RadLab Studio and the largest festival for analog and experimental photography in Bulgaria
For the second year in a row, RadLab Studio is hosting an event dedicated to analog and experimental photography. De Vita Solitaria / On the Solitary Life is an independent festival – though the word hardly captures its essence – a three-day gathering of artists, enthusiasts, collectors, and researchers of photographic processes who are connected to, or in search of, a relationship with analog photography.
The theme of the 2025 edition is “Solitude” – not as alienation, but as a space for observation, inner dialogue, and conscious encounters with oneself. The festival explores solitude as a potential for creative imagination, while also building a bridge back to the time before social networks, when every image was an act of discovery – found through effort, patience, and silence.
The program of De Vita Solitaria unfolds through six workshops, three exhibitions, four discussions, interventions in public space, and challenges to our own understanding of photography. Events move between the darkroom and the street, between the intimate and the noisy. The atmosphere is participatory and encourages dialogue, combining personal experiences with the collective energy of sharing.
The events will take place at two locations in Gabrovo:
RadLab Studio (9Zh Shipka St.)
RadLab Residency @ Christo & Jeanne-Claude Center (72 Bryanska St. – former Textile High School)
Participation is free of charge. You don’t need to own a Mamiya RB67 or to have read Camera Lucida in French – all that’s required is to register in advance, so that materials and logistics can be prepared.
De Vita Solitaria – RadLab Community Gathering 2025 will be held from 20 to 22 September 2025 in Gabrovo. Full details of the program can be found here.
About RadLab Studio
RadLab Studio is a space for analog and alternative photography where like-minded people can learn, experiment, and inspire one another. The team believes that analog photography and noble photographic processes should be accessible to everyone. Its mission is to foster inclusion by providing open access to the studio, conducting research, and preserving and sharing both knowledge and practical skills.
RadLab believes the most meaningful processes happen together – and invites anyone who shares this vision to become part of its community.
Childhood Years: Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center presents an exhibition at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris
Photo of Christo as a trapper with Ananie, 1945 (archives of the Yavachev family)
On September 19, the exhibition “Childhood Years” by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center for Contemporary Art – Gabrovo will open at the gallery of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris. The occasion is twofold – 90 years since the birth of Christo Javacheff and 30 years since the emblematic Pont Neuf project, which left a lasting mark on the artistic history of Paris.
Photo of the play staged by Christo, “The Capulets”, 1948 (archives of the Yavachev family)
Childhood Years explores childhood as the first stage of imagination – a time when play and freedom outline the contours of future creative thought. The exhibition brings together rare photographs and documentary materials from Christo’s early years in Bulgaria with works by a new generation of contemporary artists currently working at the Center in Gabrovo. In this way, the exhibition creates a bridge between Christo’s personal history and the collective energy of young artists, between the memory of beginnings and the vision for the future.
Photo of the participants in the high school art club /Christo is the first on the left/, 1948 (archives of Dragan Nemtsov)
Seven of them – Anton Ivanov, Gergana Lazarova-Runkel, Ivelin Penchev, Konstantin Zlatev, Nevena Ekimova, Pavel Tsarov, and Radoil Serafimov – will present their works in the French capital for the first time.
A special section is dedicated to Christo’s childhood – his family, schools and factories, favorite games, and first steps in art. These early experiences would later crystallize into the iconic elements of his work with Jeanne-Claude – fabrics, ropes, barrels.
Opened in 2023, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center is located in the building of the former Textile High School in Gabrovo. It functions as an artist residency and space for contemporary art, inspired by the legacy of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Though still in development, the Center already attracts young creators from different countries and is steadily establishing itself as a place for experimentation, dialogue, and new artistic horizons.
