site.btaFotoFabrika Launches Initiative to Foster Skilled Community

FotoFabrika Festival Director Amy Baruch spoke to BTA on Friday and shared information about the festival and the aspirations of the team behind it. The team focus will be on facilitating interactions between globally renowned photographers and aspiring learners.

"In the traditional format of photography exhibitions, particularly when featuring a foreign artist, there is no direct contact between the audience and the artist," Baruch said. "Art exhibitions now enhance visitor engagement by integrating workshops with the featured artist. These sessions attract professionals and photography enthusiasts, fostering collaboration. Participants continue to share skills after the artist departs, enriching the artistic community. This approach sustains interest and cultivates a network of informed ambassadors, creating an educational hub in the arts sector."

She explained that a creative workshop led by Spanish photographer Alberto Garcia-Alix took place in Sofia a few days prior. Garcia-Alix presented his photos and explained his techniques to 13 Bulgarian photographers. Practical exercises included portraiture and double exposure methods. The workshop featured improvisations involving all participants, which were particularly engaging.

Garcia-Alix demonstrated to an audience how simple poses can create compelling portraits and emphasized that every detail of the human body can represent the individual.

Alberto Garcia-Alix engaged with participants at the FotoFabrika festival, addressing inquiries about his work. Baruch highlighted his eagerness to share expertise, enriching the learning experience and fostering a collaborative atmosphere.

Cristina de Middel, a Spanish photographer, also had a creative workshop with a dozen Bulgarian photographers earlier this year. Baruch mentioned the great rapport between Cristina de Middel and the FotoFabrika team, emphasized the importance of face-to-face meetings in a world of increased social isolation, and noted that social media exchanges lack genuine emotion.

FotoFabrika will exhibit works by young Ukrainian artists from MYPH, themed "The visual history of the city of Mykolaiv", at the Garrison Firing Range in Sofia, opening on Ukraine's national holiday, August 24, Baruch shared.