EXHIBITION "RETURN" - 20 years of the plein air "Touching the Mountain of Orpheus"
Exhibition dates: November 20, 2025 – January 30, 2026
Location: "Mission" Gallery, 2 Alexander Zhendov Street
Opening: November 20, 6 p.m.
Curator: Yavor Kondov
The State Institute for Culture under the Minister of Foreign Affairs is pleased to invite you to the opening of the collective exhibition "Return". The event is not only a look back at a 20-year plein air tradition, but also a symbol of the deep connection with the homeland and memory.
The exhibition is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the plein air "Touching the Mountain of Orpheus". This forum, whose main driving force is the artist Valeri Tsvetkov-Valdits, has established itself as a traditional and anticipated event for the artistic life in Smolyan and the region. The open-air exhibition in the Rhodope Mountains – the mountain of Orpheus – is not only an artistic workshop, but also a meeting place between generations of artists, in which impressions, memories and human stories are intertwined, echoing throughout the Rhodope Mountains.
The mission of the forum over the years has been to successfully attract established artists, while at the same time providing access to art to talented children, some of whom are deprived of parental care.
The curator of the exhibition is Yavor Kondov from the National Academy of Arts. Four of the participants in the open-air exhibition present their works: Valeri Valdits, Alexander Tsvetkov, Katalina Vasileva, and Iva Dankova. The exhibition brings together works in the fields of painting, sculpture, and graphics and presents the different techniques of the artists.
The exhibition "Return" is part of the events with which the State Institute for Culture celebrates 20 years since its establishment. It is yet another testament to the role of art as a source of inspiration, which includes and builds bridges of continuity between different generations of artists in Bulgaria, as well as creates cultural dialogue beyond political borders.
The opening will take place on November 20 at 6:00 PM at the "Mission" gallery at the State Institute for Culture - Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The exhibition will be open to the public every weekday between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM until the end of January 2026.