An exhibition of glass works by professor Raiko Raikov opened in the Czech Centre (at 100 Rakovski Street, next to the Army Theatre) on August 1.

The colours and shapes of the works give them a kind of psychedelic look from the 1980s. A dominant feature of the works is their somewhat academic air, which is created by the geometrical forms and scientific names such as "Optical-Cybernetic Object" and "Kinetic columns." The exhibition hall adds the finishing academic touch, with its bare and brightly lit look that is somewhere between a class room and a gymnasium.

Raikov experiments with transparency and optics, as well as light's specific effects on glass. Through studying the transformation of light rays passing through glass objects, he created the effect of movement of form. This can be seen clearly in one of his works, which is a cube of glass with a poem by Bulgarian poet Hristo Botev inside.

Sixty-one-year-old Raikov comes from the Czech tradition of glass works. He graduated in 1969 from the Specialized Art Glass Studio of the Art-Industry Academy in Prague. He was a student of Stanislav Libensky, known worldwide as the king of glass. In 1973, at the end of his specialization in Prague, Raikov staged his first solo exhibition in Sofia under the supervision of Prof. Libensky. At the time the exhibited works were new to Bulgarian thinking. Since then he has had a number of solo exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad. He is a member of a number of specialized and expert councils and is a well respected figure in the world of glass art. He has taught courses in ceramics and in glass engraving at SEPA, the European Centre for Art Proliferation in Brussels, from 1983 to 1987.

Since 1977 he has been teaching Silicate Forms at the National Academy of Art in Sofia. The Porcelain and Glass course at the National Academy of Art was established largely thanks to his personal contribution of organization and equipment. Since 1995 he has directed the course.

The exhibition will continue until the end of the month and will be open to the public every weekday from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm.