Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Works of world-famous photographers can be seen in Sofia's Synthesis Gallery

"Mirrors and windows" - the world through the prism of photography

7
Ralph Gibson (b. 1939, USA) The Enchanted Hand, 1968
Photo: Provided by Synthesis Gallery

The Sofia-based Synthesis will unveil the exhibition "Mirrors and windows: selected photographs from the collection of Rafaelo Kazakov", as the official opening will be on March 22. The beginning of the collection to be put on display was set more than thirty years ago, but this is the first time it will be shown to the public.

The exhibition features photographs of world-famous authors such as Edward Weston, Robert Frank, Elliot Erwitt, Ralph Gibson, Antanas Sutkus, as well as important Bulgarian photographers, including Garo Keshishian, Yordan Yordanov-Yuri and Stanka Tsonkova-Usha.‎

Garo Keshishian (b. 1947, Bulgaria), from the series
Collecting is a natural continuation of Rafaelo Kazakov's work as a photographer and of his life between Sofia and New York. It is not by chance that the collection combines popular shots from the history of photography with unknown images yet close to the composer's heart, works of his friends and photographs related to his family.

Nikolay Vassilev (b. 1945, Bulgaria), September 9, Sofia, 1989
In the accompanying program to the exhibition, three documentaries will be shown, dedicated to three photographers included in the collection - Robert Frank, Antanas Sutkus and Joel-Peter Witkin.‎

Robert Frank (1924-2019, Switzerland), Andrea, Southampton, 1955
Rafaelo Kazakov was born in 1963 in Sofia. In 1988, he graduated in English philology at Kliment Ohridski University, and in 1994 he graduated with a master's degree in photography and visual art at the School of Visual Art in New York. 

Kazakov is the author of numerous solo exhibitions around the world, as his works are in the permanent collections of the National Art Gallery in Sofia and the Preus Museum in Horten, Norway,  the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, USA, and Musee de la Photographie in Charleroi, Belgium.‎


You can see more photographs from the exhibition in the gallery below.


Compiled by Veneta Nikolova

The photos are courtesy of the exhibition organizers.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Vivia Niki and her latest unique art project

Bulgarian artist and architect Vivia Niki presented her new land art creation—a giant three-dimensional candle painted on a meadow in the forests of the Plana Mountain, which seems to flicker like a living flame only when viewed from the air at a..

published on 11/16/25 8:00 AM

Theaters Night takes place in 11 cities across Bulgaria

Theater enthusiasts in Bulgaria are already counting the hours until start of the 13th edition of Theaters Night. This exciting evening will turn the stages in 11 Bulgarian cities into a true celebration of the arts. The event’s ambassadors are..

published on 11/15/25 7:45 AM
Blagomira Lipari

Violinist Blagomira Lipari: Bulgaria is sincerity and warmth!

On November 6 in Los Angeles, the new foundation Bulgarian Classical Concerts - Los Angeles officially began its activities with a chamber concert, which featured works by Bulgarian classical and contemporary composers - Pancho..

published on 11/13/25 6:45 PM