"Sofia's Faces by Night" - a concert photography exhibition revealing another side of the Bulgarian capital

published on 1/14/25 2:10 PM

Photo: Facebook / licata.bg

When was the last time you went to a live music venue? Did you notice the faces of the people there? They were different, weren't they? - This is what the exhibition "Sofia's Faces by Night" will try to show us when it opens on January 16 in the heart of the city - in the new space of the Central Sofia Market Hall (Halite). The exhibition is produced by the "Faces.bg" platform and includes 20+ (in the words of the organisers) large format photographs by seven artists.

"We present concert photos. All from the stage, no backstage, no portraits" - Ivanichka Kyuchukova, music journalist, photographer and author of the idea for the exhibition told BNR-Radio Sofia. All the footage is from 2024, shot exclusively in Sofia. The exhibition aims to showcase the city at night through the perspective of live music shows, changing each night with the electrifying pulse of the artists and their audiences.

"The faces of Sofia and the music at night are important to me, but they are also important to the city itself," says Ivanichka.

"Half of my life is literally in this part of the day when I see the different faces of Sofia - the faces of the audience and the artists. I see people rushing after sunset, not to go home, but to the place where they can feed their souls. The feeling is very different," says Ivanichka Kyuchukova in an interview with Radio Sofia's Lili Goleminova. "At night, Sofia begins to sound different, to dance, to move differently.

People who can afford this "food" and are looking for it, who go out more often at night, know how different the feeling is on the streets. It's very interesting to collect these "frozen" moments - photographs of this other, more hidden emotion of the city, when people's expressions change from the morning commute to work on public transport. The performers, many of whom also have day jobs, transform in the evening - they put on their stage clothes, take their talent out of their skin and blend into something else."

And so the city's soundtrack is born - music from the various small and large clubs that dot its streets, from parks and gardens, even from the most unconventional concert venues. And suddenly Sofia is transformed into an enchanting European city, a vibrant cosmopolitan centre where everyone can find something to enjoy.

"And this is mainly due to the increasingly inventive artists and concert organizers, as well as the growing influence of outside know-how. Concerts are starting to take place in incredibly unconventional locations, and new venues with stages for live music are appearing. Big artists are seeking out small venues for their concerts in order to be in close contact with their audience, precisely in these intimate spaces," adds Ivanichka Kyuchukova.

The exhibition, which runs until 30 January, features images of world stars who have performed on Sofia's stages over the past year, such as Thom York, Judas Priest, Editors, Kovacs, but the focus is still on Bulgarian artists. "Many of the photos were taken in small clubs, in cramped spaces, without lighting, in real conditions where people and artists have fun and become one," admits Kyuchukova.

"The focus of this selection of photos is actually the emotion - it's the main character, what both parties can get when they come together in one place," says the Bulgarian, admitting that the biggest goal of the Faces.bg team is just one:

"To bring people back to enjoying the things in life that are outside of our everyday routine, at a slightly slower pace. To music - to give ourselves a little more time to listen to music, to read about music, to go to concerts. To give ourselves time to indulge in the pleasures of life - something that is difficult for all of us, including our team, in the hectic pace of everyday life.

And again, we are convinced that it is our duty to take this time, any time, even at night, even if it means depriving ourselves of half an hour's sleep to read something that artists have to say, because artists are people of extraordinary sensitivity. They can open up a world that is different from ours, and they can lead us into it, and we can take from them that sensitivity that we are so lacking these days. And that's very precious to me.

The interview with Ivanichka Kyuchukova was conducted by Lili Goleminova for the Radio Sofia programme of Bulgarian National Radio.

Text by Vessela Krusteva

Photos: Facebook / Ivanicka Kyuchukova, licata.bg, Rumyana Georgieva

Translated and posted in English by E. Radkova

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