Holds our Photographers and Photographer specific data

Gencho Petkov

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Born in 1957 in Veliko Tarnovo. He has been committed to photography since 1975. He was awarded the title Fine Art Photography Artist in 1985 for a “Nude” theme collection. Professional photographer since 1985. He specialized in High school Polygraph project, Karl Marks Staadt, GDR. He was awarded the title Artist FIAP in 1989. He became EFIAP in 2018 which proved to be a particularly successful year for him, winning 43 medals from prestigious contests. Gencho is the co-founder of the international “BODIGRAFIA” plein-air and has been jury member of international FIAP salons. In 2013 he was awarded the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette. He won the “Photographer of the Year” award in the first edition of Voubs International Photography Awards 2016. Gencho Petkov is a trusted photographer for virtual tours in Google Maps/Street View with location Veliko Tarnovo. He is the winner of over 80 high international and 38 national awards and has over 340 acceptances of works in international and national exhibitions and contests. His works are owned by private collections. 22 ART PHOTOS The exhibition “44 Art Photographs” includes 22 photographs by Gencho Petkov, EFIAP and 22 by Nikifor Todorov, EFIAP. Gencho’s best 22 shots, created over 38 years, have been selected for the exhibition. They are the fruit of his long-term searches and discoveries in the infinite universe of images constantly painted by light. They walk us through calm to dramatic landscapes, through the hidden symbols of the abstract to the eternal human passions and feelings painted in bodies, faces or compositions. All have been exhibited and awarded, including first place and gold medals, in 113 FIAP competitions in over 25 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. In June 2022, Gencho donated the exhibition to the Bulgarian Academy of Photography.

Sonya Stankova

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Sonya Stankova is one of the most recognizable authors of Art Photography. In 1990, she received the title Fine Art Photography Artist. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. She is the winner of the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette for 2020. Since 1982, she has been dedicated to her artistic work, paying special attention to the visual language of photography, analyzing the world and conveying it to us through the use of expressive forms. She participated in the “Biennial of Bulgarian Photography”, the “International Meetings of Photography” in Plovdiv, as well as in other photography forums and exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad. Sonia has turned to an extremely personal study of the environment and the human presence in it, distinguishing herself with a very specific perspective on the outside world. Her photographs have been published in the magazines “Colours” of Benetton, “Marie Claire” Italy, “Photo eye” and “PHO” Bulgaria. REPORTAGE PORTRAITS IN A STUDIO Sonia Stankova’s project takes us back to the time when she worked in a photo studio in Plovdiv. People of different status stand in front of her lens, as if in a time machine, wishing to leave behind their image for the generations. They pose, their body does not seem to cooperate in the process and yet it conveys the enigmatic information left out of the camera’s viewfinder. Sonya changes the lens and captures them in full length with a large format camera, on panchromatic photographic plates with dimensions format 9/13. The portraits taken then, in different years, are presented to us always fresh, bringing us back in time as a “Take Two” in the “Synthesis” Gallery, scanned, printed in a large format, living. Time is sealed on the emulsion of negatives, human destinies are told about, and we don’t know where their next stop will be.

Tsoncho Balkandzhiev

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Born in 1953 in Pavlikeni. He began his serious photography activities in 1977. In 1984, he was awarded the title “Fine Art Photography Artist” by the Ministry of Culture. He participated in over 100 world salons under the auspices of FIAP with many awards in Germany, Poland, Russia, France, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, etc. His works quickly established him as a name in photography circles. He mostly shoots portraits and landscapes. In 2013 he was awarded the Artist FIAP distinction and in 2020 – the EFIAP distinction. He is the author of 15 solo exhibitions displayed throughout the country and has participated in joint international photo exhibitions. In 2017, he was awarded the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette. RHODOPEAN PATTERNS The author’s love for this nook of Bulgaria was incited way back in 1984 when he visited the Rhodope for the first time. Over the years, he has traversed thousands of kilometers in search of interesting themes and different perspectives. Some places he had revisited 30 or 40 times until he could capture the right frame. He was captivated by the beauties of Bulgarian nature, especially the fascination of the Rhodope, which he adored. He takes breathtaking photographs with opulence of color, abundance of detail, with an exceptional image culture and with great love, which open to the audience a window to the beauty of the Bulgarian nature and to the various shapes that the Earth has created in its development. The more locations he managed to visit, the more he succeeded to share with the spectators the magic of the mountain. Tsoncho evolved his sense of composition and light from the art of painting because he worked as a teacher in this field for many years. He doesn’t like to process his shots too much. Computer intervention is minimal, emphasizing on the authenticity of the captured moment.

