Back in 2014, Cooltsalon put on the first site-specific programme of exhibitions, designed especially for an independent cafe-bar in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia. Situated off the main shopping high street and away from the usual ‘going out’ routes of the city’s dwellers, Amaro baretto, albeit with great menu, needed something extra to pull in visitors. Cooltsalon came on board to curate three seasons of ‘Amaro Cooltsalon’, featuring works of the most exciting emerging photographers, artists, illustrators, designers, transformers and cultural change-makers.
The series offered the makers an affordable platform for expression and the bar’s visitors an accessible way of interacting with artworks and creative produce: works placed within a more relaxed, casual atmosphere of a cafe-bar, as opposed to formally paying a visit to a gallery.
To maintain visitors curiosity and accommodate as many creative practitioners as possible, each exhibition was designed to last one week: opening on a Thursday evening, down by Wednesday morning.
The first exhibition in the Amaro Cooltsalon series featured Socmus – a virtual museum that presents different areas of Bulgarian graphic design from the time of socialism – created by photographer Nikola Mihov, and architects Valeri Gyurov and Martin Angelov. For Amaro Cooltsalon, SOCMUZ presented a selection of vinyl covers. [You can follow Socmus here: https://www.facebook.com/socmus/ ]
Elka Lateva 
Anelia Pashova 
Yavor Boyanov 
Nechoart 
Maria Diakova 
Manuel Stamatov 
by Danish 
“E-Ne” project (Nikolina Bogdanova, Daniela Emanuilova, Ivelina Chobanova)
Participants in the three Amaro Cooltsalon seasons (September 2014-June 2015), in order of exhibitions: Socmus, Yavor Boyanov, Elka Lateva, Nikolina Bogdan, Ivelina Chobanova, Daniela Emanuilova, Pavel Naydenov (Paul Humanesque), Manuel Stamatov, Nedyalko Ivanov-Necho (Nechoart), Petya Gurnoeva, Danny Svilenova (by Danish), Elitsa Dzhurenova + Borya Shapshalova, Krasimir Krasimirov-Roli, Thomas Mannion + Andy Wooding, Hri100 (Hristo Trenev), Maria Diakova, Ralitsa Gencheva (fka Charly Wilde), Grunge Art (Veselina Kalinova + Galina Tushinova), Atame Handmade + SUNA Jewelry, Blood Becomes Water (BBW), Vladeto Eto, Anelia Pashova
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