Dimo Kolibarov is among the most recognizable names in contemporary Bulgarian graphics - an artist who combines virtuoso technical mastery with a rare poetics of the image. Born in 1965 in Pomorie, he left his hometown as a student to study art at the Tsanko Lavrenov Art High School in Plovdiv. He later graduated with a degree in Graphics from the National Academy of Arts, with which he remains connected today as a lecturer and associate professor in the Graphics Department.
In Kolibarov’s work, graphics transcend the boundaries of technique and become a space of memory. Boats, houses, seashores, female figures and flying images appear as characters in a quiet and contemplative world, filled with nostalgia, romanticism and human warmth. Characteristic of the author are large-scale thematic cycles, including "The Diaries of Constantine", "Return to Nature", "Labyrinth" and "City Fragments" - series in which personal memory becomes a universal story about time, home and belonging.
Over the past three decades, Dimo Kolibarov has built an impressive international career with exhibitions and participation in Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, China, the USA and dozens of other countries. He is the winner of over 30 national and international awards, including the Grand Prize of the International Triennial "Mini Print" in Tokyo, first prizes in Beijing and Milan and distinctions from prestigious graphic arts forums in Europe and Asia.
In addition to being an artist, Kolibarov has also made a significant contribution to the development of graphic art in Bulgaria as a teacher, member of international juries and chairman of the jury of the International Bookplate Competition in Varna. In recent years, he has also been awarded the title of "Artist of the Year" in Burgas, and subsequently with honorary recognitions for his contribution to the cultural life of the city.
Today, Dimo Kolibarov lives and works between Sofia and Burgas, continuing to actively create new graphic cycles and exhibitions. His art impresses not only with the impeccable technique of intaglio printing, but also with the ability to transform memory, the sea and human dreams into images that remain in the viewer's mind for a long time.
