STANI PHOTOGRAPHY

Winter in Bulgaria

2012-01-24T20:03:00.000-08:00

MEMORIES FROM A CHILDHOOD

TASTE

SMELL

and

VISION

Kukeri in Razlog

TO BE CONTINUED

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2011-12-19T23:02:00.000-08:00

Winter

SNOW

Magic light

Warmth

and new beginning

It's the most wonderful time of the Year

The winter season, actually is the warmest season of the year. Why? One thing is that all the family holidays are during that season. This is the time of the year when we get closer to each other, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are giving and we thank each other. It's the time of the year when we think about others and when we share with others.

We have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas, we have Hanukkah, we have New Year, we have St. Valentines and many more other holidays.

Description for the word holiday

1. a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or in honor of some person.

2. any day of exemption from work ( distinguished from working day).

3 .a religious feast day; holy day, especially any of several usually commemorative holy days observed in Judaism.

4. Sometimes, holidays. Chiefly British . a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation.

During winter time it gets dark earlier, so you stay home most of the time and you spend more time with loved ones. And when is snowing and you are inside looking through the window is probably one of the most beautiful feelings you might have given it from the mother nature.

Winter is a celebration!

Share with others!

Love, Hope and Believe

Images were taken at Catskill, New York and Lake Tahoe, CA

Photography by Stanislava Georgieva

White Powder on the Dance Floor

Snow River

Snowflakes

Frozen Dream I

Snowman

Winter Shadows

Frozen Dream II

'I took my love and I took it down

Climbed a mountain then I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well the landslide brought me down'

Snow Covered Hills

Skiing and Snowboarding

Ice Skating

Avalanche

Oh Dionysus!!!

2011-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

A Day in Santa Ynez Valley, CA

Photography by Stanislava Georgieva

Sandoval Ranch and Vineyard

Jalama Cañon Ranch

The images are from one day project with editorial content emphasized on how to enjoy making a red wine.

Facts about the Californian Wine: In 1769, Franciscan missionary Father Junipero Serra planted the first California vineyard at Mission San Diego. Father Serra continued to establish eight more missions and vineyards until his death in 1784 and has been called the "Father of California Wine". The variety he planted, presumably descended from the original Mexican plantings, became known as the Mission grape and dominated California wine production until about 1880.

California's first documented imported European wine vines were planted in Los Angeles in 1833 by Jean-Louis Vignes. In the 1850s and '60s, the colorful Agoston Harazsthy, a Hungarian soldier, merchant and promoter, made several trips to import cuttings from 165 of the greatest European vineyards to California. Some of this endeavor was at his personal expense and some through grants from the state. Overall, he introduced about 300 different grape varieties, although some were lost prior to testing, due to difficulties in preserving and handling.

Considered the Founder of the California Wine Industry, Harazsthy contributed his enthusiasm and optimism for the future of wine, along with considerable personal effort and risk. He founded Buena Vista winery and promoted vine planting over much of Northern California. He dug extensive caves for cellaring, promoted hillside planting, fostered the idea of non-irrigated vineyards and suggested Redwood for casks when oak supplies ran low. www.winepros.org

To Whoever is Making a Red Wine: read the fallowing steps and below to make sure you are doing the right wine recipe. Everything is shown also on the illustrated images :

Step 1: The Harvest - The grapes are picked when they are ripe, usually as determined by taste and sugar readings.

The Swing

And the wild roses hurt...

Red, Red Wine...

And the fun has just began. :)

Step 2: Stemmer Crusher - This removes the stems from the grape bunches, and crushes the grapes (but does not press them) so that they are exposed to the yeast for fermenting, and so the skins can better impart color to the wine.

Step 3: Fermentation - Yeast turn the sugar in the wine primarily into Carbon Dioxide, Heat and Alcohol.

Red, red wine

Stay close to me

Don't let me be in love

It's tearin' apart

My blue, blue heart

Step 3: Maceration - This is how long the must (juice and grape solids) is allowed to sit, picking up flavor, color and tannin. Too long and the wine is bitter, to short and it is thin.

Step 4: Pumping Over - Skin and other solids float to the top, and need to be pushed back down to stay in contact with the must. This "cap" can be punched down with a tool, or you can pump must form the bottom over the cap and submerge it that way.

Step 5: End of Maceration? - The winemaker must decide if the must has sat long enough.

Step 6: Remove Free Run - The best quality wine is made just from the juice portion of the must. It is removed and the rest of the drier must (now called pomace) is sent to the press.

Step 7: Press - This squeezes the remaining juice out of the pomace. If you do it too hard, or too many times, you get low quality wine.

Step 9: Settle - The juice, now wine, needs to settle after this ordeal.

Step 10: Rack(ing) - Moving the wine from one barrel to a new barrel allows you to leave solids and anything that might cloud the wine, behind.

Step 11: Malo-Lactic Fermentation - This secondary fermentation can turn the tart malic acid (of green apples) into the softer lactic acid (of milk). Many, but not all red wines go through this step.
Step 12: Oak Aging - Oak is expensive, if the wine is not meant to age for years, the winery may put the wine in oak for only a short time, or not at all.

Step 13: Fining - A process that helps to remove anything that may be making the wine cloudy.
Step 14: Filtering - A process that removes any fining agents, or other undesirable elements in the wine.

And the last step is: Bottling - This is done carefully so that the wine does not come in contact with air. Finer wines may be stored for several years in bottles before they are released.

www.wineeducation.com

CHEERS!!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

from

Photographer 4 Rent

The Proposal

2011-10-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

‘THE PROPOSAL’

a group exhibition by the Bulgarian NYC based Artists:

Houben Tcherkelov

Daniela Kostova

Stanislava Georgieva

Millene Markov

Kosyo Minchev

Miryana Todorova

Georgi Georgiev

Eva Davidova

Georgi Tushev

Curated by Stani and Dani

VIP Cocktail Reception

October 27th, 2011, Thursday at 6:30pm-9:30pm

at the Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York

121 East 62^nd Street, New York

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

2011-10-17T10:53:00.002-07:00

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

2011-09-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Bulgarian Artists in America (BAA) at Immigrant Movement International

TEMPORARY STATUS

An event curated by Daniela Kostova

October 7th, 2011, 6:30PM-12AM

Immigrant Movement International, 108-59 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens,‎ NY‎ 11368

Tel: 718 424 6502, E-mail: united@immigrant-movement.us

Artists: Miryana Todorova, Georgi Toushev, Joro De Boro, Stanislava Georgieva, Daniela Kostova, Olivia Robinson.

“Always in motion, bodies and objects stay in a fluid state of change and potentiality: people get together or separate, accidents happen but what remains present is the exhilarating air of risk and uncertainty.” (Miryana Todorova about her work)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7NasSGCRcs&hd=1

The ambition of this event is to highlight artists of Bulgarian origin who live in the U.S., by showcasing their creative practices. All the works presented at IM International are collaborations among the show's participants, and reflect their immediate surroundings while creating a complex system of connections. They address issues of visibility, collectivity, crossing boundaries and overcoming limitations. Although the artists depend on each other in their work, they represent an open system that is seeking to connect and expand. Therefore we have invited a guest artist Olivia Robinson, part of our greater collaborative network.

The title Temporary Status reflects the in-between state of being an immigrant with a shifting bind to a particular geography, as well as the unstable mode of an art career defined by a specific contexts and level of recognition.

This event is the second in a series of initiatives by BAA, a professional organization that serves as a platform for artists and cultural workers of Bulgarian origin living in the U.S. The U.S. is home to the largest part of the Bulgarian Diaspora, with NY's highest concentration residing in Queens. In the context of "useful art," a term coined by Tania Bruguera (IM International), we find our role of creating a forum and serving this community’s needs through arts to be very important. Our events therefore aim to reach out to and beyond the Bulgarian community in the US and to celebrate multiculturalism.

The Program:

A screening of Body Without Organs —Bulgarian Bar, a documentary by Daniela Kostova about the legendary place, will open the night. Staring Dj Joro-Boro and Eugene Hutz (Gogol Bordello), this is a movie celebrating the nomadic spirit and shared community of NYC.

An artists and musician, Joro-Boro is also portrayed in Stanislava Georgieva’s series Nomads—a series of intriguing photographs of single men captured in the precarious uncertainty of their temporary homes.

Another subject of this series is Georgi Toushev, photographed with his hand-made remotely controlled aircrafts fitted with built-in video cameras. Tushev has developed a body of work using these aircraft, called First Point of View, challenging our physical limitations by showing unidentified landscapes from above. For the event in Corona the artist will fly an aircraft over the neighborhood and later screen the recorded video.

Miryana Todorova, whose performances often involve the artists in the show as participants or documentarians, will present the video Towards Movable Architecture. Catalyst for this piece is the performative instability, which becomes a device to revolutionize the way we move in space.

Similar is the approach in Olivia Robinson’s interactive performance Negotiations, where an alien figure played by Daniela Kostova is under surveillance by her own attached policeman outfitted with video camera.

The night will culminate in a party without borders led by DJ Joro-Boro who is also showing a video Charlatan of Junk Projection as Joro De Boro.

Expo teaser video from Corona, Queens made by Georgi Toushev.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information please contact:

Daniela Kostova

Tel: 646-484-0689

E-mail: danykosto@hotmail.com

bulgarian.artists.in.america@gmail.com

Bulgarian Artists in America
'Заедно сме Повече'

Hurricane Irene before tomorrow in Zone A

2011-08-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

The Ghosts of Coney Island and Brighton Beach

All the images are made between 4:30 and 7 pm on Saturday 08/27. pm. Although, the shore area around Coney Island and Brighton Beach looked like ghost town , there were still some residents refusing to evacuate and preferred to stay home. On the streets you would see mostly NYPD and NYFD cars. Scared birds were flying above the beach, ships were leaving NY, parents with kids came for sightseeing of the dark ocean, the kids were laughing, running and playing under the rain. Everyone was waiting and preparing for Irene.

Ships and Cruses are entering the Atlantic Ocean and leaving New York before Irene's arrival.

Verizano Bridge, Staten Island, NY before the Hurricane Irene.

Kids playing under the rain and watching the leaving ships from NY.

Park Slope residents sightseeing the ocean before the hurricane hits it later in the next morning.

The wind is already very strong to hold the umbrella open.

Shell - gas station is closed in Coney Island.

before evacuation, some of the residents took care of the properties in the area. Sand bags were stocked in front of the door, blocking the upcoming flood to enter inside the building.

Coney Island is looking like ghost town...

All stores are closed , except the liqueur store next door.

Another gas station closed.

Coney Island converted as ghost town after the evacuation of its residents.

Some of Coney Island's residents are still refusing evacuation. They do assert that they will stay home and not go anywhere.

Windows marked the same as during the World War II

A father with his son are going to the grocery store for shopping. However, excited and not going anywhere further than that. They said that are going to wait for the Hurricane Irene at home.

All the parking meters looking like soldiers ready for action. No cars and no people in the are of Coney Island beach.

Only homeless people are walking around the beach area, refusing to leave and evacuated. Nothing can scare them.

Everything is closed!

Evacuation!

No food and beer are served at least today and tomorrow!

Even the most famous hot dog place got scared from Irene.

No money, no honey!

Closed!

Brighton Beach Ave , like you have never seen it before. To all the Russian residents: You MUST evacuate!

The pharmacy is closed too. Stay safe, dry and take care of yourself!

Not everyone is leaving Brighton Beach Area. He says and asserts: 'I am a supervisor of the building right there, I am not going anywhere.'

More stubborn Brighton Beach residents and homeless people refusing to evacuate and wondering outside what's going on with the weather and where everyone is.

The Ghosts live here.

Attention please: to all the residents of the building who belong to Zone A an evacuation is mandatory.

Crossing the red flags is prohibited by NYC law!

Happy Brighton Beach resident is walking on the sidewalk before it's all covered by the water later.

Who said that was crazy crowded in the supermarkets? Not at 7 pm on Saturday. Only few people were shopping and few employees were organizing the shelves in the entire Western Beef supermarket on Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn, NY.

Apparently, New Yorkers love sugar.

Yes, water is on first place in the shopping list.

Number 2 is bread on the grocery list.

Western Beef employee is still working hard after the hurricane entered in the store the day before. He doesn't know if the store will be open on Sunday.

Black Sea Fun(d:)raiser Party for Bulgarian Artists in America

2011-08-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

About the Event and Bulgarian Artists in America:

Bulgarian Artists in America is created by artists for artists. It supports and represents Bulgarian artists living in America as well as people interested in Bulgarian art and culture and the art itself. So far this has been done through our Art Dates – a series of social networking events and art promotions featuring Bulgarian talent in the American art scene.

After one year of activities, connecting and establishing Bulgarian Art community in America including international artists, it is time to make the leap. Black Sea Fun(d:)raiser Party is our first of its kind event where mix of international artists will contribute with their art to a legitimate establishing of BAA as a professional art organization in The United States. In order to exist, keep functioning and being active and successful, we need your support. Please, come and support BAA and its mission! Give your donation of minimum $10 at the door. In addition to it there will be artwork for sell donated by the contributing artists, plus plenty of food, happy hour and more!

About the Contributing Artists:

Stanislava Georgieva graduated the School of Visual Arts in 2010 with BFA in Photography . She receives The 2010 New York Photo Award for Best Personal Work with her project 'Nomads' , which was recently exhibited in The Red House in Sofia, Bulgaria and it was published in Tema magazine. In the summer of 2010 Stanislava takes the self initiation to create Bulgarian artists community living in The States under the name of Bulgarian Artists in America. As art is universal and has no identity and origin, the purpose of BAA is professional connection between Bulgarian born artists and international one as well as the lock of such an organization that is needed by the society. www.stanislavageorgieva.co m, www.photographer4rent.com, staniphotography.blogspot. com

The Shrinks is a NYC based ensemble founded by Milan Patel (sax), Dan Gollin (drums) and Iliyan Ivanov (guitar) in 2002 as the three were completing their training in psychiatry as residents at Mount Sinai Hospital. After starting as a blues and jazz-rock band and working with different musicians, the group changed course to classical jazz after the three were joined by Matt Swan (bass) and Grant Jarrett (piano) in 2006. Since then, they performed exclusively in NY expanding their repertoire from jazz standards to contemporary jazz songs. In 2007 The Shrinks accepted an invitation from the Consul General of the Republic of Bulgaria in NYC and started the Christmas Jazz Bash at the Bulgarian Consulate that has been running strong since then and will celebrate its 5th anniversary in December 2011.

