In "This month" section, artnewscafe bulletin offers a wide selection of exhibitions, events, and open calls in the field of contemporary art in Bulgaria – Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo and in Europe.
The monthly bulletin strives to offer an accessible, thoughtful, and quality information about what’s happening on the Bulgarian and European visual arts stage. artnewscafe bulletin started in 2008 as a project of Open Arts Foundation. In July 2022 the bulletin joined Open Art Files as a permanent collaboration offering the monthly bulletin also in English.
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Tsvetomira Borisova
Joe Cocker's Summer In The City, 2024.
Sculpture
Details
- Description: Tsvetomira Borisova, Joe Cocker's Summer In The City, 2024 in the group show Music to the Eyes, Sarieva/Gallery, 40 Otets Paisiy Str., Plovdiv, December 13 - March 1.
SOFIA - ART TALKS SOFIA - PLOVDIV - VARNA - KAZANLAK
SOFIA
¬ Andrey Molodkin and Santiago Sierra / East/West / joint exhibition / National Gallery, Kvadrat 500, 1, 19th February St. / November 26 - February 16. In the exhibition “East / West,” Andrey Molodkin and Santiago Sierra are brought together by their strong political stances and the pressing questions they raise about contemporary democracy. Both artists are renowned for their provocative responses to the current social and political climate, often facing personal risks. https://tinyurl.com/5n7cjspb
¬ Lyuben Dimitrov (1904 - 2000) / retrospective exhibition / National Gallery, Kvadrat 500, 1, 19th February St. / December 12 - May 15. Lyuben Dimitrov is not only a figure notable for his rich oeuvre in Bulgarian decoratively monumental sculpture of the 20th century, but also a kind of school for the synthesis between that sculpture and architecture. The exhibition features seven easel works owned by the National Gallery, the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Kazanlak Art Gallery, and the artist’s heirs. Several of the hi monumental sculptures will be displayed as photographs. https://tinyurl.com/2uzzxh26
¬ Kalin Serapionov / In front of the eyes / solo exhibition / curated by Iaroslava Boubnova / National Gallery, The Palace, 1, Knyaz Alexander I Sq. / October 16 - January 12. The current exhibition has a retrospective character and presents some of the emblematic works of Kalin Serapionov, whose work is closely associated with unleashing the potential and development of the vast possibilities of video in the context of art.. The artist focuses on the ability of the medium to hold attention, form an image and generate suspense with no narrative techniques and literariness of the subject. In his oeuvre, the artist explores different patterns of communication and human relations, communities, characters, behavior and interaction. https://tinyurl.com/ysb9s5ty
¬ Wars / group exhibition / curated by Iaroslava Boubnova and Nikolay Ushtavaliiski / National Gallery, The Palace, 1, Knyaz Alexander I Sq. / January 2 - March 16. For this exhibition, the National Gallery has selected works from its collection that reflect the suffering experienced by everyone: by direct participants in those wars, and by their ‘collateral victims’. In this visual narrative, there is no place for scenes of triumph, heroisation or praise of valour. Nor are there the features of a ‘just war’ or a collective will for victory. ‘The Disasters of War’, Francisco Goya’s great and unbiased cycle, produced more than 200 years ago, is the invisible reference point for the selection now on exhibition. https://tinyurl.com/mr3254hm
¬ Europe in Bulgaria. Reflections of European artistic trends in Bulgarian art from the Liberation to the mid-20th century / retrospective exhibition / curated by Lyuben Domozetski / Sofia City Art Gallery, 1 Gurko St. / October 17 - February 16. This exhibition traces the reflections of European artistic movements on Bulgarian post-liberation art. The dialogue between Bulgaria and Europe in the period under review is extremely dynamic, multifaceted, continuous. A complex and highly intertwined network of connections between personalities, events, art centers, trends, works, and phenomena is revealed. An indisputable fact is the aspiration to include Bulgarian artists in European art, with the clear awareness and self-confidence that Bulgaria is part of Europe, that the European path is the path of young Bulgarian art. https://fb.me/e/5v4tycCxK
