Photography and Graphic Art by Boris Kovachev

*this has been the Author's LAST EVER EXHIBITION IN "bulgaria" - a sizable body of NEW ARTWORK has been completed since, however it, as well as all subsequent Boris K. Art, shall be displayed ONLY ABROAD OR NOT DISPLAYED AT ALL - Hope all bulgarian cops bury their children.
Oct.31 to Dec. 20 of 2019 - Boris Kovachev's Seventh Solo Fine-Art Exhibition, which took place at Art Club "NyLon" - #8 Georgi Benkovski Str - Plovdiv, Bulgaria. This showing consisted of 8 woodcarvings and 8 acrylic paintings, representing the very latest original works of the Author. The event premiered with a lovely solo concert of musician Viktor Stambolov on All'Hallows Eve of 2019.

Sep. 13 to 29 of 2019 - Boris Kovachev's Sixth Solo Art Show, which took place at #1 Tsanko Lavrenov Str. - the Georgiadi House of Plovdiv's Old Town, Bulgaria. The display was dedicated entirely to Printmaking and Graphic Art, exhibiting 27 of the author's newest relief prints, mezzotints, etchings and lithographs. The opening evening of the event was part of the official program for the 2019 Plovdiv Night of Museums and Galleries festival. In honor of that, Boris conducted a practical demonstration of the Lithographic process all throughout the premiere evening, where he performed a live piece in front of the visitors, starting from a bare stone, sketching the work (improvised), etching and pulling prints in one go. The visitors had the pleasure of experiencing the workflow of graphic artist, while witnessing a rare portable lithographic press, fabricated by the Author himself for this event.

The Fifth Solo Art Show by Boris Kovachev, which took place at the Balabanov House of Plovdiv's Old Town, Bulgaria, from the Dec. 3 2018 to Jan. 6 2019. On display were 20 of the Author's latest watercolor paintings, 10 of which featured accents via typewriter. Also shown were his new lead [Pb] metalpoint drawings on gesso'd masonite. The exhibition was complemented by 4 monotypes (oil on canvas) and a spruce wood photographic installation by Boris, the latterhaving been presented to the public in previous showings.

From May the 18-th to July 6-th of 2018 Boris Kovachev conducted his first Paintings and Drawings Art Exhibition "DOODLINGS". The show took place at the Comma' Gallery&Studio - №18 Zagreb Str (Kapana) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Despite being a fine-art photographer and printmaker/graphic-artist, the Author took this creative detour in order to produce and display acrylic paintings on DiY canvases, made from Boris' own worn'out jeans, and large scale oil pastel drawings on gessod' paper. This exhibition was also included in the official events list of the 2018 Spring Festival "Kapana Fest", accompanied with excellent attendance and atmosphere. The display assortment was finished by 5 large-scale silver-gelatin photographic collages (each of them 100x130cm), which the Author had exhibited previously.

From Sept. the 15th to 29th of 2017 Boris Kovachev conducted a joint Graphic Art Exhibition with his Drawing teacher from the Academy of Music Dance and Fine Arts - Prof. Magardich Kassapian PhD. The show took place at the Museum Center for Contemporary History to the Regional History Museum of Plovdiv, №14 Angel Bukoreshtliev Str. in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Prof. Dr. Magardich Kasapyan is a graphics artist from Plovdiv. He studied at SSHUII Tsanko Lavrenov (Plovdiv), The National Academy of Art (Sofia) and teaches at the Plovdiv Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts. Prof. Kasapyan is the author of numerous exhibitions and has participated in a vast number of international competitions for graphics and bookplates. His works have won two international awards. Boris Kovachev specializes in Drawing under the personal tutorage of Professor Magardich Cassapian for two semesters at the AMDFI of Plovdiv during 2017.
The joint printmaking exhibition of Prof.Kassapian and Boris Kovachev opened to the public on Sept. the 15th of 2017, as an official part of the Plovdiv Night of Museums and Galleries 10th annual issue, traditionally organised by the Open Arts Foundation. Presiding speaker of the premiere ceremony was legendary Bulgarian graphic artists and teacher in engraving/etching/printmaking to Boris Kovachev - Assoc.Prof. Vladimir Genadiev. During the opening evening of the show both Authors took turns in live printing of engravings, which they'd made especially for the occasion, on Boris Kovachev's own etching press - transported and set'up at the museum hall for the event. Prof. Kassapian had made a masterful drypoint engraving which resulted in stunning intaglio-prints, while Boris Kovachev proceeded to print his own original mezzotint and a wood-cut of his. Boris participated with original limited editions prints of 26 separate pieces, alongside Magardich Kassapian's 23 masterful printed woks. As a part of the opening evening two written bodies of work by Prof.Kassapian were presented to the public for the first time - books titled “Graphic Antitheses” dedicated to Prof. Gazdov’s creative work, and “Techniques and Materials Used in Students’ Training in Graphics”. The exhibition was on display and available to visitors til Sept. the 29th of 2017.

