Terramare

Starting May 28, 2026, Largo Art Gallery presents the group exhibition of painting and glass sculpture Terramare, featuring six contemporary Bulgarian artists: Valeri Tsenov, Georgi Lechev, Gita Markova, Emil Atanasov, Rosen Donchev, and Svetlin Nenov. Terramare is a coined word combining the Latin terra (earth) and mare (sea). The title is inspired by the exhibition’s central theme: landscape interpretations of the endless sea and the mysterious, multilayered nature of the land—with its forests, valleys, and rocky massifs.

With a rich selection of more than ten works, the exhibition includes paintings by the Plovdiv-based artist Valeri Tsenov. His contribution features landscapes from the Rhodope Mountains, as well as three portraits of his emblematic female figures. Some of the works belong to his iconic series of ancient seas—magical, azure-blue, and enigmatic, carrying echoes of distant eras. His paintings contain encoded messages that touch our genetic memory and awaken a sense of ancient, almost mythological belonging. The most powerful impression in his art remains the feeling of an inseparable connection between humanity and nature, and the all-pervading, soul-healing beauty of the world around us.

Svetlin Nenov also participates with seascapes. In his most recent exhibition at Largo Gallery in 2025, the Varna-based artist presented a series of “portraits” of lighthouses, which attracted significant public interest. In the current exhibition, he shows new works from this series, created in an unusual and striking vertical format. With his characteristic bold brushwork, dense textures, and resonant, pure colors, Svetlin Nenov once again recreates that special encounter between the blue of the sea and the sparkling whiteness of a coastal day. The lighthouses in his paintings stand as guardians and symbols of the way home.

From Kazanlak, Rosen Donchev contributes several landscapes dedicated to urban and forest habitats. Two small abstract works from his Small Towns series unfold a vivid and colorful visual narrative. The other two works explore the deep connection between humankind and the Earth. Dominated by earthy tones—ochre, brown, green, and orange—they evoke a sense of rootedness and memory. In "The Valley" layered forms and imagery merge into an organic whole, carrying a sense of ancient remembrance. A similar totemic imagery appears in his other work, "Pasture for Rock Drawings".

Gita Markova presents two glass sculptures from her Flower series, created especially for this exhibition. The artist works exclusively with the delicate and demanding material of glass, through which she creates sculptures, panels, paintings, and jewelry. The exhibited works are made of fused glass interwoven with aluminum and copper threads. They possess a strong sculptural presence, while the red flower at the center and the metallic elements lend them lightness, airiness, and a pulsating energy of joy and blossoming.

For the first time in Varna Emil Atanasov presents his paintings. He is the brother of the Plovdiv artist Yuli Shumarev, well known to Largo Gallery’s audience, though the two artists belong to entirely different artistic worlds. In this exhibition, Emil Atanasov shows two works in a dark, subdued palette—landscapes that provoke reflection and philosophical contemplation.

Also featured with three seascapes is one of the major names in Bulgarian art, Georgi Lechev. Leaving us far too early and unexpectedly, the Varna artist left an indelible mark on the country’s artistic life. Visitors will see two works from his dramatic and expressive painting period, developed from the 1990s through the beginning of the new millennium. The third painting, Silence, previously shown at Largo Gallery in the artist’s last exhibition, is a gentle and lyrical “portrait” of an abandoned boat on the shore—a work filled with nostalgia for summers gone by, lost illusions, and the irreversible passage of time.

We look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition opening on May 28 at 6:30 PM at Largo Gallery. The exhibition will remain open to the public until June 17, 2026. 

Nelly Valcheva