¬ Tekla Aleksieva / Encyclopedia of Boundlessness / retrospective exhibition / curated by Lyuben Domozetski and Daniela Radeva / Sofia City Art Gallery, 1 Gurko St. / December 3 - February 2. The exhibition seeks to draw a map of the artist’s work, outlining the many directions it took in her easily recognizable signature style and visual language. Tekla Alexieva is one of the few artists whose work spans multiple visual arts and the requisite techniques, mediums and means of expression. Throughout her career, she has worked in the genres of painting, mural painting, book illustration and book design, printmaking, animation, stained glass painting, embroidery. Perhaps the most interesting question raised in researching Tekla Alexieva’s work is how have the impact and authoritativeness of her images affected the sensitivity of different generations, mostly 1980’s youth, but also the young people of today. https://tinyurl.com/5n8mtz97
¬ Maria Stolarova / Defended aesthetics / retrospective exhibition / Dechko Uzunov Gallery, 24 Dragan Tsankov Bld. / November 28 - February 16. 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Stolarova (1925 – 2016) – one of Dechko Uzunov’s students . On this occasion, the Sofia City Art Gallery and the Dechko Uzunov Gallery present an exhibition of paintings, encompassing both her early works and emblematic works from later periods. Maria Stolarova is from the generation of authors who entered the art scene in the 1960s. This was a decade characterized by an upsurge in Bulgarian art, associated with a number of socio-cultural factors that affected the establishment of new themes, genres and techniques. https://fb.me/e/boAJsYTAG
¬ Nikolay Shmirgela / The Nude – Exploring the Form / retrospective exhibition / Vaska Emanuilova Gallery, 15 Yanko Sakazov Blvd. / November 19 - February 11. The exhibition traces the plastic searches of the author in the late 1960s and early 1970s of the XX century. Bathing, dressing, reflection and timidity - the naked sculptural bodies in various states directly correspond to his drawings from this period. It also includes several earlier works that give a more complete picture of the work of the artist, who studied decorative arts and sculpture at the Art Academy in the 1930s. The basis of the exhibition is the donation of sculptures and drawings made by the heirs and family of Nikolay Vladov - Shmirgela. https://fb.me/e/CJgee7B2p
¬ Kaloyan Ivanov / Triaditsa / solo show / curated by Diana Draganova - Styr / Credo Bonum Gallery, 2 Slavyanska str. / December 12 - January 12. The exhibition presents 30 works that reveal the author's perception of the world through the power and beauty in the contrast of two colors - black and white. Kaloyan Ivanov explores symbols and develops an original interpretative vision that leads us to many diverse etymological meanings. Triaditsa is one of the names of the city of Sofia, which existed in parallel with Ulpia Serdica. It is no coincidence that the author focuses on it, inspired by the idea of developing and bringing his visual interpretation to abstract coded forms, using entirely the expressive means of painting. https://tinyurl.com/2b843jry
¬ Todor Rabadzhiyski / Raw Perspectives / solo show / +359 Gallery, 13A Galitchitsa Str. / November 28 - February 28. The exhibition poses the question of the essence of art in an era in which the line between creation and consumption is blurred. Is art a mirror that reflects our fears and longings? Or is it an escape – a sweet treat to distract us from the weight of existence? The artist’s works invite us to grapple with these questions through materials that shine and rust, arouse trust and suspicion, and challenge us to see poetry in contradictions. https://fb.me/e/8KOZThwvn
¬ Forbidden Art / documental exhibition / curated by Ralitsa Gerasimova / CCA Toplocentrala Gallery - Cube, 5 Emil Bersinski Str. / December 19 - January 26. ”Forbidden Art is a story about three removed works – destroyed, obscured, or taken down from exhibition halls. Scattered across time, these three stories speak of communism, nationalism, and the politics of religious art. The stories of censorship raise legal, social, and ethical questions. But one thing is certain, censorship remains a stage for defending democratic principles – yesterday, today, and likely tomorrow.” - Ralitsa Gerasimova https://tinyurl.com/2ft9kpzm
¬ Martina Vacheva / Olympics in local and world disciplines / solo show / Octopus Gallery, in the underpass between the Presidency and the Council of Ministers / December 5 - January 11. “Ceramic vessels from antiquity recount tales of heroic perils, hard-won trophies, fearsome beasts, and glorious kings. But what if we immortalized our era on amphorae and vases? What epic battles would they depict? Martina is sensitive to cultural traditions and a critical observer of today's mainstream trends. Through her ceramics, she captures the essence of a new era, grappling with the realities that evoke an unsettling, irrational sense of anxiety.” - Vera Mlechevska, curator https://tinyurl.com/2m5hf6y3
