By Neeta Lal
From museums to art galleries, buzzy exhibitions and cultural festivals, the Bulgarian city of Burgas pulsates with creative energy.
The atmospheric city of Burgas located on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Bulgaria is fast emerging as a vibrant destination for international art lovers and the creative community. Buzzing art galleries showcasing works by reputed global artists and unique cultural initiatives helmed by the city’s mayor Dimitar Nikolovare powering its rise as an artistic hub.
With cultural traditions going back millennia in music, poetry, theatre and fine arts, Burgas is also attracting footfalls as an arty travel destination, informs Nikolov. “Our scenic city peppered with a sea garden, a marvelous beach, public art and landscaped gardens has always inspired great poets, writers and artists who have created their finest works here. So we’re leveraging this heritage to take forward this legacy. Burgasbrims with galleries, museums, exhibitions and wealso offer a rich calendar of art and culture events engaging the discerning international community.”
Festivals, concerts and exhibitions form a rich mosaic of year-round events in Burgas reflecting its unique spirit, adds the mayor. Every year the city hosts International folklore and music festivals. The Sand Sculpture Festival held annually in the Balkans is the only one of its kind on the Balkans. For this, every summer, five acres of land in the Sea Garden, turns into a thematic town, crafted from sand.
“The theme this year is inspired by the iconic movie Jurassic Park. We have participants from all over the world including Indonesia, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine created sand sculptures based on the movie,” informs Radovesta Stewart, Director of Municipal Enterprise Tourism while taking me around the exhibition.
I soak in the 12 gigantic sand sculptures depicting dinosaurs and mammoths. Built over months, they can withstand potential rain due to the special adhesives mixed with the sand, adds Stewart. The artworks weigh 5,600 tons and have received a phenomenal response from visitors.
I next gravitate to the Sea Casino Cultural Centre in downtown Burgas where an exhibition presenting Pablo Picasso’s 347 Suite series of etchings is currently on till August 31. It is curated by renowned Bulgarian art dealer and founder of Art Agency gallery Stephan Stoyanov and Marc-Olivier Wahler, Director of the Geneva Museum of Art and History.
“Given Picasso’s universal appeal, this event presents art of high importance to bring people together,” elaborates Stoyanov. “Picasso produced the etchings on display between March 16 and October 5, 1968. This is his largest series in terms of prints and his last-but-one before the 156 Series of 1969-1972. The 50-item selection is the first time that the collection is visiting the Balkans,” he elaborates.
Stoyanov’s second ongoing exhibition `Dangerous Beauty’ at the Centre of Contemporary Art and Library has also been a hit drawing footfalls from the glitterati, the city’s bureaucratic elite, actors, ambassadors, and international journalists. “I love Burgas’ vibe and it is a constant draw for me to live and work here. The city has been undergoing a cultural renaissance and pulsates with an infectious energy,” opines the curator.
I’m next drawn to a phalanx of beautiful museums showcasing the city’s heritage and culture. While evidence of centuries of history is encapsulated in the Archaeological and Historical Museum, the Ethnographical Museum is a repository of the traditions and lifestyle of the local population. The natural resources of Burgas and the region are showcased in the Natural History Museum.
Burgas is also creating waves on the international music scene with an array of festivals. Visitors dance on the beach during the Spirit of Burgas Fest which takes place for three days on the City Central Beach mid-August. All kinds of music such as ethno, rock, pop, indie, Latino and electro finds representation here. The International Folklore Festival this month-end is regarded as one of the oldest music events in Europe offering aficionados seminars on folklore traditions, souvenir shopping and traditional arts and crafts demonstrations.
Due to its spectacular location, Burgas has also been attracting the attention of Bollywood directors and location scouts keen to shoot here. “The municipality is processing proposals from them and we hope to have synergies with India in cultural areas where Burgas can be showcased to the entire world through the powerful medium of cinema,” opines Nikolov.
