Renowned artist Svetlin Rusev will mount some of his works in the deserted halls of the unfinished wing of the Kystendil gallery Vladimir Dimitrov Maistora. The unconventional show seeks to urge institutions to complete, after a delay of 30 years, the new wing of the gallery whose patron is one of the greatest Bulgarian artists of all time, Vladimir Dimitrov Maistora. The municipal authority can hardly handle the project on its own, given that the exhibition area that has to be finished is close to 3 000 sq. m and about EUR 2.5 million will be needed for it. "This is a cry from the abyss of our illusions; the silence of the end – from the icy peak of our contempt and pride. Avoid condemnation, because this is us – You, Me and Indifference”. This is what artist Svetlin Rusev has written on the invitations for the exhibition. The opening is planned for 16 June and attendance is expected from Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov, famous Bulgarian artists and opinion leaders committed to saving the new wing of the Kyustendil gallery. World-acclaimed violinist Prof. Mincho Minchev will perform at the event.
From 12 to 25 June Vuzrajdane Gallery based in Plovdiv presents an exhibition with drawings of Prof. Nikolay Maistorov. The exhibition also features his new album and verse volume in one, The Cold Sweat of Rain. The volume includes his poetry with illustrations. The artist known with a series of illustrations to the one hundred love sonnets of Pablo Neruda provides evidence that a single line is enough to create a poetic drawing. Airy and subtle, sensual and passionate, mysterious and secretive, gentle and affectionate, the poet’s imagination roams the sheet of paper and creates a temple of love. At the point where the poetic word ends, the drawing starts. Nikolay Maistorov was born in 1943 in Sofia. In 1969 he graduated in painting from the National Academy of Art in Sofia. In 1995 an article about him was included in the 34-volume MacMillan Encyclopaedia of Art. He is professor at New Bulgarian University. Maistorov has mounted more than 30 exhibitions in this country and 12 abroad.
On 13 June the book Portraits of a Vanishing Sofia was presented in Sofia. It is the work of eight Bulgarian authors. They have created eleven biographic portraits of Sofia houses built prior to 1944. The texts include the stories of owners and neighbors, archival facts as well the authors’ own experience. This makes the book a unique promenade in streets dotted with intriguing stories.
On 7 June the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Sofia hosted the opening of an exhibition of world famous Hungarian photographer André Kertész. It displays photographs that he took in Hungary, France and USA. The works have been provided by the Museum of Photography in the town of Kecskemét. The event was held as part of the third edition of the Month of Photography in Bulgaria, from 31 May to 30 June. André Kertész was born in Budapest in 1894. In 1925 he moved to Paris and emerged as a professional photographer. He was in love with taking pictures in the streets of the great city and soon developed his own style dominated by subtle intimacy. In the meantime he also created photo portraits of artists such as Marc Chagall and of members of the Dada Movement. From 1933 to 1936 Kertész released three books with his photographs. He emigrated to USA in 1936 with his wife. The artist found a new home in New York and his work at that time included taking pictures of architecture and interiors for various magazines. In 1964 André Kertész mounted a one-artist exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art that was a huge success. He captured the atmosphere and sentiments of that time and in the late 1960s and early 1970s emerged as a deeply respected figure by photographers. André Kertész has been recognized as one of the founders of photo reporting.
Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova
English version: Daniela Konstantinova