¬ Winter showroom 2024 - 2025 / group show / Sarieva Gallery @ DOT, Sofia, 46, Bratya Miladinovi str., Women’s Market / December 9 - March 1. This exhibition brings together three Bulgarian born contemporary artists with international career — Denitsa Todorova, Dimitar Genchev, and Stefan Nikolaev — whose works explore themes of transformation, materiality, and the dynamic interplay of light, texture, and meaning. The showroom features a compelling range of works, including large-scale canvases, intricate drawings, and sculptures. https://tinyurl.com/5eft9y25
¬ Spas Yordanov / Dragons and dracotaurs / solo show / Arosita Gallery, 12B Vrabcha Str. / January 14 - 30. The exhibition presents two conceptual lines. One is inspired by the mythical stories of dragons. The other by the story of the centaur, through the prism of the dragon. The dragons are the author's plastic interpretations of their main mythical visualizations; the Dracotaurs consist of an upper and lower part and can interchange their parts, thereby multiplying their hybridity.” With this exhibition, Spas Yordanov finalizes his 5-year studies in ceramics at the bachelor's and master's levels and a total of 7 years of study at the New Bulgarian University. https://tinyurl.com/4ns7t9kp
¬ Alexander Lazarkov / Terrarium / solo show / curated by Marina Slavova / Little Bird Place Gallery, 7 "11th August" str. / January 10 - 26. ”In "Terrarium," Alexander Lazarkov presents a compelling visual narrative about the delicate balance between humans and nature in the context of climate crises that are irreversibly transforming the biological world. The project continues to follow and develop the artist's visual and conceptual language, in which contemporary technologies and organic forms intertwine to express disturbing yet poetic messages.” - Marina Slavova https://tinyurl.com/cx9wbebf
¬ Strahil Penev / Kicking the Mud / solo show / curated by Aaron Roth / Punta Gallery, 37 Stefan Stambolov Bld / December 19 - January 26. Pushing mud is in the most literal sense what painting is. Oil paint is more or less minerals suspended in oil - mud. Painting, despite all of its mystery and its supposed prestige within the western centric canon of art, is in the end just moving mud around with hog hair. Penev's paintings, characterised by their austere colour palette and ambiguous verging on the cryptic imagery, pursue a question at the heart of contemporary painting - what exactly should be the subject of contemporary painting? https://fb.me/e/4rQC3lJKv
¬ Garo Keshishian / Labour Troops / solo exhibition / curated by Nadzhezda Pavlova / Synthesis Gallery, 55 “Vasil Levski” Blvd / December 5 – February 15. Produced in collaboration with the artist specifically for Synthesis Gallery, the exhibition comprises 92 photographs made between 1983 and 1995. It represents one of the most significant documentary series in Bulgarian photography. The subject is forced labor in Bulgaria, a government policy rarely discussed publicly even today. The project creates a figurative space of empathy and personal connection between the artist and the conscripted laborers with ever-present attention to the human side of their daily ups and downs. https://tinyurl.com/3vc4h8ce
¬ Double that - 5 artistic couples in Bulgarian art / group show / curated by Ivaylo Hristov and Yordanka Hristova / HOSTGALLERY, 102 “Akad. Ivan Geshov” Bld. / December 5 - January 30. A key to understanding this unusual double exhibition is the title of a previously unshown work by the art duo NINAVALE, which opens the door to a surprising art walk and immersion in unexpected artistic stories of 5 artistic couples. The most important condition for the artists' participation in the two-month exhibition, in the transition between two years, is their creative message and feeling towards the upcoming 2025. Artists: Albena Baeva & Rene Beekman, Marta Djourina & Nick Cocozza, Ninavale – Nina Kovacheva & Valentin Stefanoff, Rositsa Getsova & Sasho Stoitzov, Svetlana Mircheva & Stoyan Yorgov Tekata. https://fb.me/e/8VhIKkrGY
ART TALKS SOFIA
