 Composition with blackberries on black background, 2025 (After Yasuzō Nojima) I have a deep appreciation for still life as a genre, although I find it to be one of the most kitschy expressions in both photography and painting. My journey with this genre began when I discovered the beauty of the art created by the Flemish masters, who skillfully integrated still lifes into the domestic and religious scenes of their renowned works from the Northern Renaissance. However, I was truly captivated by the realistic still lifes of Chardin (1699-1779). The first reproductions I encountered were in a pocket-sized book published by “Bulgarian Artist” in 1979, which I discovered around 2007. Inspired, I rushed to arrange a few jars of pickles on a chair in the yard of our village home. It was an amateur attempt, filled with the sweet excitement of diving into a new project without self-doubt. Unfortunately, the results were a complete disaster - three jars of fermented pickles, poor lighting, and careless development of the negatives.
Over time, I developed a fondness for the refuge that still life offered me, where I could arrange vegetables, flowers, and everyday objects, allowing time to slip away. It became a paradise for the introvert inside me. The thrill I initially felt from Chardin's kitsch and theatricality in still life returned when I first encountered the stunning reproductions of Yasuzo Nojima’s photographs. His work embodies Eastern perfection, balancing the real with the poetic. It is endlessly inspiring - modern, subtle, and impeccably flawless. These blackberries are dedicated to his memory. August 2025, Sofia
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 Monanieba, 2010 (After the movie Repentance, 1987 by Tengiz Abuladze) Objectivity has never been my primary concern in photography; that focus is typically reserved for photojournalism and documentary photography. While photographing a specific person, complete with all the realistic documentation it entails, is engaging and entertaining, it has never been essential to me. Not that I don’t take such portraits; they are meaningful to the individuals I photograph and their families, reflecting their personal histories. However, the portraits that truly resonate with me extend beyond that.
What excites me most is the tremor of spontaneity that can emerge, even when everything seems staged. It's that moment when you catch a glimpse of another world hidden behind the facade of a face. Even more crucial is the process that follows: the experimentation. It is precisely in this phase that I uncover the path to the invisible - the image that reveals itself only during the act of creation. My affection for the portrait genre also stems from its potential to tap into the collective unconscious. It allows me to leave my mark among the endless collection of symbols, faces, and timeless images. I have never been truly interested in the “here” and “now.” Any trace of them distracts me, which is why I strive to avoid them as much as possible. This task is no easy feat; stripping an image of the stamps of the present and the traces of time feels like a game of cat and mouse. August 2025, Sofia |
Thank you for being here! In this space, I look forward to sharing thoughts and news on my passion for photography. 
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