site.btaBTA Director General Opens Bridge of Colours Exhibition in Ankara
BTA is opening an exhibition titled Bridge of Colours: Gifted Children from Turkiye Paint Bulgaria at the BTA National Press Club in Ankara, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said on Monday. He was speaking during the inauguration of the event, which was organized in partnership with the Embassy of Bulgaria in Turkiye, the Nasrettin Hoca Science and Art Centre, and the Balkan Immigrants Economic Research and Social Assistance Foundation (BISAV).
Twenty-nine paintings depicting landscapes, landmarks, and traditions from Bulgaria are on display. Among them are portraits of the founder of the Republic of Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, inspired by the BTA correspondent in Istanbul Nahide Deniz’s documentary Sofia Days of Mustafa Kemal 1913-1915 and the stories about Bulgaria told to the children at the film’s presentation by Bulgarian Ambassador to Turkiye Angel Cholakov, Valchev noted. He also added that the BTA Press Club in Ankara was inaugurated on February 4, 2023, the day when Ataturk departed from Bulgaria.
“We are opening the exhibition a day after the Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil completed his visit to Istanbul at the invitation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. There, Bulgaria’s spiritual leader said that we should remember history, with everything good and inspiring in it, but also with the mistakes and wrongs we should strive not to repeat according to our abilities. At the same time, we cannot and should not live in the past, but instead build our present. His words were prompted by the complex historical relations between the Christians of the two churches, but they apply equally to relations between the two nations,” Valchev said.
Valchev pointed out that the paintings display both churches from Bulgaria and the mosque in Sofia, “an example that, even with different faiths, we are united by our humanity.”
“With these works, the talented children of Turkiye show how the Bulgarian and Turkish peoples can build the present as good neighbours, by getting to know each other better and seeing the beauty in the neighbouring country and its people. As we get to know each other, we can introduce our cultures through art and keep on comparing ourselves, something Turkish Nasreddin Hoca and Bulgarian Hitar Petar have been doing for centuries,” Valchev also said.
Valchev noted that BTA and Anadolu Agency are collaborating to strengthen mutual understanding between Bulgaria and Turkiye. He cited BTA correspondent in Ankara, Ayshe Sali, who was instrumental in organizing this exhibition, as a strong example of their successful partnership.
He expressed his gratitude to Bulgarian Ambassador to Turkiye Angel Cholakov, BISAV Chair Dr. Yuksel Ozkale, Nasrettin Hoca Science and Art Centre Director Ilyas Yaldiz, the teachers, and most importantly, the children.
The young artists will receive a New Year's gift from BTA: a festive stocking filled with sweets and a family educational board game, Vacation in Bulgaria, available in Bulgarian, English, German, and Russian. They will also receive an invitation to visit Bulgaria and see the landmarks they have depicted in their artwork.
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