Created by Viktoria Staykova and Andrew Anderson the space AVIRTIKL becomes the first bookshop in Sofia dedicated to books for design, architecture and visual art. We speak to Andrew about how it all started and where is it heading to now shortly before their first event for the year.
We started last year as a space for exhibitions that also sold books, and we started working with our close friend Mariya. The first year was great, but we realised our real passion is for books – especially on design, architecture, contemporary art, photography and artist books. So from now on, that will be our focus.
Tell us about the first event with which you will open the new year?
We’ll share some of our favourite books and the stories behind them. Some you might know already, some you might not, but either way you’ll probably learn something new.
Our first event is “The way things look”, focussing on how we view the world both as consumers and creators of visual culture. The event on the 17th Feb will be the first from a series of monthly book events with a focus on different design subjects. Plus there will be beer, wine and coffee. You really can’t go wrong.
How does AVRTIKL add to Sofia's cultural landscape?
Whenever we go on holiday the first thing we look up are all the bookshops we want to visit (yes, we’re huge nerds). Sofia has a very exciting cultural life – there are many exhibitions and art related events – but it’s hard to find books on design and visual culture. AVRTIKL will fill this gap and be the first place where you can always find these books.
What is the new focus you will emphasize this year and why?
Design, creativity and inspiration. If you love thinking about the way things look, we’re the space for you. Looking for cool books on culture? Look no further. And if your creativity needs a bit of a kick, we’ve got that covered as well.
As well as the books we have a workshop program that will add and connect with the topics of the books we sell and feature. Stay tuned.
To what extent is the expansion of the concept related to the presence of more foreigners in Bulgaria? Do you see them as a potential audience?
As we said, when we travel the first places we look for are bookshops. So we want to make the kind of space we’d want to go to if we were travelling to Sofia. Our main goal is to reach local people, but of course we’ll be happy to meet visitors, too.
A few favorite bookstores abroad that AVRTIKL draws inspiration from?
The list is long, but here are a few: Tender Books (London), Printed Matter (New York), ISBN (Budapest) and Dispozitiv (Bucharest).
Give us a short selection of books and magazines that we must pay attention to in AVRTIKL in February.
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: Designers and artists who are ready to have their preconceptions shattered.
“I want to question some of the assumptions about European painting,” says John Berger, as he cuts Botticelli’s Venus and Mars into pieces with a knife. This iconic moment kicked off his TV series Ways of Seeing, which later became this book.
Filled with seven rebellious essays, Berger turns his eye to everything from European oil painting to modern advertising. As he does so, he asks questions like what do we see? How are we seen? Might we see differently? This is a book that challenges preconceptions and overturns conventions.
As well as a brilliant text, the book also has an innovative design. A bold typeface grants the same weight to the text as to the images – unlike in traditional popular art history books where images are secondary. The layout and captioning is unusual too, and although it’s fifty years old it can still surprise. 
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: People who appreciate the brutal beauty of soviet architecture and urban planning.
Spanish graphic designer David Navarro went to Poland on a holiday. He ended up falling in love with the architecture and staying for life. In his latest book Soviet Playgrounds – created with Polish graphic designer Martyna Sobecka – that love of brutalism is combined with the cheerfulness of childhood.
Soviet Playgrounds documents spaces found across the former USSR, where you’ll find rocket slides, cosmic roundabouts and other bizarre objects. Yes, it’s a book about quirky architecture, but it’s also about dreams and memory. What ambitions did these kids have as they played – and have those desires decayed like the playgrounds themselves?
This book is typical of why we love Zupagrafika: bold design, large images and a satisfying weight. It’s slightly smaller than some of their other editions, appropriate for the child-centric content. Plus, choosing only winter images really makes the colours pop and adds to the book’s nostalgic quality.
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: People for who colourful minimalism is more than an artform – it’s a lifestyle.
"I've always been obsessed with colours, even as a child", says Malika Favre. Take one look at her illustrations and it’s clear to see: her bold and deep images are always driven by colour. No wonder her work is regularly found in The New Yorker, Vogue and on the covers of Penguin Books.
Monograph provides a complete overview of her work, with everything from fashion, to architecture to everyday objects. But it’s not just her style that makes her important: it’s her stories. These are visual images driven by narrative, told with humour, sensuality and intelligence. Her recent work on feminism, anti-racism and politics, is a perfect example of this.
What makes Monograph extra special is the attention to detail. Favre has created a book that reflects her unique approach and aesthetics in every detail, from the die-cut on the cover, to the custom-designed barcode on the back. 
WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR: Designers and book lovers who like to break boundaries.
"I thought designers were hankering for something different,” says Victor Cheung, creative director at viction:ary. And that’s definitely what A Book On Books provides. If you really love books – and we mean really love them – then your collection isn’t complete without this one.
A Book On Books showcases some of the world’s best book designs and celebrations of reading culture. There’s plenty to inspire here, from unexpected layouts to unusual colour choices. It also features interviews with key influencers from the worlds of publishing, printmaking, book fairs and bookselling.
The book itself is super-stylish, with embossing and silver foil on the cover as well as Swiss-style binding. The examples are generously sized and creatively arranged…it’s minimal-contemporary, but timeless. If we had to sum it up in a sentence: instant inspiration each time you open it.
AVRTIKL is open from Wednesday till Saturday at "Aleksandar Stamboliyski" 20B Blvd. and also @avrtikl
The BSBSA platform for artistic practices and exchange brings together artists from Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia in a collective exhibition at Depoo Gallery
