‘Lotte Michailova is an impressively self-empowered and courageous individual. The very existence of these photographs is a rebellious act by a black sheep. She is, in both practical and biographical terms, a response to the question: What do you do with what has been done to you under circumstances beyond your control? She exemplifies responsibility and character—and reminds us that there are poets who write not with words. Her images are not an outcry, but a song against the death of light. There is no conformism, unhealthy ambition, or careerism in her.’
Stefan Ivanov
A few years ago, the FotoFabrika team dove into the archive of one of the most significant figures in Bulgarian photography—Lotte Michailova. Out of this came the exhibition Shy intimacy, which, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of her birth, is being hosted in the halls of Nenko Balkanski House Museum, a location of Art Gallery Kazanlak.
This exhibition is an attempt to approach one of the most luminous names in Bulgarian photography, Lotte Michailova, whose work continues to retain its originality, documentary precision and high professional value even today.
Her photographic eye views the world through a refined distance, coupled with a shy intimacy that conveys genuine curiosity and admiration for the subjects she frames.
Her work has the power to make “ordinary” things appear extraordinary. In her images, she demonstrates a feminine sensitivity toward human intervention in the natural world, tracing the imprints we leave behind. Each piece seems to hold a wise summary of a world beyond national boundaries—and therein lies its true strength, as emphasised by FotoFabrika director Emmy Barouh.
As Associate Professor Georgi Lozanov puts it: ‘Lotte Michailova does not narrate, nor does she explain—her photographs are emotionally invoked through a rich palette of feelings, but nostalgia seems to prevail—a longing for a “before” that only photography can now restore. She touches upon it through a pictorial style that carries the tradition of early 20th-century classics. Thus, in turn, she herself becomes part of the Bulgarian photographic canon.’
The exhibition draws upon Lotte Michailova’s personal archive, generously provided by her son, Mihail Atanasov. All works on display are produced as pigment prints on Paul Calle Fine Art paper.
Accompanied by a bilingual catalogue, the exhibition features over 90 photographs from her personal archive—created between the 1960s and 1980s—with 60 included in the exhibition. These works reflect her exceptional artistry, which remains relevant and resonant today.
Born on 27 November 1925 in Pernik to a German father and Bulgarian mother, Lotte spent her early childhood in Germany before completing high school in Bulgaria. She stayed and worked here, beginning her career as a photographer in the photo department of the Sofia Municipality. During that time, she trained in film and photographic techniques as well as scientific photography at the Bulgarian Cinematography State Corporation. She later worked as a photographer at Bulgarian Cinematography and the Boyana Film Studios, documenting the production of 20 feature films. Additionally, she served as a photographer and photo editor in the Fine Art Photography section of Interfoto at the Sofia Press Agency. Her photograph titled Nude caused a stir at the Second National Exhibition of Fine Art Photography in 1963—it was first rejected as immoral and decadent, sparking outrage, but ultimately admitted and awarded a gold medal. Her career earned her a total of 44 awards at national and international photo exhibitions. At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1964, she received the Grand Prize for Film Photography and the First Prize for Film Advertising Photography. In the late 1990s, she relocated to Germany, where she continued photographing actively until her passing in 2014.
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FotoFabrika (www.fotofabrika.org) is an annual photography festival organised by the FotoFabrika Foundation. Since its inception in 2013, the festival has celebrated exemplary works in both documentary and fine art photography.
This project received financial support from the Ministry of Culture, was included in the program of the 10th FotoFabrika Festival, and featured in the cultural events calendar of Sofia Municipality for 2023.
