SPIRITUAL SOFIA
On the 3rd of April this year we celebrate 140 years from the proclaiming of Sofia for the capital of Bulgaria. The capital carries the name of the late antique cathedral of the city “Saint Sofia,” called also “The Saint Wisdom of God.” From the 21st of March to the 17th of April, 2019, Art Gallery Serdica will present the photographic exhibition “Spiritual Sofia” by Desislava Kulelieva. Different churches, temples, and monasteries in Sofia are represented in the exhibition.
Our gallery is found int h e oldest part of Sofia’s center – Zhenksi Pazar Market. This part of the city is also considered to be the zone of tolerance towards the different religions, famous also as the Quadrilateral of the Religious Tolerance – where the places for worship of each of these religions are situated meters from each other.
Desislava Kulelieva has managed to capture exactly this religious variegation. Through the prism of her camera lens, through panoramic and close shots, the energy which every spiriual place brings to her. She shows this in her works, printed on canvas, by photographing the specifics of the entire architectural plan of the spiritual object. She works in a moving way with the different details of architecture and with the symbols of spirituality.
Desislava Kulelieva was born in Sofia. From a very early age she shows interest in photography. In 1989 she graduates a high-school of graphic arts and photography “Julius Fucik” – with the specialty “Photography.” From 1993 up to now she is a photo-reporter in the newspaper “24 hours.” She has got many exhibitions and awards. The audience recognizes her with her artistic participation in the photo exhibitions “The Details of Sofia – part I, II, III and IV
presented in different open spaces like the City Garden, in front of the National Theater, The Garden Crystal, the park in front of the Nationa Palace of Culture, and the Museum of History of Sofia. Direction Architecture and Urban Planning publishes a photo album – a catalogue “Sofia in Details” with creative photographies and texts. During the last few years she has won an annual award for newsreel photography from the newspaper “24 Hours.” This is just a part of her creative events and the awards she owns.