Born in Bulgaria in 1986, Valery Poshtarov was raised in an artistic family, with his father being an artist and his mother a poet. From a young age, he was surrounded by creatives, and he soon began mastering fine art techniques at the National High School of Arts in Varna. His passion for art led him to Paris, where he pursued a degree in Plastic Arts from the renowned Sorbonne.
Valery's talent did not go unnoticed, and the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Paris nominated him for the prestigious Cartier-Bresson Award. Over the course of several years, he exhibited his work in 35 consecutive exhibitions across Europe. In the end, Valery chose to step back from the exhibition world and returned to his homeland of Bulgaria, where he founded the first online art gallery in Eastern Europe in 2011.
As an art dealer, Valery was able to work independently while preserving his artistic freedom. This allowed him to develop various long-term photography projects, culminating in the establishment of the PhotoAnthology Foundation in 2021. The foundation's mission is to promote artistic practices in photography and execute documentary projects of public importance.
In 2022, Valery published his first photobook, "The Last Man Standing In The Rhodope Mountains," the result of 14 years of expeditions to 985 villages in the Rhodopes. His captivating and evocative photographs have caught the attention of major institutions around the world, with his work being a part of collections in the MEP Paris, the Museum of Photography in Berlin, the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam, the Evgenii Evtushenko Museum in Moscow, and others.
Valery's most recent project, "Father and Son," has been selected as a juror's pick and finalist in the esteemed LensCulture Portrait Awards 2023. His poignant portraits capture moments of tenderness between grown men, challenging societal norms and expectations. Despite the acclaim, Valery remains a humble and dedicated artist, always striving to push the boundaries of his craft and create meaningful, impactful work.
Need For Color