Largo Gallery's eight-month project "FLIGHT" successfully concludes

On March 31, 2026, the exhibition “Flight,” organized by Gallery Largo as part of the project “Representative collective exhibition of graphic art by Bulgarian and Italian artists, within the framework of the 6th International ExLibris Competition Varna and the 13th International ExLibris Competition Biblioteca Bodio Lomnago– Italy,” comes to an end. The project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and was implemented by the Varna gallery in close cooperation with the Italian Ex Libris Association and the Municipality of Bodio Lomnago.

The exhibition presented to an international audience in Bulgaria and Italy works by prominent contemporary Bulgarian and Italian artists working in the fields of graphic art and ex libris. Among the Bulgarian participants are Petar Lazarov, Julian Jordanov, Anna Tikhonova-Jordanova, Dimo Kolibarov, Vasil Kolev-Vassillo, Hristo Naidenov, Hristo Kerin, Rumen Nechev, Svetoslav Kosev, and Dimo Milanov, and from the Italian side – Maria Maddalena Tuccelli, Silvana Martignoni, and Ivo Mosele.

The exhibition was presented within the framework of two prestigious international exlibris competitions, whose latest editions took place in 2025. It featured authors working equally well in both large-format graphics and miniature graphics – a format characteristic of exlibris.

From November 27, 2025, the exhibition “Flight” was displayed at Gallery Largo within the framework of the International ExLibris Competition Varna, presented in parallel at the exhibition hall of State Archives – Varna. Residents and guests of the city had the opportunity to view both exhibitions at the same time and to enjoy the unique experience of seeing the world of graphic art in all its diversity – from exlibris works measuring 5 by 7 centimeters to large graphics measuring 100 by 70 centimeters.

In February 2026, the project was presented in the exhibition hall of the Chamber of Commerce in Varese, within the winter edition of the International ExLibris Competition Biblioteca Bodio Lomnago. The theme of the Italian competition was “The Ancient Olympics,” and the two exhibitions were shown in Varese on the eve of the opening of the XXV Winter Olympic Games Milan–Cortina.

The opening in Varese was attended by a number of official guests, including Eleonora Paolelli – Mayor of Bodio Lomnago, Mauro Vitiello – President of the Chamber of Commerce in Varese, Andrea Civati – Municipal Councillor in Varese, Tino Pane – member of the Board of the Italian ExLibris Association, as well as representatives of local and regional authorities.

As a result of the project’s implementation, a series of presentations of a high-value graphic exhibition were carried out, Gallery Largo’s international partnerships were expanded, and the visibility of Bulgarian artists abroad was increased. A film about the exhibition was produced and a luxurious bilingual catalogue was printed, both of which constitute a valuable documentary archive of the event, accessible in the future. You can see the film about the exhibition on the Largo Gallery YouTube channel.

A special highlight of the project were the works created using augmented reality technologies – the lithographs from the series “Divine Comedy” by Svetoslav Kosev. They generated significant interest both in Bulgaria and Italy, demonstrating the successful combination of classical graphic techniques with contemporary technologies. As a result, Gallery Largo received an invitation from Giuseppe Cavalli, director of the Museum of Printing in Soncino, to present the augmented reality graphic exhibition “Divine Comedy” in 2027 in Italy. The exhibition, curated by Nelly Valcheva, was first presented in December 2021 at Gallery Largo on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death. For its upcoming presentation in Italy, Prof. Svetoslav Kosev will create new lithographs with augmented reality that will enrich the collection and the audience experience.

One of the main goals of the project was to expand access to culture through initiatives held outside the gallery space. In this direction, the exhibition “Flight” will continue its development over the next three years through visits to schools and universities of the arts in the country.

Nelly Valcheva, curator

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