Maria Koleva studied at the acclaimed National School for Folklore Arts in Shiroka Laka, Bulgaria. She has been singing since 10 years old and has won numerous musical awards in the traditional folk music with her great expressive singing and truly melodic and rich tone. Maria moves to The USA at the age of 16th as she was performing with Kolev Family Esemble ‘Balkan Voices’ and together with Ivan Milev’s ‘Balkan Band’ Currently, she is residing in New York and she is part of ‘Bulgarika Band’. Together they are going to be touring nationally throughout September and October For more information on the tour stay tuned with Bulgarian Artists in America.

www.gadular.com

Marc Nasdor (DJ Poodlecannon) grew up in Baltimore but has lived in New York City forever. He was a resident DJ at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar from 2006-11, scouring the planet to spin global party music. He has performed at venues around NYC, and in Baltimore, Budapest, Pécs (Hungary), Nantes (France), Mexico City and Mérida (Yucatan). http://marcnasdor.wordpres s.com/

Violeta Angelova is the only Bulgarian-American Ballerina. She is a Soloist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, performing principal parts in such ballets as "La Sonnambula", "Agon" et al. After dancing with a number of other companies, Violeta joined The John F. Kennedy Center’s own in order to work closely with America’s most illustrious ballerina – Suzanne Farrell. Due to travel schedules Violeta will participate in our fundraiser not with a dance, but with a couple of conceptual drawings and some images that represent her style and artistic direction. Please visit Violeta’s website at www.violetaangelova.com for more info, performance dates and the ballerina’s blog.

Vlada and Valentina have sung together for the better part of a year, and greatly enjoy the natural harmonic beats of their voices. To the delight and surprise of joggers and passers by, Vlada and Valia can be spotted practicing Bulgarian village and Russian Cossack songs while strolling their sons in the city parks of Brooklyn.

Vlada Tomova came to the United States from Bulgaria 15 years ago to study jazz singing at Boston's Berklee College of Music. She went on to found New York City's first Bulgarian women's choir, Yasna Voices, and scored a hit with Israeli dance group Balkan Beat Box. She tours the U.S. and Europe with her contemporary folk fusion group Balkan Tales, with kaval master Theodosii Spassov, and with world pop ensemble The Lazarus Rose. http://www.vladatomova.com /

Valentina Kvasova is a professional dancer specializing in Russian, Cossacks, Ukrainian, and Russian Gypsy (Roma) traditional dances. She was born in Rostov-na-Donu, Cossack' s Capital of Russia, and currently lives and works in New York. Valentina is the main dancer and choreographer of Barynya, the US premiere Russian music and dance ensemble. Valentina is also a passionate and skilled singer, having grown up attending her mother's choir rehearsals with the Rostov Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble. http://www.barynya.com/kva sova.htm

Ina Sotirova - film http://www.inart.cosmusart .org/enter.html

Maya Choi - photography http://www.mayachoi.com/

Usha - photography http://www.ushata.com/inde x.htm

Vanina Tsoneva - http://www.onlineportfolionyc.com/

Event Photography by Usha and Vanina Tsoneva

For contact: bulgarian.artists.in.america@gmail.com or 646-775-1448

Thank you and Hope to see you all there and have your support

Love :)

Stanislava Georgieva - founder

and

Bulgarian Artists in America team

Young Photographers Alliance Portfolio Review EXPOSE

2011-08-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

www.youngphotographersalliance.org
Portfolio Reviews

Even the best raw talent needs a strong network of clients and contacts to succeed. For most aspiring photographers, developing such a network proves too hard, and ultimately they fail to launch sustainable careers as a result. Through our Portfolio Reviews, we give selected, promising, young photographers the elusive one-on-one time with leading photographers, editors and art buyers.

We are therefore delighted to launch our new Portfolio Reviews program, exclusively for YPA21 members ...

2011 Portfolio Review & Exposé – in collaboration with WIN-Initiative

Location: Neo Studios, Suite 401, 628 Broadway, New York, NY
Date: Saturday September 24, 2011
Review times: 10am-5pm
Party (tbc): 5pm-8pm

Registration will open week beginning August 1st. We invite applications from all YPA21 members. Selected applicants will be invited to a one-on-one portfolio review event in New York City on September 24, 2011. All other applicants will receive feedback on their work before the end of September 2011, and will be notified of future portfolio reviews, which we plan to hold in various cities in 2012 and beyond.

In your application you will be asked to provide ten medium resolution images (around 2 megapixels), along with links to your website(s) and a brief statement about yourself and what inspires your work. The deadline for applications will be August 21, 2011.

Please note that spaces are limited and not all applicants will be selected for a one-on-one review. Travel expenses to/from New York City must be covered by the applicant.

Look out for more events in other parts of North America throughout 2012 as we develop this new program.

We look forward to seeing your work.www.youngphotographersalliance.org

Alumni Art Exhibition at LIVEWIRE

2011-07-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

JUNE 2011 LAGUARDIA’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY

Pictured: (l-r) Emilia and Stanislava

'Bulgarian Bachelors in New York' is the title at Tema magazine

2011-06-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

'Nomads' - now on view in Bulgaria

2011-06-25T06:40:00.001-07:00

'Nomads' opens at The Red House, Sofia on 06/20 from 6:30 pm

2011-06-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Proud to announce:

Номади: Nomads

by
Stanislava Georgieva

06/20 - 07/04

3pm - 7 pm, except weekends

Gulliver Hall

The Red House- Center for Culture and Debate,
15 Luben Karavelov Str.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Reception on 06/20 6:30 pm

The opening of the exhibitions is followed by a debate with the authors’ participation at

7:30 p.m. with the participation of prof. Maria Popova.

'Nomads' is presented in the Month of Photography, which is part of the photography organization

Photo Academy - Yanka Kyurkchieva in Bulgaria.

“Nomads” is a project portraying the everyday life of single Bulgarian men in New York. Most of these men are employed in the financial sector of Manhattan. Through the interiors of these people everyday life is revealed the psychological and the social side of the Bulgarian independent Bachelor abroad , as well as the immigration not as an identity , but as physical and psychological process that occurs in time from past to present.

'The entire project is presented in diptychs, two images of the same man. Each diptych shows the passage of time. They represent immigrant life as a state of moving from one place to another, mentally and physically. Being an immigrant is not a fixed identity, it is about the process that occurs in time from the past to the present.

The fallowing text bellow is a transcript and part of the interviews with the Bulgarian Bachelors I took. In the written transcript I mix the two languages (Bulgarian and English), the same way some of them mix both languages as their adaptation in America. The texts are made to serve as a visual presentation in order to emphasize the concept of being an immigrant and living in between, not as a literal transcript.'

