"More than a photograph. History of Bulgarian Photography in the 20th Century" –
a retrospective exhibition at the Sofia City Art Gallery
(two perspectives)
Yosif Astrukov
In December 2025, the Sofia City Art Gallery opened its latest photography exhibition. The exhibition has the ambitious task of presenting emblematic photographs from the entire history of Bulgarian photography. The stated period is from 1900 to 2000, but the selection also includes photographs from the 19th century, some of which were created outside the borders of modern Bulgaria. Visitors are completely immersed in the archival photographs in the first hall of the gallery, taking them back to bygone eras. From original copies taken from archives and private collections to enlarged contemporary digital prints, we see Renaissance houses and revolutionaries, emblematic events and personalities, politicians, the everyday life and ordinary life of the people at that time, buildings and squares that no longer exist, all preserved by the work of the first Bulgarian photographers. The curatorial team, represented by Adelina Fileva, Reneta Georgieva, Ivo Hadjimishev, Katerina Gadzheva, and Georgi Lozanov, has divided this enormous volume—over 300 photographs by 100 authors in three periods.
The scale of the project and the careful arrangement are impressive. Many of the photographs have been reproduced frequently, some becoming part of various propaganda campaigns in our recent past. The information accompanying them provides a comprehensive picture of the era, insofar as it has been preserved, of course. Some photos cannot be dated with accuracy or lack details about their creation. In many places, the media and processes are noted—photography is inextricably linked to the technology of its time, which also creates the final image.
The original copies have been collected and presented with the assistance of the State Agency "Archives," the National Library "St. St. Cyril and Methodius," the National Library "Ivan Vazov," the Photography Academy "Yanka Kyurkchieva," the Regional History Museum – Plovdiv, the Iskra History Museum – Kazanlak, the History Museum in Asenovgrad, the History Museum in Razlog, the Artin Azinyan Foundation, Neli and Robert Gipsons – Gipsons Archive, Martin Kalchev, Viktor Gerasimov, the Balkanski, Georg Volz, Lingorov–Nedkov, Kemilev, Petra Atanasova, Georgi Papakochev, Boyan Popov, Stanislav Boyadzhiev, Violeta Kyurdian, and Rositsa Stoycheva families. Yavor Popov and Tihomir Stoyanov were also brought in as external consultants and collaborators. Part of the mission of the SGAG is to preserve and support the history of photography and photography as an art form, with the Contemporary Art and Photography Fund established in 2004.
Zafer Galibov
This exhibition has been talked about for more than half a year. It opened with record attendance at the Sofia City Art Gallery. What's more, all three large spaces of the gallery were filled with photographic works from the last century. The exhibition is structured in three parts. The first part covers the period from the beginning of the 20th century to September 9, 1944, curated by Ivo Hadjimishev. The second section examines the period after that date until 1970. Its curator, Katerina Gadzheva, stated: "The works presented are those that have aesthetic value despite and beyond ideology." The third period covers the last three decades of the 20th century and is curated by Georgi Lozanov, who said: "The 1970s were a time of stagnation. The 1980s were the period of so-called perestroika, when hope emerged that communism was coming to an end. At that time, photographers were not simply producers of images, but could communicate their views of the world through their works. It cannot yet be said that there is freedom, but resistance to the lack of freedom is also a kind of freedom. During this period, the most valuable thing in photography is precisely this aesthetic and social resistance that the images convey. The 1990s were a period of rallies and great excitement when communism fell."
More than three hundred photographs by over a hundred Bulgarian authors are presented in "More than a Photo. History of Bulgarian Photography in the 20th Century." No such exhibition has been held in the last fifty years. The long hiatus raises many new questions related to the copyrights of photographers, which are practically impossible to answer. The lack of a law on photography remains an open wound. Such a law should protect the timeless nature of Renaissance photographs, their spiritualization, and their legitimization in public places. The exhibition provides sufficient material for reflection in this direction. And regardless of the unanswered questions, it corresponds to the taste of the audience, who can recall names and images they have been familiar with since the time of the changes. It is particularly interesting for young audiences, for whom such an exhibition is a real event. Photography, now a widely accessible pursuit, always tempts the uninitiated into comparisons and provocations with their own understanding and creativity.
