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Katerina Gadjeva
vealing Bulgaria to the world one sees fine, tanned bodies, bold swimsuits, playful
glances, and a frivolous manner (Fig. 3).
To create representative images of the country, the best Bulgarian photogra¬
phers of the period were engaged: Nikolay Popov,’ Nikola Stoichkov,° Vladimir
Dimchey,’ Petar Bozhkov,* and so forth. The new themes of these “promotional”
images also permeated the everyday repertoire of Bulgarian photography, com¬
pletely transforming its harsh imagery. Although many cultural and aesthetic ten¬
dencies of the period also contributed to this, it is important to note that the
process seemed rather driven from the outside, from the imposed idea of what
Bulgaria’s image should be and the close link between photography and the state
plan for cultural and tourist development. One indicative fact is that upon the
launch of the first Bulgarian specialized photography magazine in 1966, Balgarsko
Foto (‘Bulgarian Photo’), the point was made explicitly that one of its main tasks
would be “to promote Bulgaria’s image as a destination for international tourism”
(Editor’s Note 1966: 1).
As a country wishing to attract as many holidaymakers as possible, Bulgaria
would rely on the promotion of nature, pleasure, and temptation in shaping its
advertising campaign. But this would not make the country a different or more
desirable destination than other well-known quality resorts. Something else was
needed, a specific distinguishing feature to appeal to the curiosity of tourists seek¬
ing new attractions. It turned out that most appropriate to this end would be the
foreigners’ lack of information about the country’s location, its past, and what it
actually looked like. Could Bulgaria be depicted as an exotic country of lush tropi¬
cal vegetation, where unbelievable fruits grew and huge sand dunes could be seen,
crossed by camel riders against the sunset? Countries that could actually offer such
experience were distant and inaccessible to socialist citizens. Why should Bulgaria
not occupy this free niche, why not create a new, although imaginary image, which
photography could render “realistic”? Susan Sontag wrote: “Photographs furnish
evidence. Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we're shown
a photograph of it” (Sontag 1979: 5). André Bazin notes that the aesthetic world
invented by the artist is dissimilar to the surrounding reality. A photographic image
depends on the existence of the model, has been extracted from it and resembles
> Nikolay Popov (1914-1973) graduated as an architect in Zagreb in 1941. His background and profes¬
sion largely influenced his style as photographer. He was a highly successful contributor to a number of
international photography exhibitions.
° Nikola Stoichkov (1917-2003) was one of the most prominent Bulgarian photojournalists.
7 Vladimir Dimchev (1899-1979) was one of the pioneers of socialist photography and cofounder of
the State Photographic Archive. He is the author of several photography albums revealing various parts
of the country. His photos were published in a number of Bulgarian magazines, especially those meant
for circulation abroad.
8 Petar Bozhkov (1915-2003) is winner of a number of international awards. He was a master of land¬
scape and portrait photography.