NW 17:53:31 30-05-2019
DS1752NW.121
121 - CULTURE - RUGS - EXHIBITION
Exhibition in Veliko Tаrnovo
Traces 200 Years of
Bulgaria's Kilim-weaving Tradition
Sofia, May 30 (Zhechka Dimitrova of BTA) - An exhibition entitled, "Colours, Design, Ornaments: 200 Years Bulgarian Kilim Tradition" opens in Veliko Tаrnovo, North Central Bulgaria on June 14. Two aspects of the exhibition make it unique: its scale and its organizer.
The exhibition offers a rare opportunity, even for the Bulgarian audience, to be able to see together in one place kilims - or rugs and carpets, from the western and eastern parts of the country, including old and new specimens. This will enable the discerning visitor to spot the similarities and differences in terms of design, patterns, colour schemes, and their development in time, between two of the major weaving schools in Bulgaria - Chiprovtsi and Kotel.
About 80 kilims will be displayed in eight rooms of the Rafael Mihaylov Exhibition Halls. Each of the eight sections is dedicated to a separate theme: kilims from Kotel (1880-2000); Chiprovtsi kilims (1850-2000); four sections dealing with individual kilim models, namely the Bakamsky/Garibalda kilim through time (oldest Bulgarian kilims), and Karakachka (Black-eyed Bride), Tsveketa (Flowering Plants), Ptichi gnezdа (Birds Nest) through time. Another section shows Bulgarian kilims from other weaving regions, prayer rugs woven for or by the Turkish population in Bulgaria, while the last section displays a few foreign-made kilims (from Oltenia in Romania, from Albania, and from Karabakh).
The second thing that makes the exhibition so special is that it is organized by a Dutch man, Jaap Van Beelen, who in 2007 chose to settle in Bulgaria. All 80 kilims in the exhibition come from his private collection, which consists of more than 220 carpets.
Jaap Van Beelen first came to Bulgaria in 1967, en route while hitch-hiking to Istanbul. He liked the Bulgarian nature, people and - above all - the many still living traditions so much that he didn't reach Istanbul that time. After that first visit, he used to come to Bulgaria every year for holidays until 1984, and later again from 1993 until 2006, when he bought a property in the small mountain town of Kotel, in the Balkan Range, where he started a company for nature and cultural tourism in Bulgaria.
It was precisely in Kotel where Jaap started collecting rugs, after being exposed to the beauty and charm of the Bulgarian kilim-weaving art by a family of collectors from the United States.
Jaap began to source and buy kilims and soon the floors of his Kotel house were covered three layers deep in vintage and new masterpieces, the oldest one from about 1880. Although he regards himself as a beginner collector of Bulgarian kilims, Jaap's friends here convinced him that he should exhibit the carpets in public, which is happening this June.
In 2014 Jaap relocated again, this time to the old Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo, where he bought and renovated a house that is a monument of culture built in 1850. Jaap's Veliko Tаrnovo house is next to the home of Petko Rachov Slaveykov - a noted nineteenth-century Bulgarian poet, publicist, public figure and folklorist, whom Jaap considers his "old friend and teacher".
In the Netherlands, and especially since settling in Bulgaria, Jaap has been actively promoting Bulgarian folk singing and dancing. He himself can sing and dance to Bulgarian folk songs, with his favourite being the Ruchenitsa dance.
Although he has degrees in aviation electronics, maths and philosophy, Jaap likes to call himself a folklorist. In the past ten years he has organized more than 30 concerts of groups and performers from abroad who study and perform Bulgarian folklore.
Apparently, the Bulgarian kilim-weaving art has become another focal point of Jaap's exploration and enjoyment of Bulgaria's rich culture.
The exhibition will continue until July 10 and is curated by Dr. Anita Komitska, Director of the History Museum in Chiprovtsi.
Opening June 14, the event is organized with the support of the Municipality of Veliko Tаrnovo and is part of the city's Culture Calendar for 2019.
The trip to Veliko Tarnovo for Jaap's kilim exhibition can be nicely complemented with a visit to Kotel, 100 km further east, where one can attend the festival of ethnic crafts, colours and Kotel kilims, held between June 28, 29 and 30. ZH
/ДЛ/