Art Unites East and West

Artists from Sofia and the United States discovered a new passion for each other's countries after a cultural exchange saw 30 of them swap cities to capture them through words and pictures as part of a new US exhibition entitled 'Bulgaria - Then and Now'.

"It was a golden opportunity," said Donna Martell, whose pastel landscape drawings form part of the exhibition. "I felt like Cinderella to be chosen to be part of it, that was one thing ... it was so exciting to be invited. It was a bit of a joke with my friends, but I didn't know where it (Sofia) was, and I didn't care where it was," said Martell. Like many of the artists who visited the city Martell quickly came to love the Bulgarian people, the landscapes, culture and the food.

Meanwhile, artists from Sofia travelled to New London in the States, where many of the US artists are based and found fresh inspiration in the architecture, streets and urban culture of mid-America and some of their paintings are included in the exhibition. One of the artists, Brad Guarino, said: "They (the Bulgarian artists) are not arrogant. They have humility, they tend to value free time more than Americans."

To find out more about the exhibition Click here