Portraiture 1st Place

In a world that is already growing apart, holding hands becomes a silent prayer – a way to come together again. While posing, fathers and sons hold hands for the first time in years, sometimes decades. It’s a powerful moment, often filled with hesitation or even resistance. This act of intimacy became the project’s main purpose, the photographs being just a mere testament to the long-unspoken love between the men. Spanning cultures, reaching corners of Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Serbia and Greece, this project has become a beacon of emotional expression and cultural preservation. It serves as a global stage, encouraging fathers and sons from around the world to join the act. By leaving the narratives behind, these portraits become open to interpretation and I invite viewers to add their own layers of meaning, making us all contributors to this evolving story of humanity.

Born in Bulgaria in 1986, I was raised in an artistic environment. My journey began at Varna's National High School of Arts, fostering a deep dedication to arts. Furthering my education, I studied Plastic Arts at the Sorbonne, Paris. My work, spanning across Europe, Asia, and Australia, led to founding Eastern Europe's first online art gallery and the PhotoAnthology Foundation, whose mission is to execute documentary projects of public importance.