"Connectedness", an exhibition by Mihael Artamontzev and Sava Tzonev, at "Mission" Gallery
On 6th February, to a numerous crowd, the MISSION Gallery at the State Institute for Culture to the Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed its first exhibition of the year, titled "Connectedness", by Bulgarian artists Mihael Artamontzev and Sava Tzonev.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Pavlov, the ambassadors of the Arab Republic of Egypt H.E. Nader Saad and of the Kingdom of Morocco H.E. Zakia El Midaoui, together with local and foreign guests, partners, colleagues and followers of contemporary art.
On behalf of the State Institute for Culture, the exhibition was opened by Mr. Yavor Koynakov, acting director, who expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to open the gallery's first exhibition for 2026, and noted the strong energy felt in the works presented. Ms. Niya Tabakova, Head of Department at the State Institute for Culture, described the collection as elegant and beautiful, worthy of being displayed in a musem.
In her welcome speech, Sofia City Art Gallery (SCAG) director Ms. Adelina Fileva in turn defined the exhibition as a dialogue of “contemplative works devoid of drama, in a beautiful combination of exquisite stone sculptures and delicate and refined drawings”. The subtitle of the exhibition, referring to a Wisdom of Solomon as found in Ecclesiastes 11:1, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it” is also what marks “the common denominator in the authors’ attitude towards creativity and the good relationship they nurture between them", she added. "Where you may help, do so honestly, and before long you will reap what you sow”. You may find a transcription of Ms. Fileva's speech here.
Mihael Artamontzev and Sava Tzonev are bound by a long-standing creative dialogue, in which they share common aesthetic and artistic views, as a result of which this exhibition has also appeared. In their own words, the presented sculptures seek a balance between the external and the internal, between the visible and the unspoken. The drawings, in turn, carry an opposite but complementary energy – one that is spontaneous, alive, and free from material weight. The line functions as a gesture that seeks, without fixing a final form.
The exhibition can be viewed until February 27, every weekday from 10:00 to 17:00 at the "Mission" gallery at the State Cultural Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.