The exhibition “Childhood Years” is organized by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center – Gabrovo and the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris, with the support of the Museum of Humor and Satire, the Municipality of Gabrovo, and the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
Metamorphosis of Workwear: Chemnitz, Łódź, Gabrovo, Manchester, Tampere unite to Explore Europe’s Industrial Heritage
Metamorphosis of Workwear is an international project that brings together six European cities with rich industrial legacies – Chemnitz, Gabrovo, Łódź, Manchester, Mulhouse, and Tampere. Funded by the Creative Europe program, the project seeks to explore, reinterpret, and present the industrial past through art, culture, and community dialogue.
Chemnitz Museum of Industry, Germany, photo from their official website
Central Textile Museum in Łódź, Poland, photo from their official website
Former Textile School, current Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, Gabrovo, photo by Boryana Pandova
Between January and June 2025, three residencies in Chemnitz, Łódź, and Gabrovo will bring together three artists from each city to create designer pieces inspired by local industrial heritage and culture. Through visits to operating or abandoned factories, conversations with workers, experts, and residents, the artists will explore the evolution of the textile industry in these cities, weaving their discoveries into artistic expressions.
As a project partner, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center plays a pivotal role in actively engaging the local community, collecting and preserving stories from Gabrovo’s industrial heritage, and inspiring new artistic interpretations. In collaboration with the Interactive Museum of Industry in Gabrovo, the center will spotlight the city’s history, industrial development, and the sustainability of its processes, solidifying Gabrovo’s reputation as the “Manchester of Bulgaria.”
Center Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, Gabrovo, photo by Boryana Pandova
The Textile Technical School, the building housing the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, has been a cornerstone of Gabrovo’s textile production history, serving for decades as a generator of skilled professionals for the city’s factories. Within the project framework, we will trace the school’s history through personal stories shared by its students, teachers, neighbors, and enthusiasts to create an archive preserving these memories for future generations.
In late April, in a residency program we will welcome three artists who, over the course of a week, will work with the collected archive, expand it through new meetings and visits to the city’s still-operating textile factories, and intertwine these threads with their own creative interpretations to design contemporary workwear. The names of the participating artists will be announced soon—follow our social media channels for updates!
Anamnesis of the Avant-Garde: performance-installations at the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
Installation by Ivelina Ivanova and Emilian Gatsov – Elbi from October 2023, photo by Ivelin Penchev
On December 8th, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center in Gabrovo welcomed the next chapter of Anamnesis of the Avant-Garde, a project that stitches together memory and experimentation in a space where history and art collide. Originally conceptualized by Stephan A. Shtereff and introduced during the Center’s opening in October 2023 by artists Ivelina Ivanova and Emilian Gatsov – Elbi, this iteration brought the creative interpretations of Ina Valentinova and Martian Tabakov into the spotlight.
Ina Valentinova, triptych „Light Patches”, photo by Ivelin Penchev
Ina Valentinova reimagined the tactile legacy of the space with her textile triptych Light Patches. Installed on the staircase windows, her fabrics interacted with light, casting vibrant reflections and shadows that resonated with the Center’s history as a place of skill, creativity, and production.
Ina Valentinova, triptych „Light Patches”, photo by Ivelin Penchev
Ina Valentinova, photo by Ivelin Penchev
Martian Tabakov’s audio-visual performance, By Prescription, merged musical instruments with found objects from the former Textile Technical School. The resulting soundscapes echoed the mechanical rhythms of industrial labor, blending them with abstract dissonance in a live performance.
Martian Tabakov, audio-visual performance „By Prescription”, photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
The event opened with thoughtful reflections from Margarita Dorovska, who shared insights into the journey of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, alongside Stephan A. Shtereff, who spoke about the project’s vision and future potential. Pieces from the October installation, including the iconic textile machine sound installation, returned to further connect the threads of past and present, enriching the narrative. The day was a celebration of transformation – of spaces, traditions, and artistic expression. It was an exploration of how the avant-garde persists, not as a relic of nostalgia, but as a dynamic, living force.
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
Photo by Ivelin Penchev
//Anamnesis of the Avant-Garde is supported by the Ministry of Culture.