In September 2015 Boris Kovachev started a new two-semester residency in Graphic technology, Classic graphic techniques and Printmaking at the Plovdiv Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts (AMTII) under the legendary Bulgarian Artist and Master Print-maker Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Genadiev – Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty. On June the 16 of 2016 Boris successfully graduated from his residency in Engraving, Etching and Printmaking, having produced over 20 separate graphic works (of intaglio, relief and stencil processes, alongside many drawings) in two semesters, plus 3 lithographs (by 3 different techniques) in an additional Lithography study module. Here are small preview/sample scanned images from those original prints:
*the sizes mentioned in the image descriptions refer to the prints' image area only

A solo art photo exhibition by Boris Kovachev, which took place in August 15 to 29, 2014 at Gallery “Plovdiv” (Plovdiv Municipal Council building), in partnership with the Union of Plovdiv Artists and under the auspices of Mr. Dimitar Atanasov – Ombudsman to the Municipality of Plovidv.
*all prints were of 40x40cm size
Initially assigned to the author as a mere semester project, during his residency in Photography at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts (Plovdiv, Bulgaria), the so-called “shooting of urban landscapes with a medium format camera on 6x6 negatives” inadvertently caused Boris to question this seemingly easy task at hand and its deceptive nature. After all – what exactly is an “urban landscape” when put into photographic perspective? To what extent the unique evolutionary invention, of such a geographical and administrative phenomenon as the “city”, influences the creative approach and selection of compositional elements, when it comes to photographing it? To what extent “that” – the landscape photo, of “it” – the city, boils down to mere architectural photography? To what extent it does not? How much of the “that” is mere street photography – and again – how much it ain’t? How big of an influence should the monumentality and vastness of scale of the urban environment bare in the composition of such a photograph? And does said influence exclude the deliberate participation of a human model – it’s a landscape after all, yet such is “that”, of “it”, and don’t people inhabit “its” environment, and the last anyone bothered to check those same people we used to call “models” in our photographic work…
The Author creates, for the purposes of his own exploration, a small list of illustrations on these and other questions, while capturing “urban landscapes” in his medium format b/w-negatives. For the finalization of his project Boris Kovachev has decided to utilize media, which are as unambiguous, as the task behind said semester-project. The photographs are therefore optically printed into positive transparent images on sheet film, and then a graphic reincarnation is given to each and every one of them, while being finalized with the classical gum-dichromate process. Every “urban landscape” is thus represented by a duet of sheet-film/bichromate – as different and/or convergent as “urban” and “landscape”. The “That” of the “it”.

~ a joint-exhibition by Boris Kovachev - photographer
and Rangel 'BigBro' Stoilov - artist/sculptor ~
The show was conducted in partnership with the Plovdiv History Museum and with the support of Albert Penev.
*The photographic portion of this exhibition was donated to the Plovdiv History Museum by the author. All prints were sized 50x50cm and were performed on canvas.
Gala-opening was at 18:00 on September the 20, at "Gerorgiadi" house of the Regional history museum - Plovdiv, Bulgaria, №1 "Tsanko Lavrenov" Str. The display was available to the public till the 4-th of October 2013, and was an Official Participant in the September 2013 edition Night of Museums and Galleries - Plovdiv, as well as part of the annual autumn Old'Town-Plovdiv Celebrations.
Rangel Stoilov, known among his peers as 'Big Bro', is a living colossus of Bulgarian sculpture and wood-carving. The 77-year-old artist is still actively creating till this very day, unrestrained in the complexity, scale and magnitude of his works. His sculptures out of wood, brass and stone are object of admiration in Bulgaria, as well as in Europe, North- and South-America. The joint display presents 12 of his small plastic art-pieces (brass and wood), accompanied by 12 photographic portraits of Rangel. Said photographs are the work of Plodvid native Boris Kovachev - dental technician and nonphotographer, who captured the visage of art-legend Rangel Stoilov on medium format (6x6cm) black&white negatives. These portraits, taken in the sculptor's own cosy atelier, bring to their corresponding prints on canvas the timeless impression from the most intimate moments of the creative process, as relived around the great Plovdiv-based master.