Garo Keshishian

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One of the most prominent Bulgarian photographers was born in Varna in 1946. In the period 1971 – 1981 he worked as a technological engineer in engine building. He has been on the scene of photographic art for over 30 years. He has passed through all its significant points in time and was awarded the highest honors. He has participated in authoritative photography forums in almost all European countries, in the USA and Canada and in some of the most prestigious photography festivals as Les Rencontresd’ Arles and Foto Fest – the photography biennial in Houston, USA. Works by Garo are part of the collection of the Sergio Poggianella Foundation. He devotes his work to thematic series, choosing his subjects from different strata of society. He was awarded the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette. In 2022, Garo donated an exhibition of 30 of his iconic frames to the Bulgarian Academy of Photography. When he was asked about the title of an exhibition, the answer was „Simply “Garo Kesh””. GARO KESH Wherever he starts – from the port of Varna or from the streets of New York, from a fact or from a staged situation, Garo always succeeds to achieve the same haunting feeling of existence outside the vicissitudes of the existing. He pulls it out of the field of vision, like Hemingway’s old man pulling the gnawed skeleton of a huge fish out of the sea. Perhaps Garo, like the old man, dreams of lions, and his photography (along with the lifestyle in which he practices it) obeys some Zen Buddhist logic of contemplation: what it ultimately shows cannot be seen, but nevertheless, will make you want to keep watching it. In front of his camera everything is a well, just as the camera itself is nothing but such a well…

Nelly Gavrilova

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Born in 1964 in Sofia. She graduated from the School of Photography and Polygraphy. In 1990, she was awarded the title of Fine Art Photography Artist. Nelly is the winner of the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette for 2021 for out-standing contribution to photography. Nelly is a recognized author with a proven personal position and innovative style in contemporary black and white art photography. Her works are characterized by non-standard solutions, perfect mastery of composition; an unconditional virtuoso in portrait and nude photography. Nelly is the author of 21 solo photo exhibitions in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Mexico, Mongolia and Slovakia. She has received over 20 prestigious awards from national and international biennials and contests. Her works are owned by private collections in Austria, Germany, Denmark, France, USA and Canada. Nelly Gavrilova is the winner of the 2021 “Anastas Karastoyanov” National Photographic Art Award for brilliant artistic presence in contemporary photography. MY FRIENDS’ PORTRAITS This exhibition is an adventure over the years, combining irony and insight. With ample sensuality and imagination, Nelly interprets reality, creating photographs in their purest classic version. She relies on aesthetics, on form, elegantly exposes hidden, subconscious fantasies without emphasizing on direct sexuality. She blurs the brutal, often looks for the grotesque between black and white and presents it to the viewer as a complete virtual hybrid image. The body is a contour in playing with light, part of the decor of unveiled reality. The situations are staged and acted out in the specific way through which Nelly knows how to summarize the challenge. The exhibition is very personal. It is the result of a long and intriguing process in which model and photographer go through dramatic metamorphoses, exchange personal spaces, rush with short or long paces through the days and capture in the images countless memories and shared emotions.

