The State Institute for Culture participates at the twelfth edition of the international francophone festival Soleil
On June 4, in the city of Sozopol, the photo exhibition "Bulgaria a Bird's-eye View" was officially opened as part of the rich program of the TWELFTH INTERNATIONAL FRANCOPHONE FESTIVAL "SOLEIL". The festival takes place from June 3 to June 6, 2023 and is under the patronage of Vice President Iliana Yotova as part of the program to mark 30 years of Bulgaria's membership in the International Organization of Francophonie this year.
Diplomats, representatives of the local government, artists, media, guests of the festival and the city attended the opening at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol. The host of the event – Alexandrina Isailova, director of the festival, noted the excellent partnership with the State Institute for Culture. Some of the successful joint projects so far are the presentation of the exhibition "Directions" in the "Mission" Gallery during the month of Francophonie this year, as well as in previous festival editions. Mrs. Isailova expressed her gratitude to the director of the State Institute for Culture- Mrs. Snezhana Yoveva. In turn, Mrs. Yoveva presented the concept of the photo exhibition arranged aesthetically in the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol among the valuable artifacts, told about its path in the programs of the Bulgarian diplomatic missions. Mrs. Yoveva talked as well about the author of the photographs – Alexander Ivanov, sharing about his professional dedication to capture unique shots from the air, traveling for hours on a hang glider to convey the beauty of Bulgaria to the large audience of the exhibition worldwide. She thanked the organizers of the festival for the partnership and expressed hope that "with such international projects, people get to know each other, become closer and empathetic, bridges are built, and new ideas are born that bring us closer together".
The exhibition "Bulgaria A Bird's - eye View" presents a selection of 25 large-format photographs by its author Alexander Ivanov, dedicated to the beauty of Bulgarian natural and historical landmarks. Alexander Ivanov's photos are an authentic photo journey through the picturesque and impressive aerial shots that the author captured with his lens, flying hundreds of kilometers with a motorized hang glider over different parts of Bulgaria. For 17 years and over 500 flying hours, he managed to capture the beauties of Bulgaria from the air - all possible colors of the four seasons, from the Black Sea, through the Rose Valley to Rila, Pirin, and the emblematic corners - Perperikon, Belogradchik rocks, Tsarevets, the ancient Thracian sanctuaries and many more. The photographer Alexander Ivanov has been awarded with dozens of prestigious awards, he is the winner of the honorary statuette of the Academy of Photography, and is the winner of two first prizes from different sections in the National Geographic Competition - Bulgaria. His photos have participated in more than 20 solo exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad, they have been presented in a number of European cities, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
The exhibition is a new project of the "traveling expositions" program of the State Institute for Cultural under the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is available to public until June 23 at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol.