Galery

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We would like to bring to your attention an interview with owner of the "Punto Art Bazaar" gallery, Peter Arbov.

The gallery is located in Sofia, at 2 Yuriy Venelin Street. As a result of our cooperation, you will soon be able to find works by Bulgarian artists in our online shop.

Who is Peter Arbov and where does this love of art come from?

Who am I? Let’s begin from my early childhood. My father is a painter named George Arbov. He helped a lot in terms of establishing my taste. Very few people have a taste for beautiful and aesthetic things today. When I was in the ninth grade, I took up art, without being taught. My father influenced me a lot, he used to show me things from everyday life in a different light - things which I had not noticed myself until then. Then, when I grew up, I started seeing things from another point of view. I started from the park in front of the famous Sofia restaurant "Crystal". At the time, things were happening there. Artists went there and sold their works. It was in 1987. I was a schoolboy. I used to go to my father and create things which we then used to sell in the park. When you see that people like your works, you go back there. This motivates you. Nowadays it is very difficult to go out and like things because the market is full of absolutely everything. But back then, a lot of people did quite well.

Then the "transition" from the communist regime to democracy came and everything was quite different. That thing at "Crystal" continued. I continued working in this direction because there were prospects for the future. Then I started working with precious materials and stones - diamonds, gold, silver, etc. Afterwards, I returned to the initial materials again, because these materials are accompanied by other… I don’t know how to express it, by other people, other contacts. When you see that the situation is tense, you prefer to go back and see from where you’ve started. The material alone determines the price. I prefer working with more natural materials, because you feel calmer in a purely mental aspect. Everything else is a matter of customers’ choice. Even today, I have clients who say, "We want this made of gold. We want this made of silver" and there are no problems. The work is the same.

Music is everything to me. I'm a music lover. I listen to all kinds of music. You can find something interesting in every kind of music. Some people deny entirely the so called “chalga”, or modern Bulgarian pop-folk, but it is a matter of situation and where you are. You cannot say: "I don’t like this". It is still music. It was invented, somebody created it and it is now played. “Chalga” music and “chalga” culture are different things, though. I cannot do without music. This is what inspires me in everything.

Why a gallery? What challenges does your occupation with art imply?

The gallery has existed for 2 years, but we have been here at this street for 7 years. Otherwise, the whole idea came some 8-9 years ago. We have built everything slowly and gradually over time, because a person has no chance for a sudden growth. We are not magicians. We are here, on this street, we can call it our street – we were located a bit further down the same street before. I have been here since I was 14. First, my studio was here, and then a shop popped up. I think the spot is very interesting and it's absolutely different from everything that's around you.

We organise exhibitions. From the very beginning, we have hosted more than 25-30 exhibitions of individual artists. We try to offer different things. We constantly look for new people, active young people who do something different and raise interest. For example, we organised an exhibition some time ago called "Amulets and talismans." It turned out that everyone likes this topic. Hope, faith - people need to believe in something. It enjoyed significant interest.

There are people who visit the gallery just because they want to see what it offers. Hopefully, better times will come. Challenges are great, because art is the last thing that the majority of people pay attention to. The second floor of the gallery is all about delight, there are only paintings there. The first floor is for our material support - handmade jewellery, pottery, beads and materials for making jewellery. There must be some balance. If this thing downstairs wasn’t there, things wouldn't be happening at all.

We have projects for development. We are looking for new markets, because nothing happens here. Nevertheless, we will try to keep the gallery, although we will have to suffer privation. People who have galleries worldwide are successful and conduct this business just for their reputation and prestige. This is not their means of making a living. While here in Bulgaria, the situation is just the opposite. It's all about making a living.

What works of art does the gallery offer? How do you select artists?

All our artists are very different, very easy to understand. We select them randomly. They write to us, we enter into correspondence with them. Friends say: "We have a friend ..." I say, 'OK, let’s organise an exhibition." Most exhibitions have arisen absolutely spontaneously and surprisingly. When things are nice, people like them. Our gallery keeper has made a lot of contacts over time and that is priceless. A lot of people know us and things happen in this way. We are not in a hurry, this is the most important thing. We won’t get rich. The important thing is to have fun.

Your favourite artist and your favourite work of art?