Svetlana Bahchevanova

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Svetlana Bahchevanova is a Bulgarian photojournalist and founder of FotoEvidence Publishing House. As a journalist, she mainly works on long-term projects, often related to human rights violation and social injustice. In Bulgaria, she worked for the newspaper “Demokratsia” and the Bulgarian News Agency. In 2001, Svetlana moved to live in Brooklyn, New York, where she founded the FotoEvidence Press Publishing House. The photo books that she and her team publish are testimonies of violated human rights and social injustice, which is reflected in the name of the Publishing House. Many of the published books have been awarded over the years as “best book of the year” by the Time magazine, the New York Times, Vogue, etc. She is the winner of the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette for 2015. AND HE CAME ON A WHITE HORSE “And He Came on a White Horse” is a photographic project about the role of old traditions in the Tinsmiths’ clan of the Bulgarian Roma. In this community, young girls of marriageable age are introduced to society during the so-called ‘bride markets’. The theme reflects complex issues related to cultural identity, women’s rights, social integration as well as the role of mass media in the construction of minority identity. The author started this project to contribute to a better understanding of what Tinkersmith women experience during these “markets” and what their lives are like during the assumed arranged marriage, hoping to help a better understanding of the minority culture in the European community, part of which Bulgaria has become.

Tsocho Boyadzhiev

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The word “philosopher” has always been perceived naturally next to the name of Tsocho Boyadzhiev. Born in 1951 in Troyan, he is one of the leading humanitarians in Bulgaria, specializing in the European Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Antiquity. Between 1991 and 1999 he headed the Department of History of Philosophy at Sofia University, and after 2000 he was the Director of the Institute for Medieval Philosophy and Culture in Sofia. He is the winner of the national award “Hristo G. Danov”, the Grand prize of Portal Kultura, the “Golden Metaphor” award, the Grand Cross of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Along with his scholarly monographs, Boyadzhiev is a recognized poet and photographer. He has displayed his photographs in solo and joint photography exhibitions, as well as in the photo albums “The Way of Man” and “The Home of Man” published together with Nikolay Treyman. He collected his reflections on visual art and the role of the image in time in the “Philosophy of Photography”. PHOTOS TALK The exhibition features the fourth edition of the Contest for artistic analysis of photography “Photos Talk” which once again has provoked photography lovers and professionals to describe in words what the shots of the photographer Prof. Tsocho Boyadzhiev tell. Choosing a subject, he finds in it a deeply encoded meaning. His poetic frame of mind presents him in an expressive form. This is how numerous images came to life, making the spectator exclaim “I saw that too, but I didn’t pay any attention to it”. Prof. Tsocho Boyadzhiev is gifted with the blessing of the sensitive touch, quick reaction and elaborated means of expression. We can usually figure out the interests and profession of photographers by their works. The human perspective in photography in the broadest sense of the word is what attracts and captivates Professor Tsocho Boyadzhiev.

Rossen Kolarov

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Rossen Kolarov was born on 10. 06. 1959 in Sofia. Dr. Kolarov is a Professor of Maxillofacial Surgery. Presently he is the Executive Director of Executive Agency Medical Supervision. Dr Kolarov has dozens of publications in the Bulgarian and international press. He devoted long years to his work as the President of the Board of Directors of SOS Children’s Villages Bulgaria. Dr. Kolarov’s photographic experience spans more than 40 years. Since 1990, he has been a Fine Art Photography Artist. “Photography is faith. It is a confession of faith. It is impossible to take a photo without believing in it,” shares Professor Kolarov. He is the author of 20 solo exhibitions and has participated in over 80 national and international photography exhibitions. Dr. Kolarov is the winner of over 30 awards, including in Japan, the USA, Macedonia, Serbia and other countries. His photographs are in the possession of the Museum of Press Photography in Oslo and the Museum of Fine Arts “A. S. Pushkin” in Moscow. He has taught photography at the New Bulgarian University and at Sofia University. Dr Kolarov has repeatedly participated in juries of photography contests. He is among the founders and is member of the National Academy of Photography (Bulgaria) Yanka Kyurkchieva and is the winner of the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette. THE UNWANTED The exhibition takes us back 30 years to the time when it became clear that utopia gave birth to its dystopia. It begins in homes for children deprived of parental care and subsequently moves to Senior Care Facilities for adults who have not received filial love and support. In the visual work of Rosen Kolarov, there is no tension and striving for originality, no search for spectacular formal or substantive solutions which are often found in photojournalism. But the opposite is also absent – the disguise of unflattering details. The perspective is careful and premeditated. The bias towards the photo documentary is evident. The whole exhibition is distinguished by a precise balance between the documentary narrative, the humane point of the doctor, the careful and empathetic, supportive insight into the problem and the subdued but adequate construction of the form. As the author says, “An image is a subjective reflection of the world around us, refracted through the awareness, intellect, emotions, culture, upbringing and worldview of the photographer.”
AllNew Gallery

