Globalization, identity, intercultural dialogue and tolerance, the beauty of nature, human faces and emotions – these are the topics of the 25 photographs taken by Bulgarians all around the globe, which comprise the touring exhibition "Directions" of the Bulgarian State Cultural Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The opening of the show is today, January 29, at Bulgaria Art Gallery in Rome. 

The photography exhibition is visiting Rome at the invitation of the State Cultural Institute (SCI) and the Bulgarian Embassy in Italy. The Bulgaria Art Gallery is located in the tourist centre of Rome. It was officially opened on May 26, 2021.

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The 25 photographs were selected with a competition held jointly by the State Cultural Institute and the PhotoFactory Foundation in mid-2020 to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the SCI. There were no age restrictions or professional experience requirements for the authors. The jury selected 14 authors and awarded three of the photographs, reminds us the director of SCI Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova.

“The first-place winner was Minko Mihailov and his "Walk at Sunset" shot from 2019", says Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova. 

"At school in Mali" by Tanya Angelova earned the second-place award. The third-place winner was Georgi Mitev and his "Starry night over Passo Giau", taken in 2019.

The photographs in the exhibition are miscellaneous. They carry the emotions of each artist as he/she discovers the world in a new way. "We believe that such an exhibition provides a good opportunity for the viewers to re-live the emotions of the authors," Ms Yoveva-Dimitrova says.

The exhibition was shown for the first time in September 2020 in Crystal Garden in Sofia, she reminded Radio Bulgaria. “Directions” then visited Toronto, Johannesburg, and in 2021 was part of the accompanying program on the occasion of Diplomacy Day - July 19. It will be the second time

The 25 photographs are in Italy for the second time. Last year, "Directions" was shown to the diplomatic corps and the public in Milan on the occasion of November 1^st - the Day of the National Revival Enlighteners. "We are glad that this project has its audience and we believe that it will grow over time," saysthe director of SCI.

"I, personally, was very moved by two photographs by Zlatko Latev: one of the St. St. Peter and Paul Church, and another one is an amazing portrait entitled "Mother of the Rhodopes" of an elderly Bulgarian woman with a hatchet in her hand with a snow-covered Rhodopes landscape on the background.

"Carolina, Colombia" is the title of another beautiful portrait by Violeta Apostolova (2014). Elena Savova's photograph "Directions" was taken in Israel and is a modern look at the road to the Holy Sepulchre.

In Milan we had focused on images of the prettiest parts of Italy, such as the photo by Nikolai Alexiev which represents Lake Braies - the pearl of the Dolomites.

"We took the same approach now in Rome. This time a special emphasis is given to a photograph by Lilyana Karadzhova (2018). It is an intriguing photo entitled "The Hidden Columns of Rome”, and we hope that the guests of the exhibition will be able to locate the whereabouts of these hidden columns in the Eternal City," says Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova.

The exhibition "Directions" will remain in Bulgaria Art Gallery in Rome until February 27, 2022. Its next destination will probably be Geneva, and in the first months of spring the exhibition "Directions“ will be shown in the only museum of photography in Bulgaria, which is located in the town of Kazanlak.

English version: Elizabeth Radkova