Photographer Ani Petrova presented her exhibition “Art 36 Gallery and the Echo of Memory” at the Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art, part of the National Gallery. The exhibition, curated by Nadezhda Dzhakova, opened in the presence of colleagues, friends and members of the artistic community and will remain on view until April 19.
Ani Petrova is a photographer at the Bulgarian National Radio and a long-time photographer at the newspaper Novinar. She is also among the founders of the Association of Professional Photographers and has served several terms on its Board.
Her photographic work focuses on portraying artists, sculptors and cultural figures in their natural creative environments – studios, galleries and artistic spaces.
The exhibition features around 120 documentary photographs related to the activities of Art 36 Gallery, the first private gallery in Sofia after the political changes of 1989. The images capture artists, gallerists and visitors who have been part of the gallery’s vibrant cultural life.
The exhibition also includes five portraits of gallery founder Kamelia Chekarlieva-Mincheva created by artists Atanas Atanasov, Stanimir Zhelev, Donka Pavlova, Galab Galabov and Genko Genkov.
The idea for the exhibition emerged during the preparation of a book dedicated to the history of Art 36 Gallery, when curator Nadezhda Dzhakova proposed presenting the project as an exhibition.
Members of the Association of Professional Photographers who attended the opening included Evgeni Dimitrov, Liliya Yotova, Ivelina Berova and Stefan Markov.
The exhibition can be visited until April 19 at the Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art.
Photos: Lilia Yotova
