doing it anyway – by choice, of course. At one point, I got fed up with the grime and instability of sculpting and the harmful chemicals at the film studio, so I buckled down and learned 3D software to start creating characters. I’d always been drawn to computer games, after all, and the industry was known for being stable.
I was accepted into the Academy’s Master’s program in Computer Games. I completed the course and ended up at an indie studio, which was a great experience.
A little over a year later, I was lucky enough to join Ubisoft and work on the timeless Assassin’s Creed saga. My hard work was paying off.
I worked there for about two and a half years, give or take, and then I jumped into freelancing. My professional 3D experience totals around six years; when you add that to my background in sculpture, it comes to about fifteen years of experience in the field. It’s amazing how time flies.
I recently decided to combine my background in sculpture with 3D design and channel it all through 3D printing. I believe this is a great choice because my journey in the gaming industry – creating characters – taught me fascinating techniques and honed my ability to craft forms in diverse, efficient ways, while my sculpting experience gives me insight into how things work in the real world. This blend of the studio’s shadows and traditional techniques with the light of modern tools and technologies makes me feel a bit like Blade – a vampire who could still walk in the daylight, earning him the nickname “Daywalker.”
I don’t know exactly which vampires I’ll be slaying, but I certainly want to contribute to my country’s culture in any way I can.
You can watch the process of creating the sculptures here.
You can view Georgi Apostolov’s work on Instagram.