The rest of the texts and the artists statement can be seen at www.stanislavageorgieva.com

Жоро Б. (Joro B.): The home за мен е people, с които се чувстваш комфортно. Ако е роднини и family значи това ти е домът. И вече като place е, когато си с хората, с които си comfortable. Трудно ми е да приема идеята за дом като single man. …В Bulgaria живеехме последните десетина години преди да се преместя в щатите с майка ми все renting и сменяхме квартири. За това идеята ми не е чак толкова място домът, че няма как да се привържа, че всичкото е temporary, така че за мен няма огромна разлика това дали съм immigrant or not и в Bulgaria беше пак такъв тип temporary living. Напротив, here даже е less temporary, щото тук в този apartment съм вече 2000 -2009 значи 9 years, което ми е много по-дълго от апартаментите в България. За сега съм в New York, до година може и някъде другаде. по принцип ми се ще да се преместя, но Ню Йорк е едно unique place, трудно се напуска. …И съответно така си третиран и ти се чувстваш като stranger, и неизбежно се чувстваш outsider. но след това като дойдох вече в New York, е много трудно да се чувстваш като чужденец, защото е толкова cosmopolitan, че всички са aliens. Обикновенно реакцията ми е най-странна към хора, които са born in New York, защото те са най-редките ‘животни’ тука. Такива хора не се срещат много често. Поне в средите около мене, ясно е, че има много кореняци new yorkers, но понеже аз communicate най-вече with immigrants от различни страни. …Bulgaria в настоящето няма някаква nostalgia, защото I don’t feel като част от нея. интересна ми е като страна определено, пред очите ми е, израстнали сме през communism, след това the changes, след това the new kind of capitalism. Определено е интересно да се гледа, но като не си там, не си някаква част от тази култура и тази страна, няма такава connection да мога да кажа “hey you, see, this is my home”. Immigrant е най-точното определение. Защото като кажеш имигрант това казва какъв си бил и какъв си в момента. Това е process, имигрант не е установена идентичност. Вече като си второ поколение имигрант, си с fixed identity докато тази е винаги between. …Които са с динамична идентичност, open minded. Обикновенно е интересно to communicate с някой, който има въпроси отколкото да има отговори на въпросите. …Обикновенно казвам we are all immigrants. ©

'Frankie' is completed

2011-06-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Now you can watch 'Frankie' I

Directed and Written by Mike Pappa

Watch the Trailer on VIMEO

and

To find out more about 'Frankie' click here: http://www.frankiemovie.com/

Still Photography by Stanislava Georgieva

Music Has No Age

2011-06-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

The Rhythm of Summer

Location: St. Petersburg, Florida

Treasure Island

The city of Gulfport

Mexican Gulf

Atmosphere: Fiesta

Hormones: Oxytocin

It’s summer, people are outside, birds are singing, you can hear the ocean waves from miles hitting the shore. In the afternoon people are gathering under the shadow. Music is in the air. The air is filled with sound, smells and the light is constantly changing its colors and contrast. It’s Sunday, late afternoon and Treasure Island, FL is getting crowded. People are rushing to the beach with lot of excitement like they are going to miss something very important – The Drum Circle on dusk. As the sun is going down, everyone is waving to it for farewell. After dusk stars are filling the sky and both the ocean and beach are lit by the full moon. On the other side of town, during the hot afternoons, under the thick shadows at Gulfport, senior snowbirds are gathered by music as well, where they enjoy themselves, sing evergreens and remember their youth. Most of the songs are about love, care, happiness, and romantic relationships. Watching them singing makes you realize that love and music have no age.

Summer, wind and Kite Surfing

2011-06-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

BEFORE and AFTER

2011-06-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

BEFORE and AFTER

Client: Daniela Kostova

Cosmonaut 1001

Archival Inkjet Print, 53 x 38 in., 2011

Cosmonoaut 1001 is currently on view at Institute for Contemporary Art, Sofia
exhibition 'After the Flight', curator Iara Boubnova

SCRAP OPERA SERIES

Archival Inkjet Print, 16 x 20 in., 2011

Text by Daniela Kostova

This series of photographs depicts a couple of squatters in a ruined Victorian mansion. An open-air kitchen is a stage for obscure performance: pregnant woman with horns; man in a dirty morning robe and sleeping mask; old chicken bones garnishing a fine table setting. Bulgarian pagan tradition flavors this pre-apocalyptic American opera. Are these people living out a cruel fantasy with other people’s garbage? Are we witnessing choice or necessity?

Photography: Stanislava Georgieva Design: Asen Iliev

Spring Fever

2011-05-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Spring Song and Maria Koleva

Pictured: Maria Koleva, Location: New York, USA

'Каква е пролет пукнала

Лисна са гора зелена

Всичкине пилци запеха

Запеха и засвиреха.'

The MAGIC Of Bulgarian Voices & Music - Zaidi Zaidi Jasno lance -Iva Davidova

Spring Is Here

Once there was a thing called Spring
When the world was writing
Verses like yours and mine
All the boys and girls would sing
As we sat at little tables and drank May wine
Now April, May and June
Seem sadly out of tune
Life has stuck a pin in the balloon
Spring is here, Why doesn't my heart go dancing
Spring is here, why isn't the waltz entrancing
No desire, no ambition leads me
Maybe it's because nobody needs me
Spring is here, why doesn't the breeze delight me
Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me
Maybe it's because nobody loves me
Spring is here
Spring is here
Spring is here
I hear

From the Archive
Bulgaria, the summer of 2008

The images depict Bulgarian dancers performing traditional folklore dancing from different areas in Bulgaria. Their outfits are specific for the region those dances are performed.
The singer Nikolina Chakardakova is of the most talented Bulgarian folklore singers.

Pictured: Nikolina Chakardakova, Sofia 2008

Coming Soon!! 'Fine Arts Alumni Exhibition' Reception - May 20th

2011-05-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

You will have the opportunity to see few new pieces from the project 'Theaters of Prey: strip clubs in America' exhibited in the show.

* Reception on May 20th 5 - 9 pm.

During the week: by appointment only

Saturdays: open to the public

Please, read all the details bellow.

LaGuardia Community College

Alumni Art Exhibition from May 14-22

Reception on May 20

Long Island City, NY--The Humanities Department of LaGuardia Community College is pleased to announce an Alumni Exhibition of graduates from the Fine Arts Program to be held at The Experimental Space at Reis Studios 43-01 22nd Street, Long Island City, Queens. The Exhibition will run from May 14th through May 22nd with a reception for the artists on Friday, May 20th from 5-9 p.m. Admission-free and open to the public.

Fine Arts graduates from LaGuardia are highly sought after as transfer students by the most prestigious and competitive art programs in the country. Students in the Fine Arts Program benefit from an internationally diverse student body and a faculty of working artists committed to providing students with hands on experience in the foundations including life drawing, art history, sculpture, painting, as well as analog and digital photography.

This exhibition represents a sample of artists who work in such diverse mediums as photography, sculpture, multi-media installation, painting and video. The artists in this exhibition are recent graduates from the School of Visual Arts, Yale University, The Art Institute of Chicago and Hunter College, as well as other four year programs. The work in this exhibition represents not just the cultural diversity of the student body but the excellence and ambition that these artists bring to their diverse mediums. The exhibition will bring to the fore conceptual rigor, visceral materiality and the narrative, all bound by artistic ambition and idiosyncratic desire.

Inquiries should be sent to: Michael Rodriguez, Chair/Humanities Department, mirodriguez@lagcc.cuny.edu

• • • •

LaGuardia Community College located in Long Island City, Queens, was founded in 1971 as a bold experiment in opening the doors of higher education to all, and we proudly carry forward that legacy today. LaGuardia educates students through over 50 degree, certificate and continuing education programs, providing an inspiring place for students to achieve their dreams. Upon graduation, LaGuardia students’ lives are transformed as family income increases 17%, and students transfer to four-year colleges at twice the national average. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), LaGuardia is a nationally recognized leader among community colleges for boundary-breaking success educating underserved students. At LaGuardia we imagine new ideas, create new curriculum and pioneer programs to make our community and our country stronger. Visit www.laguardia.edu to learn more.

The Experimental Space at Reis Studios is an exhibition space dedicated exclusively to experimental ideas in contemporary art. Among several of our innovative projects, the Visiting Curator’s Program is a unique opportunity for curators from various organizations to present their projects in our spaces as well as art lovers from the local community and greater New York area. The Experimental Space is located at Reis Studios, an international community of established and emerging artists from 20 nations.

Happy Easter! Love and Peace!

2011-04-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Man holding a candle. Hundreds of Bulgarians gathered to attend the Easter Ceremony last night ( April 23rd) at the Bulgarian church ' St. Kiril and Metodi' in New York City, NY USA.

Houben Tcherkelov in the Venice Biennale

2011-03-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Houben Tcherkelov represents Bulgaria

in the Venice Biennale this year

An article in the Bulgarian edition of MAX magazine about the Bulgarian artist Houben Tcherkelov was published in September, 2010 issue. Along with the article, photographs taken by me in Houben's NYC studio were also published in the magazine.

Tcherkelov is one of the selected Bulgarian artists at the Venice Biannual this year. His work will be exhibited at Palazzo Carminati. The opening will be on June 4th, 2011.

Currently, he lives and works in New York City.

'Ignorance'

2011-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Past in Present

Text and Photography by: Stanislava Georgieva

Poetry by: Miryana Todorova

Time: 21st Century

Place: Somewhere in Bulgaria

Present: Abandoned

Past: Developed

Future: Unknown

Made in: Past in Present

It has been almost three years since I went back to Bulgaria in the summer of 2008 to work on the project ‘Past in Present’. I was surrounded by the memories and places from my past. The Images created are illustrating the remains of post-communist Bulgaria, the threshold between two political regimes where a ghost from the past still lives in the present.

Her childhood started in the year of 1981, when she was born. She was born and raised between two political regimes, which encounter the changes in Eastern Europe in 1989, only able to wear the blue tie in her first grade.

Once upon a time, there were Cultural Center and Youth Center, a stadium and a playground, which were all full of people and life. They were young, they played, sang, danced, and performed. They played sports and competed with each other; they were free, young and innocent. One day, everything was forgotten and abandoned by them. Only the concrete remains were left behind; the concrete that was poured by the beliefs of their parents and grandparents.

Trees started growing and bricks started falling. The halls were empty. No play and no music, no dancing and no singing. It was complete silence. Memories were turned into black and white photographs hidden somewhere in the great grand parents’ drawers. They were growing in the present, hounted by the ghost of the past and living without future.

Concrete monuments were destroyed and history was erased from the ground, not even a dust, not even scent or a sound left behind. The concept of history changed, books were written in a new language and new theories were created. The second language changed from eastern to western. The cultural landscape has collapsed and was neglected. How confusing, how frustrating, how naïve and how ideological is everything. Images of memories, history, life, beliefs, dreams, hopes, changes, freedom, past, present and future…

The Czech writer Milan Kundera explains the concept of nostalgia and living between the past and the present. In his novel ‘Ignorance’ he writes: "In that etymological light nostalgia seems something like the pain of ignorance, of not knowing. You are far away, and I don’t know what has become of you. My country is far away, and I don’t know what is happening there." For someone who has moved from one place to another their mental or physical state create an illusion that what has been in the past is the same in the present, but actually things are very different, as time brings an inevitable change.

The following images are revelation of identity and memories. Those images are documentation of one person’s childhood memories. However, they are not reflection of the contemporary life in the geographical area nowadays.

I look back,

I go back,

I look around,

I am ready to know...

A beam of light for a second.

The dawn will come soon.

A little bit more and will be there.

I step back again

because

I still belong here.

Cracks, cracks, cracks.

To separate reality from dreams of better life.

People learning to play in a future full of new challenges.

I walk through the space again;

I look back,

I think back.

I lose myself listening to the old on the road back,

back again, and back again.

That's no longer enough.

The past was too difficult.

The future is open, hopeful,

It gives promises.

No tread to fallow.

Search for the lost piece,

but answers are buried.

Memories reappear in the dust,

Among the old papers

bit by bit , but never a complete fragment.

I'm scared of going back.

I'm scared of hiding,

but can't face troubles.

I'm tired, I need to escape,

to find a new way,

one that speaks to me and one that I can trace.

I walk through the space again;

I look back.

I loose myself,

Listening to the old on the road back,

back again, and back again...

I make a sketch,

I situate myself in the picture,

but the background is fading.

I add more color, but it keeps drawing.

Words echo,

screams fallow

then laughter,

then parents whisper a child lullaby.

I dive into the action.

The moment felt frozen like running through

A dark tunnel and never seeing the end.

Forgotten spaces wait to be recreated.

Abandoned objects lay on the isolate yard,

waiting for somebody to encounter.

I make a sketch

I situate myself in the picture,

but the background ids fading.

I add more color, but it keeps drawing.

I walk through the space again;

I look back.

I loose myself,

Listening to the old on the road back,

back again, and back again...

Division of space I can't see beyond the open field.

My feet are freezing

I stop...

I'm out of breath.

I can't jump forward.

I can't forget...

Happy Valentine's Day :)

2011-02-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to All who Love, who are In Love, who are Loved, who show their Love, share their Love..

Love each other, Respect each other, Care for others..

'Love should be shown each day to significant others who is there for us no matter what! '

'MAKE LOVE NOT WAR' John Lenon

The hearts are created by Rada Angelova

The Valley of Longevity: nature and peace

2011-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Location: Banana Republic - Vilcabamba, Ecuador

Time of the year: January, 2011

People: International

Altitude: 1500 m above the sea level

State of mind and body: very balanced and high energy

Level of Stress: 0

Life: very simple

Colors: yellow, green and blue

Info: http://enchantingwind.com/

Augusto, 98 years old man, likes to flirt,
typical for latino men

Vilcabamba, Ecuador - the Valley of Longevity! Believe it or not, all people there- young or old- have a similar state of mind, like the spirit of a little kid chasing the butterflies from one flower to another trying to catch them and let them fly again.

A taxi cab was waiting for me at the Catamayo airport. The driver, named Fabrizio, spoke English so I had the chance to ask him questions about the place I was going to. My ride to Vilcabamba from the airport was going through twisted and turning two-sided mountain roads. It was raining and very difficult to see what was at front on the road, however, Fabrizio was driving at an oddly fast pace which by the way was considered normal for Ecuador. He was accelerating and passing all around the slow buses and trucks in front of us. Cars were coming towards us and I was terrified we would end up in an accident. I could not even grasp how we made it to move forward. Almost at the very end of the ride, the road opened up to a view of the valley surrounded by beautiful green hills, which are covered in clouds every early morning during the rainy season. They say those hills are the guardians to protect the town from evil forces.

Mandango Peak - Inka trail, view at Vilcabamba

Although foreigners have been living in this town for more than 20 years, in the last couple of years there was a big boom of people coming from all over the world (mostly from US, England, Australia, Korea, Japan and Germany) to settle down in this magical place. The newcomers still speak mostly English between each other but of course, they had to learn Spanish, as they were now to become part of Ecuador and therefore of South America.

Maya, Bruce and Linda playing tennis

In the last few years locals or developers from Australia or the US have been building houses for people who retired (mostly immigrants from the US). Those communities have tennis courts, swimming pools and beautiful gardens with all exotic flowers. Apparently, with that in mind you can imagine the price of the land got higher and higher. In opposition to that, many Ecuadorians from outside of town complain about the high speed of destruction of the nature in those territories. They say ‘Vilcabamba used be a Paradise’. However, the locals cannot protest much as the newcomer investment businesses help develop the economy of the town.

People moved here for different reasons. Most of them are young families or retired couples but there are a lot of backpack travelers as well looking for simple, inexpensive living situation and for the experience of being closely connected to nature.

Many of the younger people (age 25-40) are very ecologically aware and nature-oriented. They produce their own food – vegetables, fruits- the better part are vegetarians or raw food eaters. They make their own soap and cosmetics hand-produced from extracts from plants without using any chemicals. The resulting natural (organic) products are usually available for selling at the local restaurants where tourists and locals gather to have their meals. You will find a German restaurant, Belgian restaurant, American restaurant and of course Ecuadorian restaurant in Vilcabamba. The food offered in the dinning places is also produced locally and that’s why it tastes just extremely delicious.

Luke, Sara and Lili having a walk around their garden

Women give birth to their children at home and the kids are raised at home without attending public schools either. Most parents believe that going to an actual school is not the better way for a kid to learn about the world or what they need to know to grow up, which reminds me of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie ‘Twins’, who was raised in an island by philosophers.

Many of those gringos as the local people called them or expatriates are into spirituality, practicing traditional Andean ceremonies like San Pedro and Ayawaska often called ‘ the medicine’ which help you clean your body and mind. It is a way to reconnect with nature and see things differently in a better way.

The ceremonies make you start seeing things that you usually cannot see or hear, visual forms that are beautiful and make you feel closer to nature (sun, sky, water, plants, animals, fire..) People who are not part of those movement and community feel skeptical about those rituals and call them ‘natural drugs’ or ‘hallucinogenic drugs’. However, the mescaline content in San Pedro does not have the same effect as taking LSD drug, which makes you see and believe in things that they are not real. That is why you have the ceremonies so you can open your senses to what is available in nature already.

Ayawaska means ‘spirit vine’ in Quechua and it is made from various plants. It has a stronger effect and brings up more detail on the visual experience than San Pedro. San Pedro is in fact a cactus which has been used in the Andes’ medicine, healing and religious rituals, for more than thousands of years. They say it heals nervous conditions, joint problems, drug addictions, cardiac diseases and high blood pressure. By tradition, the Shaman Indians initiated the actual ceremonies and even nowadays they lead the rituals that mostly happen in the jungle.

The Women Sacred Songs'Circle at Sara's beautiful garden

From my prospective, after personally experiencing San Pedro on New Year’s Eve (without a Shaman leading a ceremony), I can tell you that the experience of it really felt like I developed a stronger connection with spirit of nature. Somehow if you saw ‘Avatar’ and where all the beautiful flowers and plants were moving (breathing and ‘dancing’) that was partly what I felt like, too. It helped me to understand the way Native Americans saw the world around them and their appreciation for nature—the earth, sky, sun and water altogether as main forces of life. I should also mention that at New Year’s Eve I was in a beautiful garden with tropical fruit trees and exotic flowers while birds singing after the rain stopped and stars filled up the sky. Suddenly, fireflies came down to the earth and lit up the air like natural New Year’s fireworks.

Food produced locally

Being in Vilcabamba for two weeks was really one of a kind life experience for me – entirely experiencing the nature, eating healthy food grown in the local gardens, attending yoga classes with my new friend Caroline for only $4 for 1 ½ hrs of practice, having full body relaxing massages with Piedad for only $20, horse-riding with private guide which I have never done before. I climbed up and down on steep tiny roads and ride to a hill where you can have an unforgettable 360 degree view of the mountains surrounding Vilcabamba. One time, I hiked to Mandango Peak – the Inka trail, which is right above the town and experienced another 360 degree view of not only the town itself but the entire area. Looking further ahead, I was able to see the rain about to fall on the calm mountains.

For all my time spent there, I did not see any angry person, any sad person, any unhealthy person, any person sending e-mails or texting through their blackberries or iphones. All the people- foreigners, locals, old and young- seemed so relax and happy, enjoying the morning mist, the afternoon sun and the endless sky with millions of shimmering stars at night. Perhaps, this is not a reality, it is not the real world we will live in, but once in a while we all need to see that to realize how important nature is and how dependent we are on it to feel full of energy, cure our illnesses, calm down our anger, reduce the stress.. to fully love and laugh day after day.

The area of Vilcabamba has no growing industry to pollute it. It is mainly small local businesses and taking care of nature, growing your own food and products. There is nothing to be stressed about. Everything seems so simple. The weather is always beautiful, warm and sunny, yet there are two seasons, dry and rainy. No wonder people there live much longer and are always well bright like Augusto who is 98-year-old and trying to run after me like a little kid. He was enjoying life, kissing my arm and excitingly posing for my photographs.

Piedad at her massage parlor

Mama Luz, 77 years old

Rozalia, 87 years old, sells vegetables and fruits in front of her house produced in her garden

Jennifer Anahi, 3 and half years old,

pretending to talk on her toy cell phone

Thank you Vilcabamba! Thank you Andes!

And entered PDN Annual !

2011-02-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Go to PDN Annual Contest latest entries to see what I entered this time

The Top 100

2011-01-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

I am very glad to announce that I have been selected at Top 100 at ONE Life Photography Project by Artists Wanted and PDN Magazine .

Stoyan P. I, 2009 Номади: Nomads Stoyan P. II, 2009

I am back from Ecuador, Colombia and Panama City !

2011-01-26T19:23:00.000-08:00

The blizzard, NYC and aftermath!!

2010-12-28T19:03:00.001-08:00

Documenting Gentlemen's Clubs - Path to the Paradise

2010-11-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

The story BTS!

Location:

I have been working on this project for more than a year. Traveling, driving, shooting and sneaking around in daytime to find what emerges only at night - 'gentlemen's clubs'. I documented places in New York, New Jersey, Arizona and Maryland so far with the aim of exploring more and more locations around the States where each place brings another asset to the American cultural landscape and urban architecture.

People often ask me how and where I find these clubs. First, I do my online research and google map the locations. Then, I group them according to the areas of the town or suburbs they are at and therefore, I could estimate the distances and organize my trip in terms of time and travel.

Once I get to a certain city to look for gentlemen’s clubs, it seems like there is always one particular area that is populated with strip clubs. For instance, in Syracuse, NY this area is 'Little Italy". In Baltimore, the strip clubs are located on the Baltimore Street block, right in the Downtown of Baltimore. Surprisingly, in both places the clubs are situated right across the police stations. In Phoenix, most of the clubs are located in the southwest part of the city in quite low-income neighborhoods and near the airport, the same in Elisabeth, NJ. Sometimes, one can encounter more than one strip club on the same block. Usually, they are placed near motels, hotels, auto shops, car dealers, industrial areas, airports, factories, hidden between warehouses or in specific working class neighborhoods.

Google Map of Phoenix, AZ gentlemen's clubs, 2010

Some Stories on The Road:

During the day most of the bars are closed, but there are some that are open from 12pm -2pm for 'FREE LUNCH'. I start making my images around noon and while I focus on shooting positioning myself in front of a strip club that is open, sometimes from inside comes a big guy asking me? 'Why do you take these pictures?' or 'what do you take pictures of?' 'Where are you going to show these pictures?’ 'You can't take any pictures (after I have already taken 20 shots), you have to ask the owner.’ So, I ask the owner or the manager and I continue doing my work.

Once an owner of a strip club asked me these questions and I told him that I will show the pictures in a gallery and I will let him know when. First he said, ‘In general I don't let people take pictures of my club, but you go ahead.’ And then he said to me: ' yes, send me a note in my mail' (very sarcastically).

The Titles and the Reviews

2010-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

I believe that the most interesting thing about the strip clubs is their titles. The titles capture the imaginary character of the gentlemen’s clubs. The title is the first thing that pops up into your eyes and brain as a passer-by. Then, right away you connect the title to a particular experience. For instance, ‘Haven’s Place’ associates to something extremely beautiful- a positive experience, a place where only good people with no sins have the right to be there. However, the place in itself comes out as absolutely ordinary with a decent façade you see on the outside ( read the reviews bellow). During the day the line between illusion and reality falls down and all the dreams about the world inside are destroyed.

Another place with controversial title is ‘Crazy Russian’ and as an Eastern European woman I felt personally attached to it more when I first saw it. Wondering why someone will call a strip club with that name? Stereotypes are used for titles to help associate a place with a series of sexual fantasies and juicy titles are used for better advertising. Russian girls are very often stereotyped as very sexual and feminine women and maybe a little 'crazy’ perhaps. ‘Crazy’ meaning funny, entertaining and seductive dancer…

But here is what people wrote about 'Crazy Russian ' bar that was announced for thе best strip bar in town for 2008:

From www.tuscl.net, unlisted

February 14, 2010
Visited on: Saturday Evening
Dancers on Shift: 6-10

Rating
Physical Club: 9
Dancer Quality: 10
$ Value: 5

Overall : 8.00

'This is not your average strip club. Don't visit with nude women in mind. It's a pasties club. This place is an experience. Gorgeous women.'

Online review by piledriver1206

'I stayed next to this place in july.....and dreadfully regret not having any extra cash to go inside and drink some beer+look at some of the most georgous women in the world!DAM!I'll be back baby!'

'Crazy Russian', Baltimore, MD 2010

'The Players Club', Baltimore, MD 2010

'Tony's Show Bar', Baltimore, MD 2010

'Haven Place', Baltimore, MD, 2010

News that happened in 'Haven Place'

Online Review From 'www.tuscl.net'

November 28, 2006

Visited on: Unknown

Dancers on Shift: Unknown

Rating
Physical Club: 6
Dancer Quality: 6
$ Value: 6
Overall : 6.00

'This place is friendly and low pressure--not like the block bars. As far as I can tell there are no private dances'

'Baltimore's Flamingo Lounge', Baltimore, MD 2010

'Norma Jean's', Baltimore, MD 2010

News about Norma Jeans

Online Review from www.rateitall.com

4 stars- GOOD

'Great location, and one of the only decent clubs left on the block. Great music, nice VIP area, attended parking available, hot girls!'

Online Review from www.tuscl.net

August 10, 2010
Visited on: Friday Evening
Dancers on Shift: 6-10
Rating
Physical Club: 8
Dancer Quality: 7
$ Value: 8Overall : 7.67

'Lots of sistas. Alot seems to happen for laps dances. Don't sit at the bar unless you want to tip constantly...'

Stanislava Georgieva - One Life Photos

2010-10-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Stanislava Georgieva - One Life Photos

'Poverty Sucks and the psychic house'

2010-10-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

The statement about curiosity, belief, money and culture

Psychic places are part of the American cultural landscape. Indeed, we pass by psychics' shops everyday and we don't even notice them. We can see psychic reading at almost every corner on a busy neighborhood in New York City. We walk down the street and we see a woman staring at us from a window. She looks like a part of the window display. A medium store looks like a room off the street. It has a very specific aesthetic and interior design. The stranger is waving at us to come inside. She has something very important to tell. But then we see the price list with the services she offers. Psychic places, like strip clubs, invite you in but at the same time they keep you out.

However, when we notice a psychic advisor, we are tempted to understand what she would tell us about our career, love, future, health and etc. Sometimes, when we have some difficulties in life we might think that they could help us. We are afraid to know the 'truth' or it's hard for us to believe that what she is saying might be just general thoughts. I always wonder who goes there, but I am sure people visit those places since there are so many on the same block. In some neighborhoods, you can see more psychic parlors than places to eat.

Why are there so many psychics in America? How do we really know if they can palm read, read tarot cards and tell us the truth? Or is it partly an autosuggestion after we listen to what they tell us, we connect the sequences in our life based on their words. Besides that, why do we usually think that a psychic is a woman and why the stereotype for a psychic is a woman, not a man? Are women more interested in other people's lives? Do women visit psychic advisors more than men? Is it easier to believe a woman? What's hiding behind their mystical visions?

The story

An year ago, I experienced emotional instability. I went to visit a friend of mine for first time, who I had known for many years. Surprisingly, on the facade of his two family house I saw a sign, 'Psychic Reading'. At that time, on the first floor there was a medium living there with her family. After talking to my friend I became curious about how this psychic looked and what she would say. I decided to go see her downstairs. For fifteen dollars she only did a palm reading, and at the end she gave me fifteen percent off my next visit.

I have been a little bit skeptical regarding psychic reading. So, I didn't want to take her too seriously. But, I wanted to believe her because what she said seemed true. From the other side, I do have some attraction to mystical readings caused by what I could find out. Of course, we always want to know more about ourselves. Sometimes instead of looking at ourselves, it's easier to listen and believe what a total stranger can tells us.

She talked to me very quickly:

There are two men in your life, however one is from the past and he is your soulmate , the other one you know him recently, but you have developed a very good friendship with him, but there is another woman. You do something with pictures, something creative, you will go to school and you will finish very successfully. In the next three years you will be very successful. You will merry once only, no divorces. Beware of other women, they are very jealous of you. Be careful what you are sharing with them and what you are telling them...

She talked so fast this is all I could remember. Overall, the experience was provocative and refreshing, which led me to new ideas and questions. Primarily questions concerning the psychological and the sociological existence of psychics in contemporary society.

After a year, I wanted to go and see her again. Apparently, It seems that she couldn't predict her own future. The landlord evicted her and her family from their apartment. Both she and the landlord were hurt by the recession. The owner of the house plans to destroy it in the next few months. He plans to sell it to developers. Now the door is unlocked, the apartment is full of derelict furniture, and it is impressed with the ghosts of the psychic's family. A Big poster is hung on the wall between the two windows in the living room.Its headlines reads 'Poverty Sucks' and a well dressed girl poses with an expensive car in front of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Helping others and telling them how they should protect themselves, doesn't mean that she could do this for herself.