Zhivko Arabov

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Associate Professor Zhivko Arabov was born on October 18, 1946 in Dobrich. He discovered the magic of photography during his studies at the Higher Institute of Forestry. Soon he became one of the youngest members of the Bulgarian Photo Club. In 1974, he was awarded the title “Fine Art Photography Artist”. In the same year, he took over the leadership of the photo club at the National Student House. In 1985, he was declared Photographer of the Year in the “Bulgarian Photo” magazine contest. Zhivko Arabov is the winner of over 100 awards in national and international photo contests. His solo exhibitions have been shown in Sofia, Komi ASSR, Moscow, Stockholm, Skopje, Fotovakantsia, Sozopol and the Apollonia’89 Festival. His photos illustrate representative albums, such as those of the children’s “Banner of Peace” Assembly and the “Beautiful Bulgaria” project. After 1990, he became a lecturer of art photography at the NATFA, and later at the New Bulgarian University. In 2010, he received a plaque from the Yanka Kyurkchieva Academy of Photography for his contribution to the Bulgarian art of photography. This is the 102nd award in the 40-year career of the photographer Zhivko Arabov. CONTACTS As an artist, Zhivko Arabov is a proponent of the reportage method of photography. Sometimes he stages, adjusts things, yet drawing on reality, on his perception of people and their problems. Arabov is no stranger to experimental and avant-garde pursuits but for him they are sketches on the way to mastery. He has overpowered elementary objectivity and the simple recording of a situation. His works convey and evoke specific mood. The exhibition, donated to the Academy of Photography, consists of frames taken at the outset of Zhivko’s artistic career. These are portraits of famous people, colleagues, fellow students and random young people. The exhibition presents the creative pursuits of the young photographer Zhivko Arabov.

Nadezhda Chipeva

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Nadezhda Chipeva was born in 1957. She is a photojournalist and photo editor. She has gone through all stages of the photographic profession – photo lab, developing and copying color images (manually). She started her photojournalistic career at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) in 1987, followed by the “Sega” magazine, the “24 Chasa” newspaper, the “Dnevnik” newspaper and presently works for the “Capital” newspaper. She has had several solo exhibitions – the first in Blagoevgrad in 1986, two in Utrecht, the Netherlands in 2007 and Vienna, Austria, in 2009, an exhibition dedicated to the White Brotherhood and their celebration by the Seven Rila Lakes in 2012. The exhibition Counterpoints is part of the Month of Photography 2010 in Vienna and was subsequently displayed in Sofia, Plovdiv and Burgas. She also had a joint exhibition with the great Yordan Yordanov-Yuri in 1997. Nadezhda has participated in many national and international exhibitions. She is the winner of the Honorary ACADEMICA Statuette and numerous other awards – the 2003-2004 Union of Bulgarian Journalists award for photojournalism and twice the most prestigious journalistic award in Bulgaria “Chernorizets Hrabar”. Her photographs are on display at the Bradford Museum and are part of the Thomson Reuters private collection, made available for the teaching process of a number of universities. COUNTERPOINTS The exhibition consists of 24 reportage photographs and presents aspects of the internal political life in Bulgaria during the years of the first decade of the XXI century, little known to the general European public. It focuses both on emblematic of the period politicians and ordinary people and events. The images are a product of her work as a photojournalist for the Bulgarian weekly “Capital”. The photos are placed in the context of printed parts of newspaper pages with key phrases providing information about the time and place in which the image was captured. Over the years, Chipeva has become increasingly precise, more and more does she refract the world through her value system, expressing in her photography a far from being flattering assessment. If you see the shots of the people of the transition, of key figures, with the social problems and everything that our life represented then, you will understand that Nadezhda Chipeva observes it with great attention, with great anticipation, but by no means superficially.