From June 4 to July 4, the idyllic, fairy-tale-ironic stories of Gancho Karabadzhakov come to life in the Loran Gallery.

The author left this world on January 26 this year, and the current exhibition reminds us of him with 17 works. They remind us of his style with specific imagery, Middle Eastern types and characteristic stylization.

In the paintings, time has stopped. It is as if it is an imaginary world in which nothing new is happening, beyond the repetitive life cycle of biblical times. Life flows in the same way but pleasantly and goes through stages as in the themes: family, travel, flirting, marriage, holiday, etc. Funny and weird characters appear in all of them. Among them, the woman is a major participant in her two states of temptation and mother, as a source of inspiration but also as a personification of fertility.  We can see her in the works: "Family", "Idyll", "Neighbors", "Tease". She is the same type, oriental beauty, with expressive features, with raven black hair, big eyes, thick lips, sweet and rounded, desired. A reflection of this is the canvas "Spring", in which the naked female body is the embodiment of nature, which must be awakened, to blossom, to be fertilized.

Very often the artist's reality contains ridicule and irony. This is especially true for multi-figure compositions.

Interpretations at the same time remind us of well-known iconographic schemes. Here we will put the works: "The Last Supper", "Katun", "Caravan", "Celebration." The action often takes place in a neutral environment but familiar to us from the scenes "The Last Supper", "Escape to Egypt", "Annunciation". The relationship between her and him takes place between two buildings. Their environment becomes part of their interpersonal harmony or confrontation. This is complemented by the use of personal symbols such as apples, crows, goats, donkeys, musical instruments, etc.

The distinctive features of Gancho's stylizations are repeated in his works: Mediterranean and oriental type characters with big eyes, thick eyebrows, big noses, green and blue backgrounds, pastel clothes, purple dresses, etc. There is a lot to be said about them and the above is only a small part of the artist's means of expression, with which he materializes his ideas in a personal fairy-tale-mythological specificity.

Mariana Avramova

biographical data:

Gancho Karabadzhakov / 1951 - 2021 /

Born on October 19, 1951 in the town of Yambol. He graduated from the High School оf Arts in Kazanlak in 1972, after which he continued with "Illustration and book design" at the National Academy of Arts. He graduated from Prof. Hristo Neykov and Prof. Vladislav Paskalev class in 1979. He worked in the field of mural painting, illustration and easel painting. From 1979 to 1988 he was a curator at the art gallery in Yambol. Since 1981 he was actively involved in the artistic life in Bulgaria and has more than 50 exhibitions. In 1981 he was chairman of the studio of young artists in Yambol. After 1982 he was a member of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. He is a specialist at the Council of Culture in Yambol 1982 - 1985, then since 1986 he was the chief artist of Yambol. Since 1988 he has been chairman of the art council, and later creative secretary of the group of Yambol artists. In 2001 he was briefly Deputy Minister of Culture. In the period 2008 - 2011 he was director of the Veliko Tarnovo Gallery "Boris Denev", and from the same year until 2020 he was deputy mayor for culture of the city. He is the winner of the awards - excellence of the Committee for Culture and medal 1300 years Bulgaria.

Over the years, he was a renowned author, whose creative refuge is the village of Arbanassi. His works are in the possession of the National Gallery and most galleries in the country, private collections in Bulgaria and abroad.