"The Tenderness of Strength" painting and sculpture exhibition by Nadezhda Shekerova and Seyfetin Shekerov / Sefo

About this event

ART MARCONI GALLERY Awarded the "Varna" Award 2022. Represents: 10.09 – 06.10. 2026 "THE GENTLENESS OF STRENGTH" Painting and plastic exhibition on NADEZDA SHEKEROVA AND SEIFETIN SHEKEROV/SEFO 6:30 p.m. 10/09/Thursday/ 2026 Varna, 22 Ohrid Street, Art Marconi Gallery The creative tandem of Nadezhda and Seyfetin Shekerovi is again a guest at the "Art Marconi" gallery. I admit, Nadia's pastel drawings provoked me for the title of the exhibition. Although her new pursuits are experiments in abstract painting, mixing alkyd paint, foil, resins and varac, for this exhibition she has also selected some classic dry pastel drawings as well as graphics. In this interesting extravaganza, against the background of the gentle gradients and almost lacy transparency of the abstractions, the drawings have a particularly dominant presence. The solid figures of the bulls, depicted at the moment of rebound and aiming for the decisive blow, strike with their power. With the fine fraction of the dry crayon, she manages to achieve a three-dimensional impression. The power and strength that the figures radiate is fascinating...Looking into the eyes of the bulls, however, the perception changes. The heat that emanates from them is the complete opposite of the initial sensation. It is here, in their eyes, that the gentleness of power shines through. We, the spectators, associating these animals with the bullfight, always see in them the primal force, the huge mass ready to fall with fury on the opponent, and we expect to see this fury in their eyes as well. Hope gives us another reading. They have no need of the arena, of the fights, of the bloodshed. Their power can be in harmony with the world. This year has been particularly busy for Seyfetin Shekerov/ Sefo with participation in major international projects as well as involvement with a sculpture project that is about to be unveiled but is still a secret. In the sculptures and drawings that he will present, Sefo has once again given a veil to the movement. He manages to pull his characters out of static, to animate the metal so that each figure follows its natural impulse. His drawings with horses complement the motto of the exhibition "The Tenderness of Strength". Vanya Markova - Art Marconi Gallery Nadezhda Shekerova was born in the city of Sliven in 1985. She completed her higher education in 2012 at the New Bulgarian University, Sofia, majoring in "Plastic Arts - Graphics and Illustration" under Prof. Dr. Johan Yotov and Prof. Dr. Kalina Hristova, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in "Graphics and Illustration". In 2024, he completed his master's degree at the National Academy - Sofia, majoring in "painting", under Prof. Zdravka Vasileva. Actively participates in collective national and international exhibitions. The year 2025 marks the beginning of their joint exhibitions with Seyfetin Shekerov/ Sefo. Varna is the third city in which they visit together, after Plovdiv and Burgas. Seyfetin Shekerov/ Sefo is a sculptor whose name is associated with the large monumental works scattered in different parts of Bulgaria: "The Lyre of Orpheus" in the town of Devin, radiating all the harmony of the world; a four-meter statue of a warrior-horseman in the center of Lovech, inspiring strength and steadfastness; the monument of Exarch Joseph, in the same city, who gathered with himself all wisdom and universal patience; The "Monument of the Guardsmen" in Sofia, in front of which we respectfully bow our foreheads; reflected in the waters of the Black Sea, the beautiful "Sea Nymph" near Burgas. This is only a small part of his monumental work. Sefo is also the creator of the "Eternal Flame" sculpture, dedicated to the May events of 1989, part of the so-called revival process (the forced change of the names of the Turks in the country in 1984-85 - author's note) in Kaolinovo Municipality. He is the author of many artworks awarded as awards - for "Investor of the Year", for the national award "Konstantin Konstantinov", the awards for the "Dominance of the Spirit" festival, organized by the "Start" foundation for children with disabilities, the "Kyril and Methodius" awards, awarded by the Ministry of Education to schools that have reached 100 years of age and older. The sculptor has over 40 solo exhibitions at home and abroad. His work is the bust-monuments of Hristo Botev in the high school in the town of Devin and of the prominent jurist Zivko Stalev in the Sofia District Court. Seyfetin Shekerov was born on August 29, 1971 in Sliven. He graduated from the Secondary Special School for Applied Arts there, and then from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, where he graduated in 1998, majoring in Sculpture The two authors live and work in the city of Sofia.