//The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center’s 2023–2025 program is supported by the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
Five projects in the public space that can be seen in the area of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center
In recent years, the area of the Center has become a hub for cultural innovation and art, hosting several inspiring projects in the public environment. Now, five exceptional artworks enrich the urban landscape and invite you to a unique experience.
1. Nevena Ekimova:
Trash to Treasure is a project by artist Nevena Ekimova, featuring sculpture and video. The project presents the audience of Gabrovo with an environmentally conscious way to contemplate issues related to waste and recycling. The exhibition includes a sculpture made from household and industrial waste, displayed in the courtyard of the former Textile Technical School, as well as a video series, dedicated to the environmental strategies employed by six local enterprises. The Trash to Treasure project traces the fate of waste and its connection to the environment and society, emphasizing the importance of recycling and sustainable waste management.
Stoyan Dechev is a multidisciplinary artist working with various artistic media and materials. His work focuses on the combination of historical and mythological themes with current issues such as nature, feminism, and others. One of his projects, Access, restores the pillars of the Textile Technical School building and artistically integrates the connection between the history and the future of the location.
3. Hans Hamands:
Hans Hamands is an artist who contemplates the importance of rivers and their influence, using the textile industry as inspiration for his works. He examines how the textile production practices of the past affect the environment and the rivers, highlighting the harmful consequences but also the potential beauty created by this process. The artwork is located in the Yantra River, near the bridge of the Museum of Humor and Satire.
4. Pia Rognes:
Pia Rognes is a sculptor specializing in textile materials and techniques, allowing her to express inner conflicts and destructive behavior. She combines sensory and emotional aspects, exploring the tension between positive and negative objects. Her sculpture in the courtyard of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center symbolizes change and raises questions about pain and its meaning.
5. Martin Penev:
Martin Penev is a Bulgarian artist working with various artistic media and themes. He combines childlike naivety and imagination with objects and installations that prompt viewers to contemplate identity, politics, history, and humor. One of his installations, The Ancient Mammoth, which is set to be unveiled on Friday at 7:30 PM, satirizes forgery and identity crises in society. His works are creative, socially engaged, and provocative.
The Trash to Treasure project is produced by the Museum of Humor and Satire with the financial support of the Municipality of Gabrovo and is part of initiatives dedicated to the European Commission’s European Green Leaf environmental award for 2021. The project is implemented with logistical support from the Regional Innovation Center Ambitious Gabrovо. The project is carried out in partnership with: Plastform Ltd., Terahim 97 Ltd., Vizo Ltd., Mak Ltd., LS Tubes Ltd., STS Pack Holding Ltd., Eco Project Ltd., Regional Non-Hazardous Waste Depot – Gabrovo, Cap Gabrovo Initiative.
RESIDENCE FOR BALANCE – The Ancient Mammoth, Martin Penev
Martin Penev (born 1985) lives and works in Sofia. In 2009 he took his MA in Theology from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and in 2012 – MA in Digital Arts from the National Academy of Arts, Sofia. Since 2010 he has participated in group and solo projects in a number of festivals and events in Bulgaria and abroad. He has interests in object, installation, interactive design, performance.
The objects created by Martin Penev are both direct and mysterious in a kind of child-like way. They remind us simultaneously of the defenselessness but also of the unconditional freedom of fantasy confronted with the unknown and the unexplainable.
His hybrid forms neglect the rational and push forward the empathy. The references to toys and to something primordial in the shape of the object, as well as the “buildup” of the installation are attracting the grown up viewers to the “naiveté”; the deformations and the obsessive presence of his objects in the space are pushing the viewers into a labyrinth of interpretations.
Luchezar Boyadjiev
The Ancient Mammoth About to be Created
The installation is an ironic look at counterfeiting, substitution, demagoguery. The mammoth did co-exist with the human race after all, and we probably have an innate, unconscious memory of our life together, of what happened. An extinct species is mock-recreated in a space reminiscent of a natural history museum. The museum institution serves for the conservation, restoration and display of historical artifacts, but in this case the “historical” is yet to be created.
