The ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund initiated a plein-air event, ‘Threads of Time’, that is taking place in the town of Samokov.
The first plein-air edition was organised jointly with the Municipality of Samokov, the Graphic Art Base and the Retro Art Gallery in Samokov. It is held in August with Bulgarian artists working in the visual arts, video, computer graphics and animation taking part in it.
2025
Exhibition of works from the second, 2025 ‘Threads of Time’ Plein-air Event in Samokov
On 16 August 2025, an exhibition opened showing works from the second, 2025 ‘Threads of Time’ Plein-air Event, organised by the ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund, jointly with the Municipality of Samokov and the Retro Art Gallery in Samokov. The plein-air event took place from 12 to 16 August, at the Sarafs’ House, the Fund’s regional centre.
This year’s event featured Bulgarian artists—including: Mimi Dobreva, Galab Galabov, Georgi Georgiev, Ivan Milushev, Bozhidar Gonchev and Rumen Atanasov—all working in the field of painting and aquarelle.
The concept of the ‘Threads of Time’ Plein-air Event corresponds fully with the donative mission of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’, as the Fund will purchase one work by each artist to donate to the Prof. Vasil Zahariev Art Gallery in Samokov, thereby enriching its collection of contemporary Bulgarian art.
The ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund envisages the plein-air event to be held annually in Samokov, and to become an essential element of the cultural programme of Samokov Municipality.
We should like to stress that the 2024 ‘Threads of Time’ was made possible with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture. The artists’ works were displayed in the restored Bayrakli Mosque, a cultural monument of national importance.
2024
‘Threads of Time’—a plein-air event in Samokov
The ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund, the Municipality of Samokov, the Graphic Art Base and the Retro Art Gallery in Samokov, are the organisers of the first edition of the plein-air event, ‘Threads of Time’. It was held between 13 and 16 August with Bulgarian artists working in the visual arts, video, computer graphics and animation taking part in it. The ‘Threads of Time’ project, initiated by NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’, was made possible with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture. The artists’ works are displayed in the restored Bayrakli Mosque, a cultural monument of national importance. The exposition opened at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, 17 August.
The concept of the ‘Threads of Time’ plein-air event corresponds fully with the donative mission of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’, as the Fund will purchase one work by each artist to donate to the Prof. Vasil Zahariev Art Gallery in Samokov, thereby enriching its collection of contemporary Bulgarian art.
In his support of the project, art critic Assoc. Prof. Boris Danailov points out that ‘Threads of Time’ aims to rehabilitate forms, ways and actions relating to the restoration of both classical manifestations of artistic presence and communication (the plein-air event is one of the most established and popular forms), as well as the sharing of new ideas and means of expression by artists working in a variety of visual arts.
The ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund envisages the plein-air event to be a sustainable project over time, to be held annually in Samokov, and to become an essential part of the cultural programme of Samokov Municipality.