Flight

To The Artworks

On November 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at Largo Art Gallery in Varna, the representative group exhibition of graphics “Flight” will open, featuring 13 contemporary Bulgarian and Italian artists.
The project is organized by Largo Art Gallery in partnership with the Italian ExLibris Association and will be presented as part of the 6th International ExLibris Competition Varna and the 13th International ExLibris Competition Biblioteca Bodio Lomnago- Italy, with the financial support of the European Union – NextGenerationEU, Component “Social Inclusion”, Investment 6 “Development of Cultural and Creative Sectors.”

The exhibition will present to an international audience in both Bulgaria and Italy the works of leading contemporary Bulgarian and Italian artists working in the fields of printmaking and exlibris art.
Participants include the Bulgarian artists Petar Lazarov, Julian Jordanov, Anna Tikhonova-Yordanova, Dimo Kolibarov, Vasil Kolev-Vassillo, Hristo Naydenov, Hristo Kerin, Rumen Nechev, Svetoslav Kosev, Dimo Milanov, and the Italian artists Maria Maddalena Tuccelli, Silvana Martignoni, and Ivo Mosele.

The exhibition is presented within the framework of two prestigious exlibris competitions whose latest editions took place in 2025 – the International ExLibris Competition Varna and the International ExLibris Competition Biblioteca Bodio Lomnago. Largo Art Gallery and the Italian ExLibris Association are long-term partners and have already realized several joint projects.

It is with great pleasure that we will present to the cultural communities and audiences of both countries a unique exhibition showcasing large-format prints within the context of two cultural festivals traditionally dedicated to small and miniature graphics.

The exhibition “Flight”, on view at Largo Art Gallery from November 27 to December 15, brings together artists equally accomplished in both large-format and miniature printmaking – the latter being the typical scale of the exlibris. To create a meaningful connection and parallel between large and small formats, the International ExLibris Competition Varna will be exhibited at the State Archives – Varna from November 26 to December 5, 2025. Thus, residents and visitors of Varna will be able to enjoy both exhibitions simultaneously and experience the full diversity of the graphic arts – from bookplates measuring 5 x 7 cm to large prints reaching 100 x 70 cm.

The experience will be particularly exciting and unique, as part of the presentation of the Varna competition at the State Archives – Varna will include a series of reproductions of exlibris works by Bulgarian artists from the past century. The team of the Varna Department of the State Agency “Archives”, with the support of colleagues from archives across the country, has prepared a special selection of works that will be brought together and presented to the public for the first time. Visitors will have the opportunity to see reproductions of bookplates by Preslav Karshovski, Mihail Toshkov, Pencho Kulekov, Dimitar Bakalov, and others, and to discover the enchanting world of exlibris dedicated to prominent Bulgarian intellectuals such as Prof. Atanas Bozhkov, Ivan Sestrimski, Ivan Troyanski, and more.

The opening of the International ExLibris Competition Varna exhibition and the special selection from the State Agency “Archives” will take place on November 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the exhibition hall of the State Archives – Varna.
The opening of the “Flight” graphic exhibition will be held on November 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Largo Art Gallery. Many of the Bulgarian and Italian artists participating in “Flight” will attend both openings.
We look forward to welcoming you!

Curator: Nelly Valcheva

This publication was created with the financial support of the European Union – NextGenerationEU, Component “Social Inclusion”, Investment 6 “Development of Cultural and Creative Sectors.” The entire responsibility for its content lies with Largo Art Ltd., and under no circumstances may it be considered to reflect the official position of the European Union or the National Culture Fund.