by Boris Kovachev - photographer & Dimitar Mehandzhiysky - Artist
Opening night - May 18, 2013 from 17:30h at the Museum centre for contemporary history - No.14 Angel Bukoreshtliev Str. Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
A display of alternative and fully-analogue methods in painting and photography, accompanied by practical demonstrations by the authors themselves.
- Large-format pinhole photographs (negatives), accompanied by series of innovative Photograms and a DIY large-format Camera Obscura by Boris Kovachev
- Paintings utilising graffiti- and combined techniques by Dimitar Mehandzhiysky
This show was made possible with the generous support and partnership of the Regional History Museum of Plovdiv, as part of the 36-th International Museum Day - a global event by Тhe International Council Оf Museums (ICOM).
*All photographic negatives and photograms on display were "shot" on 40x30cm expired medical x-ray film. The DIY pinhole camera was constructed to take that particular size of film and, after the exhibition, was donated to the Regional History Museum of Plovdiv by its author - Boris Kovachev. Boris also donated to the Museum a one-off printed photographic book, which depicts the building process itself (as documented again by him - the creator of the camera). All images from the camera build can be viewed below:

This story in portraits by Boris Kovachev was made possible with the kind support and cooperation of The Regional Historical Museum of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It took place at the Museum centre for modern history - Angel Bukoreshtliev Str. 14, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
*The entire photographic exhibition was donated by the Auyhor to the Regional Historical Museum of Plovdiv. All display prints were sized 48x33cm, with the exception of the 4 dual-tone portraits, which were 70x50cm each. All intellectual property rights reserved by Boris Kovachev.
Our love for photography - as an art, a technical sorcery, a higher form of science, a masterful manipulation of light, theft of moments from reality, and last but not least - life's struggle for maintaining a life of hardship and constant challenge - has always driven us to gaze upon and marvel at the magnificent fine-art work of renowned photo-artists and photographers. With that said, HOW OFTEN DO WE - the beholders of all that photographic beauty, even with an eye to the viewfinder of numerous cameras, flexing our itchy trigger-fingers - TAKE THE TIME to consider what force drives and keeps these mechanical instruments of our art "alive and kicking". OUR CAMERAS - mechanical devices that far surpass in complexity even the most exquisite products by the Swiss and Japanese watch-makers - are being maintained, repaired and sometimes upgraded even above factory-standards by A HANDFUL of proud Bulgarians, who remain unlit by the flashes and obscured from the attention of the grand exhibition halls. These are the PHOTO TECHNICIANS of Bulgaria. Over the years these masterful artisans have kept the tools of the photographic trade in working order, often tackling nearly impossible tasks – repairing cameras and lenses decades since discontinued by their original manufacturers, being forced to manufacture spare parts on their own, and often even converting everyday objects into makeshift solutions when a factory-spec substitute is not available! The tough living conditions here in Bulgaria forces these technical virtuosos to repair for overly-discount prices equipment SO EXPENSIVE, that the majority of us dare not even look at that part of the manufacturer’s catalog. Besides helping skilled photographers and photo-enthusiasts alike by servicing their gear, our PHOTO TECHNICIANS are a streaming source of valuable advice and information on all aspects of photography, sharing with patience and understanding with all who care only ask for their opinion. IT WAS WITH AMAZEMENT I discovered that for the hundreds of thousands, or even millions picture-snappers, holding a camera in all of Bulgaria, there were FEWER THAN TWENTY brave souls daring to undertake the colossal task of repairing an maintaining photographic equipment for all of us! The vast majority of the public remain oblivious to the personality and the names of these precise masters of fine mechanics and I think it is about time we acknowledge their professional skills and achievements in our land – Bulgaria. A country which is in debt before these unspoken heroes of Photography, since a lot of photo-stories and events of its history would have remained unrecorded in photographs, pictures, shots if it hadn’t been to the toils of these few proud Bulgarians. Today, more than ever, with the immense popularity of the photographic image, as a medium for sharing impressions and emotions, we get to value and treasure the vast diversity of all generations of cameras and lenses – old and analogue, as well as modern digital devices, and the magical blend of both – AND IT IS exactly these few people who are responsible for maintaining, and sometimes even imbuing new lease of life, to the entire kaleidoscope of photo-gadgets surrounding us every day! I am not a photographer, but my love for photography is kept burning by the fact that it’s an inseparable part of my job. To me photography has grown into a hobby, a life’s passion and a salvation from all the “negatives” of modern life – even the most scratched and smudged in fingerprints emulsion negative is more soothing than any “news broadcast”. All this time it was the talented PHOTO TECHNICIANS, who aided me with advice and lent me their professional skills, in order to keep my passion alive.