In sociopolitical terms, “creating an ancient mammoth” can be a mystification of history, ideological shaping of the past, appropriation of achievements and successes of past societies and cultures. All matter of populism, propaganda, political demagoguery and extreme nationalism.
On a personal level, “creating an ancient mammoth” can be used to describe identity crises. The individual creates urgent imitative constructions to define oneself in an aggressive world or, through the projection of the personal inner fears, creates an external enemy, in the struggle against which one finds one’s own identity.
The installation can also be thought of as an irony of kitsch, fakery, and the surrounding aesthetics in general.
RESIDENCE FOR BALANCE – PIA ROGNES AND HANS HAMMOND SHARE THEIR ART IN GABROVO
On September 27th, an exhibition featuring works by Norwegian artists Pia Rognes and Hans Hammond is set to open. Located just a 5-minute walk from each other, both artworks represent sculptural interventions in urban spaces specially created for the area around the Cristo and Jean-Claude Center in Gabrovo, as well as the bridge near the Museum of Humor and Satire. The event begins at 18:00 at the entrance of the Center (the former Textile Technical School building).
What to expect: exciting contemporary art, an international audience, a panoramic stroll between the two artworks, and refreshments typical of an art exhibition opening.
Pia Rognes uses textile materials and techniques to explore themes related to inner conflicts and destructive behavior. Her works involve the fusion of sensory, positively charged objects with disgust-inducing, negatively charged ones. She examines the interaction between them and how it can impact human emotions.
The sculpture created by Pia Rognes for Gabrovo resembles a giant larva – a symbol of change and the pain it brings. It raises questions about beauty and therapy in the context of pain and transformation. For more information, visit Pia Rognes’s website.
Photo of Pia Rognes: Magnus Elvar Jonsson
Hans Hammond reflects on the importance of rivers and their interaction with humanity. This artist creates vibrant textile works representing rivers during the period of the textile industry in Gabrovo. He emphasizes the connection between the textile industry and the water resources used in textile production in the past.
Hammond reminds us of the crucial role that rivers play in our world as a source of water, habitat, and energy. For more information, visit Hans Hammond’s website.
The opening of the fourth and final installation, created by artist Martin Penev, is scheduled for October 6th.
Access
On August 25th, the sculpture installation Access by Stoyan Dechev was unveiled on the first day of the Rivers of the City Festival – Gabrovo 2023.
Access is a work of art by Stoyan Dechev, created for the façade of the Christo and Jean-Claude Center in Gabrovo, a former building of the Textile Technical School in Gabrovo. The work consists of several parts and is located in multiple places, starting from the external service staircase that remains on one side of the building. By restoring the staircase through artistic intervention, public access to the history and future of the building is also restored.
The work interacts with the architecture and scale of the building, delicately taking over its silhouette and extending the staircase onto the roof of the building, as well as onto a nearby abandoned concrete structure and into the bed of the Yantra River.
The additions to the rooftop access column resonate with the transformation or collapse of architecture and the numerous changes, interventions, or alterations of form and purpose, turning this technological building into a cultural institution, as well as setting new directions for the city’s development as a whole.
The illuminated sculpture is visible in the night sky, softening the strict vertical lines of the column with a chaotic, dispersing manner that extends from the horizon to street level and descends into the river.
Access is the first in a series of installations in the urban environment as part of the Residence for Balance project, carried out by the Museum of Humor and Satire in partnership with the Gabrovo Municipality under the FestivalNO in the Neighborhood project, within the Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage, and Cooperation program.
In his work, Stoyan Dechev focuses on long-term projects, large-scale sculptures and installations, drawings, animation, and video within the context and specificity of different materials and certain locations. He brings artifacts from history and myth to current themes such as time, nature, astronomy, feminism, languages, resources, activism, or the role of the sculptor and his creativity in society.