Cindy Sherman

2010-10-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Ovation TV | Close Up: Gregory Crewdson

2010-10-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Gregory Crewdson' work has influenced many young artists and photography students.

Film Stills and 'Frankie'

2010-09-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Frankie

'Frankie': a short story about a watch repair man who discovers a time travel device and attempts to use it to his advantage- to essentially cheat time. The film tone and aesthetic are similar to the original 'Twilight Zone' and Film Noir of the 40s and 50s.

Director Mike Pappa

Ean Sheehy as Frankie

Assistant Director Kate Pappa

Producers Nick Basile and Elias Ganster

Director of Photography Anthony DeRose

Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe Photography Donna Marie DeLia

Script Supervisor Brian Ronaghan

Still Photographer Stanislava Georgieva

When Kate Pappa e-mailed me if I am available to shoot the stills for the short film 'Frankie' I was more than trilled by the offer. Movies have always been my inspiration. My personal work is completely influenced by the way stories are told and captured in motion picture.

As a visual artist my intend is to capture a moment as an outsider of the specific situation.

Retrospective solo show represented by WIN-Initiative

2010-09-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Stanislava Georgieva is represented by the botique stock agency WIN-Initiative. The age
ncy promotes new talents every month through giving them the opportunity to exhibit work at the agency gallery space in Soho, New York. Stanislava is curating the show herself. The show is retrospective of her work that she has been producing in the last two years. The show includes work from 3 projects that involve mostly the subject of sex and the way sex as a gender plays its role in everyday life. Mainly she puts a lot of attention on the everyday life of the 'immigrant', the one with unknown identity. The titles of the projects are 'Nomads', 'My Unfamiliar Face To You' and 'Theaters of Prey: strip clubs in America'. www.win-initiative.com

'Nomads' Published at Foto Visura blog on Thursday Aug 19th

2010-08-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

http://blog.fotovisura.com/2010/08/nomads-by-stanislava-georgieva

Recipient of the Robin Forbes Memorial Award from the Visual Arts Foundation !!!

2010-07-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

'Body Shop', Phoenix, AZ 2010

Still lIfe or Nature Morte - inspirations...history...art...everyday life...

2010-06-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Nature Morte is a subject that I have been interested since an early age. I would say since, I was a child and I had an art class and the teacher gave us an assignment to paint and draw a vase of flowers or an apple. Then, in my adultness I had to apply to a high school with art. the exam was drawing and painting nature morte (still life )-geometrical objects, fruits and other objects that are considered part of the genre of still life. After high school I attended an art school , of course the exam to get admitted was a nature morte again...... I got so much attached to this still life subject that when I started making photographs one of the first things that I photographed and apparently very well was a still life.

From ancient Egypt to nowadays, the nature morte is a genre that depicts objects from our daily environment , objects that symbolize our existence and our needs. Subconsciously, we connect ourselves when we look at paintings or photographs that portrayed nature morte.

These images were inspired by my early childhood, by academic education and by the objective mundane.

Recently , one of the main exhibitions of the New York Photo Fest 2010 was dedicated to still life in the name of the contemporary photographer who recently passed away Irving Penn. 'Object Lesson' curated by Vince Aletti was a great example of a nature morte that contemporary artists depict through the media of photography. ...

From the NYPH 2010:

' The history of photography is that of the still life, a staple of artwork throughout the modern era that has been reinvented with the introduction of photography. From the beginning, virtually every important photographer has contributed to the genre, and their names evoke an immense range of images and approaches: Henry Fox-Talbot, Paul Strand, Edward Steichen, Josef Sudek, László Moholy-Nagy, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, Man Ray, Walker Evans, Robert Mapplethorpe and Wolgfang Tillmans, among others.

With this long tradition in mind, Vince Aletti has taken the occasion of the New York Photo Festival to reexamine the still life today. Object Lesson, according to Aletti, “pays homage to one of its masters, Irving Penn, whose work sets a standard few can match.” http://www.nyphotofestival.com/?page_id=8218

Jeff Bark as one of the participating artists in Object Lesson inspired me ..

http://jeffbark.com/

They could be fake or real.. , but they are all RED....!!

2010-06-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

   My home. My rose. Can feel the rain, but the sun. I am cold, but hot. I am at home.
   The roses are beautiful and precious, it's hard to resist them, but they can also hurt you.

Something very old from old times 'Mimic the Master'- Robert Mapplethorpe!

http://www.mapplethorpe.org/portfolios/

A little inspiration...from the creative work of the photographer/artist Eric Ogden

2010-06-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.ericogden.com/celebrities/index.html?AlbumID=1

Color Photography and how everything began in 2006...

2010-06-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

To Be the First

2010-05-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

'To Be The First' was the first photography project I made when I started my education in photography. The work was inspired by a teenagers gymnastic team in New Jersey in 2005. It was a time when I was still discovering the tool of photography. It was a project that I really enjoyed it and from which i gained a lot of experience with working with children who I didn't know and I had to intrude in their privacy. They were happy and it was very easy to work with them at the end. With this body of work I was selected to participate in the International Photography Salon in Varna , Bulgaria in the summer of 2006. That was my first exposure as an artist in gallery space. The work was exhibited in the Varna Gallery of Art. However , because the prints were original silver gelatin print they got damaged with mildew from the moisture from the walls since the gallery wasn't air-conditioned.

Winner of the NY Photo Award 2010 in the student categories for Best Personal Project

2010-05-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.nyphotofestival.com/site/?page_id=6824

I am very proud to say that this contest I won by the submission of my work 'Nomads' that explores Bulgarian single men, living by themselves and working mostly in the financial sector of NYC. The work explores their duality identity - living between Bulgaria and America and a life as a single man. The images are existential and psychological approach of the subject.

Work from the 'Mentors' show on Daily Candy

2010-05-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailycandy.com/new-york/gallery/81501/School-of-Visual-Arts-Mentors-Exhibition?n=18

'Mentors' show curated by Stephan Frailey, School of Visual Arts at the Visual Arts Gallery

School of Visual Arts

2010-05-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

School of Visual Arts

My updated website - 2 weeks after my graduation from the School of Visual Arts :)

2010-05-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.stanislavageorgieva.com/index.html

"My Unfamiliar Face To You" - book published by Blurb

2010-02-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1167404

Opening Reception Friday 2/12 6-9pm

2010-02-11T09:39:00.001-08:00

Click on the image to view large

Dessy Dobreva Concert in NY - first one from her USA and Canada concerts

2009-11-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

Dessy Dobreva Concert in NY - first one from her USA and Canada concerts

2009-11-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

Dessy Dobreva Concert in NY - One Incredible Voice !!!

2009-11-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

Deyan Georgiev, competes for the National Kayak Team in Bulgaria

2009-10-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

What you look at is it what you see??

2009-10-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

Rosen at Home..

2009-10-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Rosen's Beach Adventure...

2009-10-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

"SYRACUSE, NY" - THE BEGINNING OF MY "NEW" WORK!!!

2009-08-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of a new work inspired by my first visit in Syracuse, NY and my travel around the States, visiting different parts of the country and trying to get to know my "new" home as well as the idea of the American Dream and why we all come here.

"Gentlemen's Clubs" - Syracuse, NY

2009-08-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

"Emmett and the Motel on Rt 5"

2009-08-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

2009-08-25T18:56:00.000-07:00