site.btaClose to the Heart: Sculptural Portraits of Overlooked Bulgarian Intellectuals by Spartak Dermendjiev at Stubel Gallery

An exhibition featuring sculptures and drawings of Bulgarian intellectuals by Spartak Dermendjiev will be showcased at the Stubel Gallery, the organizers said here on Monday.

The exhibition, titled 'Close to the Heart", will be open to the public from November 18 to December 7, the organizers said.

"Undervalued, deliberately forgotten, intimidated, blackmailed, slandered, judged, robbed, forced into silence, repressed, killed... Perhaps that is why they are close to the heart," Dermendjiev said.

"The fact that these sculptural portraits of Georgi Markov, Rayko Aleksiev, Christo, Ivan Milev, and Georges Papazoff are the first of their kind in the rich tradition of Bulgarian portraiture and busts suggests that these individuals were not embraced by Bulgarian society and the system. They may still be somewhat unwelcome, despite the much-publicized democratic changes. Perhaps this is why they resonate so deeply," the artist added.

Spartak Dermendjiev was born in Sofia in 1954. He graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1982 with a degree in sculpture. His work spans figurative sculpture, portraiture, drawing, painting, and digital and virtual arts and installations.