Mercury effect artist
Master metal artist
Exhibitions
АAs an artist, I believe that one’s creative pursuits are a mirror for one’s understanding and perception of life; it is my unwaveringly optimistic, positive outlook on life that I endeavour to express through my art.
My mirror-polished stainless steel artworks reflect, whimsically and playfully, everything in their surroundings transforming even the ugliest surroundings into a beautiful vision. The message that I am trying to put across through my art is directed to those to whom it speaks, almost intuitively. It can be encompassed in a single word – the most important one on earth – Life.
Biography
Bulgarian-born master metal artist Rado Kirov (b. 1955) is internationally
recognised for his stainless-steel sculpture and his signature Mercury Effect surfaces that
transform metal into liquid mirror. His fascination with metal began in childhood, when he first encountered
the Panagyursko Treasure – an exquisitely hand-crafted collection of golden artefacts dating back to the
3rd century BC.
At the age of 25 Rado began an extensive apprenticeship in copper smithing in the town of Dobrich, Bulgaria,
under the tutelage of Alexander Raev, one of the leading craftsmen in the country at the time. Over the next
decade he honed his skills working in copper before immigrating with his family to South Africa in 1991.
Rado remains a member of the Bulgarian Association of Craftsmen – Section: Copper Smithing.
His passion and skill in copper gradually shifted towards silver and gold during his years of employment with
the Pagliari Group in Cape Town. During this period he hand-crafted numerous prestigious pieces, including a
silver chalice presented to the late Pope John Paul II by former President Nelson Mandela on behalf of the
South African Government in 1998, a silver rose bowl presented as a wedding gift to the Japanese Crown Prince
Naruhito and his wife by the SA Government, and the Alfred Dunhill Challenge Cup Trophy for golf. Rado was also
responsible for the creative design and fabrication of unique collectors’ coins in 1000 g pure silver and
1000 g 24-karat gold.
Rado’s talent received its ultimate recognition from the South African Government when he was commissioned to
craft the new parliamentary People’s Mace and the Black Rod mace of the South African Parliament, both executed
in 18-karat gold.
In 2006, drawing on the inspiration of the Panagyursko Treasure, he created the Rhino Rhyton, a traditional
wine vessel in the form of a rhinoceros, hand-crafted using 1 250 g of 22-karat gold. This work marked a major
personal milestone and a powerful affirmation of his craftsmanship.
Over the last two decades Rado has gradually shifted his creative focus towards product design and functional art,
collaborating closely with interior designers and architects on bespoke metal pieces.
Seeking a new creative outlet and complete freedom of expression, at the beginning of 2012 he embarked on a new
artistic venture that drew on his extensive knowledge of silversmithing and many years of working with different
metals. Rado developed a unique technique of manipulating a sheet of stainless steel by hand, using the inherent
physical properties of the metal to create a striking three-dimensional surface that dynamically mirrors its
surroundings and draws the viewer into the magic of its reflection. This new body of sculptural work in stainless
steel, and his mastery of the medium, are expressed in what he has named the Mercury Effect.
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