I have many, many favourite artists, for example Roumen Nikolov, who was in Spain for 7 years and there he worked pretty well. We organised an exhibition for him and sold almost everything. Bogomil Arsov is also a very interesting artist. He hasn’t even graduated from the Art Academy, but has works of art in New York. We also have very interesting black-and-white artists and sculptors, such as Spartak Dermendjiev. Who else should I mention? Elka Gyoreva. We have young artists, too. Our popular pop singer Graffa’s sister was here just a few moments ago. She is a very young artist. Peter Nenov, too. He paints pictures of Sofia. And much, much more.

Have you encountered counterfeiters?

There aren’t so many interesting and famous artists here. There are interesting insights and ideas. When someone thinks of something good, even if somebody copied it, he will think of another thing. Everything can be copied. Information is available and when you offer works on the web, there is no way that nobody will copy them. But having an established style that is typical only of you would make it more difficult for somebody to copy you. The more people copy you, the more famous you have become. This is a kind of advertisement for you.

What should be changed in terms of legislation and tax policy so that on the one hand people could open their homes to Bulgarian art and on the other hand creative people and artists could be encouraged?

Nothing is done in this area. Too little money is spent in the field of art. Both Stefan Danailov and Vezhdi Rashidov, who are people of the artistic circles, have been Ministers of Culture, but they looked atfter their own interests and made some temporary stuff. In France, the largest budget paid by the government goes to culture and that is why things happen there. We are talking about theatres, ballets, galleries, etc. There, art is important, because it represents the nation and people. While here, what is honoured? I will not make a list, but will give some examples: people appreciate “chalga”... luxury cars, inferior feelings, etc. I do not know how things can become better, since we are talking about an entire generation that has been brought up in this way and with this kind of thinking - people who inevitably will affect life in Bulgaria at a certain point. I respect showman Slavi Trifonov, but he is the one who launched this whole culture and has been promoting these brainwashing practices for 10 years. There are people who grew up with this music. Imagine what will happen if these people come to power; imagine what kind of things agitate such leaders? This is a vacuum.

"Sofia Breathes" is a very good initiative. At first they did not take money from artists, because they were funded by euro funds, but now they take money even from artists who work on a small scale basis. The event should be directed to the presentation and support of such artists instead of profiting from them. In Austria, small shops that make handmade souvenirs pay no taxes and have no cash registers. Institutions collect money from large businessmen and industrialists. They encourage art life so that a different perspective can exist, because everything else is boring. When you go to an industrial city - it is dark. Nothing can be seen.

When I think back, an artist could take a small bag of statues and go to the seaside in order to sell them. With the money he could spend two months there, selling the things he has created. But there were no fees back then. If you want to go now and sell things they ask you to pay 2,000 BGN for a selling spot, or even 5,000 BGN. This is ridiculous. This is absurd! If you pay this kind of money, you're doomed to failure because you have to pay for accommodation and food, too.

The culture of Bulgarians is very difficult to form. Bulgarians are influenced by what they see around them and everybody says: "We want this, we want this ..." But then somebody else comes on the scene – a man with money, who can afford advertising in many places, and sets a very low standard. People need to be educated. I have a shop on Graf Ignatiev Street, too. And the audience that goes there is very different from the audience that comes here, on Tsar Ivan Shishman Street. The national psychology is very interesting. Generally, I know my colleagues and watch the trend in stores, i.e. what is popular at the moment. It's hard to educate people on aesthetics, beautiful and interesting things. Only people who have been abroad can make a comparison, see and understand.

What do you think should be changed so that we could be able to present our talented artists to the world in a better way?

Nothing is done for the presentation of Bulgarian artists abroad. Foreigners who come to Bulgaria like the things that are made here very much. Because they are fully hand-made which is visible. However, they do not know Bulgarian artists. If we want this to happen, there should be more events aimed at presenting Bulgarian artists. Exhibitions are organised, but they are too small compared to other things that happen abroad.

Tell us an interesting story about a piece of art or its creator?

We’ve had clients asking if we sell light bulbs, paper clips and ... buttons. They do not even ask, but come in directly because they have decided that we sell buttons.

Would you like to wish our readers something?

There are no ugly things. You cannot say that something is just ugly or just nice. You can always find something interesting even in ugly things. I wish them to see the beauty and all the interesting things around them, not just ugliness.