May 4 to 19 of 2015 Boris Kovachev participated in the Union of Plovdiv Artists joint youth art exhibition “Ritual” at the UPA grand exhibition hall – 32 William E. Gladstone Str. Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as curated by Nikola Minchev. The Author displayed two mixed technique exhibits of dry manual photographic transfer into the structure of 30x50cm spruce wood blanks, combined with hand-carved elements into the base material itself. TITLES:
"Ritual:Creation" - 4m x 30cm (8-piece solid wood, metal joints);
"Ritual:Family" - 50cm x 60cm (diptych, solid wood, metal joints).

From Sept.15 to Oct. 4 of 2015 Boris Kovachev participated in the traditional annual joint art exhibition “15x5” by the Union of Plovdiv Artists at the UPA grand exhibition hall – 32 William E. Gladstone Str. Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as curated by Hristo Zhekov. The Author displayed 5 original participation pieces on the subject of the nude female form – each oh those #1/1, 100x130cm, photographic collage on small pieces assembly of silver-gelatin paper, finished via brush - with drawing ink and acrylic, sealed with water-based lacquer.

From Dec.7 of 2016 to Jan.25 of 2017 Boris Kovachev participated in the traditional annual members representative exhibition of the
Union of Plovdiv Artists issue'2016 with:
- "Simpy wood" engraving/carving into spruce wood assembly of planks 50x50x2,5cm with inked raised surfaces, protection lacquer coated, binding with 6 mm thick accessory climbing cord;
- "Suicide of an egg" a small plastic sculpture 6,5x5x8cm of marble, Ni-Cr alloy, steel, feldspar ceramic coating, on wood base/foundation.

September 12-th to 26-th of 2017 Boris Kovachev participated in the traditional annual joint art exhibition “15x5” by the Union of Plovdiv Artists at the UPA grand exhibition hall – 32 William E. Gladstone Str. Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as curated by Hristo Zhekov. The Author displayed 5 original Graphic Art limited edition prints. Titles: "Dorsal self-portrait" 50x35cm woodcut, "The Negative" 56x21cm woodcut, "Bathroom sink" 25x35cm Lithograph, "Drinking fountain" 25x35cm Lithograph and "Toilet" 35x25cm Lithograph.

September 28th of 2017 to WHO GIVES A F@CK
The Author is ashamed to have participated in a disgraceful spectacle, which tried to pass itself off as a "National graphic art competition", a "biennial" even if you will, premiering on Sept. the 28-th of 2017 in the town of Pazardjik. Boris took part in this butchery of art, by the so called "UNION OF BULGARIAN ARTISTS", with two dual-layer-reduction-relief-prints 60x40cm done entirely by hand. The works in question represented the late Georgi Gerasimoff, who allegedly was the patron/cause of/for the event, where these two portraits of him were intentionally shoved at the far end of the inner most exhibition hall, behind a solid wall, so as to be seen by as few people as possible and to raise even fewer questions.

Boris Kovachev Fine Art

Photography/Drawing/Printmaking by Boris Kovachev

~ Halloween 2019 ~

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~ Graphic Art Exhibition September 2019 ~

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~ December 2018 Exhibition ~

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~ Paintings and Drawings Exhibition "DOODLINGS"~

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~ Graphic Art Exhibition with Prof. Magardich Kassapian ~

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~ Engraving, Etching and Printmaking ~

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Loose Drawings :

~ Charcoal and Graphite ~

~ Ink drawings ~

~ Chalk pastel drawings ~

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~ "Urban Landscapes in Sheet-film Print and Gum Bichromate” ~

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~ "Big'Bro" joint exhibition ~

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~ "Totally Analogue" ~

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~ "The PhotoTechnicians of Bulgaria" ~

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~ "& THAT'S PLOVDIV TOO YA'LL" ~

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More Fine Art projects with Boris Kovachev :

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~ Some of my Photographic Works ~Boris K.

~ Some of my Photographic Works ~
Boris K.