GraphiCart Gallery will open its doors on June 11, 2024, at 6 PM to present a unique solo exhibition by Tsvetan Kazandzhiev, showcasing the black matrices of his most notable graphic sheets, whose originals have earned prestigious international awards. This time, “The Path…” by Tsvetan Kazandzhiev will be not only in color but also in “black and white,” allowing the Bulgarian audience to see prints of his colorful originals, as well as other graphics and drawings, from June 11, 2024, until mid-July.
We are pleased to invite you to the vernissage on June 11, 2024, Tuesday, from 6 PM to 8 PM, at GraphiCart Gallery, 50 Zlatovrah St., Sofia.
Tsvetan Kazandzhiev is recognized as one of the most colorful Bulgarian graphic artists, inspiring many Bulgarian creators to dedicate themselves to classical graphic art and experiment with printing techniques. Acknowledged by the Japanese as one of the best graphic artists in the world, Tsvetan is a self-taught artist who knows his path lies in graphic art. “The Path…” will showcase the black matrices of the graphic sheets that have brought international recognition to both the artist and Bulgaria. Tsvetan Kazandzhiev has over 30 awards and nominations from competitions and forums worldwide, including the USA, Spain, Japan, Korea, France, Bulgaria, and others. This solo exhibition will once again present his story of “What it means to want to become a graphic artist?” – it’s not just a path; it’s a vocation, a life.
Tsvetan Kazandzhiev’s intrinsic knowledge has always been connected to art. After graduating from the now-defunct Institute for Teachers of Industrial Training and Drawing, he realized he wanted to be a graphic artist rather than a painter or sculptor. Few people, especially nowadays, know what they want to do with their lives. This clarity gives a person determination and focus, with no boundaries or obstacles. Thus, for Kazandzhiev, the lack of formal education became motivation to self-educate and spend every day in the library. He shares that for him, it was a matter of “life and death,” constantly practicing and experimenting. International recognition and exhibitions were not long in coming. Proof of his genius in graphic art is evidenced by the fact that he held five exhibitions in Japan, considered the mecca of graphic art, within two years.
Now, at GraphiCart, Tsvetan Kazandzhiev presents an exhibition once again titled “The Path…”. This is a favorite theme of his, and we have seen different parts of his path in various exhibitions. By intertwining the personal and creative journey with a clear vision of the ultimate goal, one creates a small universe. This universe allows us to understand the graphic artist and glimpse his genius. In these black prints of the graphic sheets, which have won numerous awards over the years, as well as in the graphics and colorful drawings that will also be part of “The Path…”, Tsvetan Kazandzhiev continues to blur the image to gather it in our consciousness. Viewers might see this “blurring” in most artists, but Kazandzhiev’s “blurring” makes us reflect on our understanding of the graphic artist’s creative path. It is said that everything is born out of chaos; perhaps this is also true here. An entirety gathered in black and white images, combining a sea of representations of the night, loneliness, and the free spirit…
The exhibition “The Path…” continues to reveal the world of Tsvetan Kazandzhiev in small parts, each time offering “crumbs” to entice us with the overall image while we await the next installment of the “graphic” path.
Will we understand the graphic artist and what keeps him awake at night, struggling with the press? A question that may remain unanswered, even in this exhibition.
Tsvetan Kazandzhiev was born on October 17, 1960, in Yambol. He has been a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists, Graphics Section, since 1989. To date, he has participated in about 300 international and Bulgarian exhibitions, including over 90 prestigious international graphic art forums and exhibitions. Some of these are:
1992: International Graphic Art Exhibition, Kanagawa, Japan
1998: Solo Exhibition, A.C.S Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
1999: Group Exhibition “Central European Initiative,” Prague, Czech Republic
1999: Group Exhibition, Commerce Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2001: Group Painting Exhibition “International Vision,” Washington, USA
2002: International Exhibition “Intergrafia” – World Award Winners Gallery, Katowice, Poland
2018: International Watercolor Exhibition, Fabriano, Italy
2018: Participation in International Exhibition, Mexico
2018: Participation in International Exhibition, Costa Rica
He has also held solo exhibitions in Schwetzingen (Germany), Nagoya, Niigata, Gifu, and Aida (Japan), and participated in group exhibitions in Turin (Italy), Villejuif (France), Vienna (Austria), Cuba, Estonia, India, Thailand, Spain, Macedonia, Serbia, among others.
Kazandzhiev has over 30 awards and nominations from competitions and forums worldwide, including:
1996: Medal at the International Triennial of Small Graphic Forms, Lodz, Poland
1996: Award at the International Graphic Art Competition, Cadaqués, Spain
2001: Young Artist Award, International Triennial of Graphics, Sofia, Bulgaria
2001: Award, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2002: Special Award, International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Seoul, Korea
2005: Second Prize, International Graphic Art Competition Maximo Ramos, Ferrol, Spain
2006: Graphic Art Award, Biennial of Small Forms, Pleven, and Graphic Art Award, National Biennial “Friends of the Sea,” Burgas
2019: Award at the National Graphic Art Exhibition “Georgi Gerasimov,” Pazardzhik, and others.
His works are in the collections of the National Gallery, Sofia; the Graphic Cabinet, Boris Georgiev City Art Gallery, Varna; Dalarnas Museum, Falun, Sweden; Art Museum, Lodz, Poland; Art Museum, Ferrol, Spain; Art Museum, Ourense, Spain, as well as many private collections in Bulgaria, Japan, Greece, the Netherlands, USA, Finland, France, Poland, and more. Tsvetan Kazandzhiev lives and works in Yambol.
Tsvetan Kazandzhiev lives and works in Yambol.