¬ Why are we talking about contemporary censure ? / curatorial tour of the exhibition "Forbidden Art" with Ralitsa Gerasimova / CCA Toplocentrala Gallery - Cube, 5 Emil Bersinski Str. / January 11, 2.00 pm. Forbidden Art is a story about three removed works – destroyed, obscured, or taken down from exhibition halls. The three cases are: the destroyed exhibition Terrain and Constructions by Vesselin Dimov (1982, Varna); the controversial piece Anonymous L. (Anonymous National Hero) by Neno Belchev (2023, Karlovo), and the hastily removed contemporary iconography by Nikolay Panayotov (2014, Sevlievo). https://tinyurl.com/yabmnhdz
PLOVDIV
¬ Music to the Eyes / group show / Sarieva/Gallery, 40 Otets Paisiy Str. / December 13 - March 1. "Music to the Eyes” presents works inspired by songs, musicians or objects related to sound, none of them being audio-visual works. The exhibition expands the visual experience, stimulating personal interpretations and exploring how our associations are formed. It includes mostly previously unseen works by artists from the 1990s to the present. Diverse in nature, these works are key to stereotypes or behaviours. With works by Luchezar Boyadjiev, Tsvetomira Borisova, Sophia Grancharova, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Stefan Nikolaev. https://tinyurl.com/45nyhrwr
¬ Acqua alta. History of Bulgarian national participation in the Venice Biennale 1910 – 2024 / retrospective exhibition / curated by Svetlana Kuyumdzhieva and Plamen Petrov / Kapana Gallery, 29 "Raiko Daskalov" Str. / December 13 - February 20. The exhibition presents works, archives and documentary material from all eleven participations with which Bulgaria has appeared in the oldest and most prestigious international art forum in the world since its founding at the end of the 19th century. The exhibition includes nearly 60 works from various public and private collections. Among the exhibits are some of the most iconic works of the classics of Bulgarian art, as well as representative works of the most famous contemporary Bulgarian artists. https://tinyurl.com/44cd2e9x
¬ Boyana Popova / Drawings in color / solo show / City Art Gallery Plovdiv, Temporary Exhibition Hall, 15 "Knyaz Alexander I" Str. / January 8 - 28. The exhibition contains large-format color drawings on paper created by the artist in recent years, when her research and attention have been focused primarily on color pictorial drawing. She defines her technique as “an act of instantaneous primacy, heightened intuition, and unadulterated sincerity. These intuitive drawings sometimes participate in a new, separate work of art that occurs around them and expands their messages without changing their original form.” https://tinyurl.com/4pxew772
VARNA
¬ Denitsa Yaneva / retrospective anniversary show / Varna City Art Gallery, 1 "Lyuben Karavelov" Str. / January 9 - 28. The exhibition marks the artist's anniversary, presenting 55 works of drawing, graphics and painting from the last 25 years. She has preferred to show not so much the chronology, but the trends, the directions in which she has developed over the years. The most represented are her works created in the last decade. The selected works trace the characteristic problems and themes that have excited the artist and which she has explored and interpreted. https://tinyurl.com/yc2kkevr
KAZANLAK
¬ Hunger / group show / Art Gallery Kazanlak, 9 Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii Str. and many other locations / October 19 - March 31. The exhibition takes us through a long narrative in which 23 contemporary artists, together with art critics and museum specialists, confront us with their reflections on the subject, revealing to us unexpected, sometimes sad, sometimes smiling, other times frightening aspects of it. "...One could too easily replace the word hunger with the word terror or with the word slavery, or lawlessness, or dictatorship" - Georgi Markov. https://www.artgallerykazanlak.com/exhibitions/glad/
¬ Levent More / Let’s color / solo show / Art Gallery Kazanlak, 9 Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii Str. / October 26 - March 23. Levent More is one of those artists whose art can hardly be framed - not only figuratively, but also literally. This is, as the art critic Aksinia Dzurova defines it, "A wild sense of color. A world of layered sensations, enticing worlds from the natural cycle to apocalyptic insights, obsessive parallelism – expressive, approaching Fauvist ecstasy”. But Levent Sea painting is always something more. https://tinyurl.com/2h8r2xyd
Monthly edition by Open Art Foundation
¬ news selection : Desislava Mileva
¬ logo : Nedko Solakov
¬ cover : Tsvetomira Borisova, Joe Cocker's Summer In The City, 2024 in the group show Music to the Eyes, Sarieva/Gallery, 40 Otets Paisiy Str., Plovdiv, December 13 - March 1.