With this exhibition, we attempt to trace the threads of a rich life and creative biography. Line by line, through the donated archival documents and works, we unravel the intriguing history not only of one person, but of many human destinies whose paths intertwined. We hope that this exhibition will be only the beginning of the rediscovery of Dimitar Velev; creator, researcher and guardian of Bulgarian tradition.
The powerful large-format painting of Petar Pironkov stems from the self-development of the monumentalising and expressive visual poetics of the generation characteristic of the period from the late 1950s to the early 1960s of the twentieth century. He not only inherits the visual language of the renowned “Plovdiv group,” but also actively engages in preserving and promoting their cultural legacy in art. Thematically, his works are closely connected with the question of “the spiritual,” and the iconography is not by chance reminiscent of the generation of the 1960s. This, of course, is one aspect of the matter. Because one must not forget that Pironkov studied painting in Rome, that he is connected with the entire history of twentieth-century Italian painting – not to mention the enormous influence of 1980s Neo-Expressionism upon his visual manner. This represents a form of classical, sensual, impasto Neo-Expressionism, yet with clearly visible roots in Bulgarian art.
In Svilen Stefanov, the creative approach appears more expressionistic in character. He constructs his compositions far more rationally, most often developed in horizontal “cinematic” formats. His painting is the result of serious experimentation in the field of the materiality of this art, characterised by the use of multilayered glazes. But it also stems from his engagement with criticism, as well as his practice as an artist in the 1990s with the group XXL, when he preferred the expressive means of photography, text and performance. Thus Svilen Stefanov creates his own painterly form as a more conceptual statement. He incorporates text within the image – text that is not literary-narrative in nature, but rather aims at semantic disruption. The inscriptions are directly or obliquely connected to cinema, art history, music, literature and even politics, creating a synthesis between word and image with alternating dominance. In this ironic setup, it is difficult to discern a straightforward path toward a singular interpretation.
This brings us to the central question posed by the exhibition: Is it possible for such divergent views on painting to coexist within one cultural field, in one exhibition space? The answer may well prove surprising. The two artists clearly have no intention of opposing their views. On the contrary, their behavior as artists and as individuals seems to suggest that the oppositions between different tendencies of the 1990s have apparently lost all significance.
Petar Pironkov (b. 1977, Sofia) graduated from the Iliya Petrov National Art Gymnasium, Sofia, specialising in Painting. In 2003, he completed his studies at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, specialising in Painting in the class of Prof. Sandro Trotti. He works in the field of chamber and monumental figurative painting. From 1996 to 2025, he presented over 60 solo exhibitions and participated in international art forums and painting plein-airs in Bulgaria and abroad. He is the recipient of the first prize for painting “Pericles Fazzini” (1999) and “Golden Feather” (2011). His works are held in galleries and private collections throughout Bulgaria, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Russia, China, the United States, Venezuela, Mexico, Switzerland and elsewhere.
Svilen Stefanov (b. 1966, Sofia) s an artist, art historian, critic and curator. He lives and works in Sofia. He graduated from the National Art Academy in Sofia, where he is now Professor of Twentieth-Century Art History, and holds a doctorate in Art History. His history as an artist, curator and critic is connected with the group XXL, founded in Sofia in 1994.
Selected solo exhibitions: 2023 – One Gallery, Sofia; 2021 – City Art Gallery, Varna; One Gallery, Sofia; 2020 – SSGAG, Sofia; 2019, 2018 – One Gallery, Sofia; 2017 – Art 4. Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia; Prozor Gallery, Belgrade, Serbia; One Gallery, Sofia; 2015 – One Gallery, Sofia; 2014 – One Gallery, Sofia; 2013 – Yuzina Gallery, Sofia; 2009 – Arosita Gallery, Sofia; 2005 – National Gallery, Sofia; 1997 – Gallery XXL, Sofia; 1995 – Gallery Studio Spectrum, Sofia; 1994 – Gallery Art 36, Sofia.
This event is part of the gallery’s cultural calendar marking the 125th anniversary of the founding of the art collection of Art Gallery – Kazanlak. General media partner: Bulgarian National Radio.
General media partner: Bulgarian National Radio.
