Bulgaria - England on film

Born in the late nineties in Bulgaria, I moved to the UK in 2009. I grew up in Sofia, but my life is here now, in London. I often feel this pull to reconnect – either with my roots or with the place I now call home. The truth is, I can’t fully call either one ‘home’ yet somehow both of them are. At the same time, I often feel like I don’t completely belong in either.

Back in Bulgaria, people sometimes say I ‘left’ my country… Here in the UK, I’m European – but not the kind people instinctively imagine, like German, French or Spanish. I’m from that Europe - the Balkans. And apparently, I don’t ’look Bulgarian’, whatever that’s supposed to mean. I used to take that question lightly, but now I find myself thinking: does it really matter?

Culture offers a framework for identity, but it often comes with inherited assumptions –shaping how people interpret us before we even speak. People often assume I’m Mexican, Brazilian, or something else entirely. Then they hear me speak, get confused and try to place an accent that no longer fits neatly anywhere.

In late 2021, I felt an urge to go back to Bulgaria, to travel, to walk, to just be there again. It felt good. I brought my camera and ever since, I’ve been photographing my walks both in the country I was born in and in the city, I live in now. I search for similarities between the two and I find comfort in them.

I grew up in a neighbourhood called Druzhba (‘Friendship’), surrounded by a certain kind of architecture that shaped my childhood. Now, when I walk through London and come across a building, a shop, or even a small detail that carries a hint of that same feeling, something that sparks nostalgia – I’m drawn to it. And I take the shot.