#zakove

[laurenfoxmakesthings]

One thing I learnt about spy fiction is that a lot of other spies want to/have beat up James Bond. John Steed, Avakum Zakhov, my protagonists...

[pixillandjester]

i got way too inspired by ZAKOV on tiktok and made this,, so have it!

[mariacallous]

“They are just looking for a way to shut our mouths,” Bulgarian-born Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev told Nova TV channel on December 28 after being added to Russia’s “wanted list” of December 26. 

“The inclusion of a foreign citizen in this list is a precedent. We know that in the last 2-3 years [Russia’s] Federal Security Service has been seriously disturbed by what we do,” said Grozev.

He added that he has hired a Russian lawyer from the human rights group Agora to represent him. He also said it was absurd that no official reason was cited.

According to Russian state news agency RIA, Grozev broke Russia’s criminal code by spreading false information about the Russian armed forces and by helping Ukraine’s intelligence.

Grozev said he is less worried by a coordinated attack against him than by fears that a radicalised individual might want to help the Kremlin by an assassination or a kidnap.

“We know from our sources who have worked within the FSB system that we have to be careful with new acquaintances, people that want to meet us or me specifically,” he said.

He added that while he works mainly in Austria, he is currently located outside of Europe.

Grozev was born in 1969 in Plovdiv and started journalism in local radio before working internationally since the mid-1990’s through publishers Metromedia and Communicorp, eventually co-founding Altelys Investments in 2007 and becoming part of the board of Talpa Radio Holding. 

Since 2015, he has been an investigative journalist with the international collective Bellingcat. Through the years his work became more connected to using open-source, social media and available data in order to analyse, track, verify and uncover information.

He gained acclaim for his work on uncovering details around the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, the Montenegrin coup plot from 2016, the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 and the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny in 2020.

Bellingcat is also involved in an ongoing investigation about Bulgaria media and public figures being funded by Russia. 

Grozev is also one of the people featured in Daniel Roher’s “Navalny” Sundance-winning documentary. 

Warrant draws dividing line in parliament 

The development was met by a silence from Bulgaria’s cabinet but drew a quick reaction from Bulgarian pro-EU parties. 

“The Russian Federation, or more precisely, the Kremlin regime, has put Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist, on the state’s wanted list. I demand that parliament push the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon [Russian ambassador] Mitrofanova to explain why Russia is searching for a Bulgarian journalist,” tweeted “We Continue the Change’s” former Minister of Electronic Governance Bozhidar Bozhanov on December 26. 

The next day fellow party member and former Minister of Innovation and Growth Daniel Lorer also pledged to make the issue central in the next parliamentary session, and called for a position from Dragomir Zakov, the caretaker Foreign Minister, previously heading the defence ministry. 

GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms also issued official statements demanding a “unified European” position in support of Grozev. 

In contrast, three parties which to different extents use pro-Kremlin rhetoric, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the country’s main left-wing party, Revival and current far-right leaders and newcomers Bulgarian Rise, have abstained from commenting. 

By demanding statements from the current ministers, all handpicked by pro-Kremlin President Rumen Radev, “We Continue the Change” is challenging the alleged political dependence of the caretaker cabinet on the President.

The appointment of the cabinet in August, following the ousting of “We Continue the Change’s” coalition in June, drew protests from citizens who saw a Radev-selected government as a risk to Bulgaria pro-Western perspective. President Radev and interim PM Galab Donev have not commented on the latest developments. 

On December 28, the Russian embassy confirmed to that ambassador Elenora Mitrofanova will meet the Foreign Minister on Thursday.

Mitrofanova has been a controversial figure since the start of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. On several occasions she criticised Kiril Petkov’s 2021-2022 government for its pro-Kiyv position and its numerous expulsions of Russian diplomats in Sofia. 

@akamuffintop

[beardedmrbean]

GERB’s candidate, Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski presented to President Rumen Radev the draft composition of the Council of Ministers:

Malina Valentinova Krumova – Deputy Prime Minister for the management of funds from the European Union

Miglena Yanakieva Tacheva – Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and Minister of Justice

Meglena Ivanova Plugchieva-Aleksandrova – Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policies and Minister of Environment and Water

Marinela Pirinova Petrova – Minister of Finance

Blagorodna Hristeva Makeva-Naydenova – Minister of Internal Affairs

Atanas Dimitrov Zapryanov – Minister of Defense

Dragomir Valeriev Zakov – Minister of Foreign Affairs

Martin Ivanov Danovski – Minister of Economy and Industry

Dobromir Prodanov Simidchiev – Minister of Regional Development and Public Works

Proshko Nachev Proshkov – Minister of Transport and Communications

Sabina Todorova Sabeva – Minister of Labor and Social Policy

Blagomir Nikolaev Zdravkov – Minister of Health

Slavcho Tomov Tomov – Minister of Education and Science

Irinei Borisov Konstantinov - Minister of Culture

Vasil Georgiev Grudev – Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry

Milena Ivanova Stoycheva – Minister of Innovation and Growth

Krasimir Yordanov Simonski – Minister of Electronic Government

Nikolay Angelov Pavlov – Minister of Energy

Martin Georgiev Zahariev – Minister of Tourism

Boril Plamenov Krastev – Minister of Youth and Sports

According to the candidate for prime minister, it is necessary:

- forming a regular government with the aim of quickly overcoming the division in society, restoring the dialogue between parties and institutions, ending the political crisis;

- implementation of justice reform and effective countermeasures against corruption;

- the introduction of quick and effective anti-crisis measures to overcome the challenges of the economic crisis, inflation and the decline in economic growth, including achieving fiscal sustainability;

- a clear European and Euro-Atlantic orientation of the foreign policy and the security and defense policy;

- implementation of key reforms, including through the Recovery and Sustainability Plan;

- making active political and diplomatic efforts to accept Bulgaria into the Schengen area;

- mobilization and preparation of business, the banking sector and citizens for the accession of Bulgaria to the Eurozone in 2024;

- achieving energy independence, including by continuing efforts to ensure real diversification of supply sources;

- the implementation of targeted public investments in key sectors for the entire society, such as education, health care, social protection;

- Bulgaria should come out of the timelessness and spiral of elections an hour sooner.

"My main goal is to reduce the tension and find a normal tone between the political parties. I am convinced that the Council of Ministers and its composition is capable of guiding Bulgaria through this crisis. The candidates are well known to the public. They have also worked in high positions. Without we are wasting time, we will be able to vote on the budget, Schengen and the Eurozone. I am convinced that these professionals will do it in an extremely short time," said the GERB-SDS candidate for prime minister.

In turn, the head of state wished him success and stated that "today I will issue a decree with which I will propose to the National Assembly to vote on your cabinet".

Last week, Prof. Gabrovski held meetings with DPS, BSP, "Democratic Bulgaria" and "Bulgarian Rise".

"We Continue the Change" and "Vazrazhdane" refused the invitation to the GERB-SDS candidate for prime minister and are adamant that they will not give their support.

BSP also announced that it will stand against a cabinet with the mandate of GERB-SDS, "Bulgarian Rise" expressed readiness for dialogue, and DPS asked to hear the goals, priorities and personal composition of the possible future government.

The GERB-SDS government project is expected to be voted on either on Wednesday or Thursday.

"I expect full support from all political forces and I would be happy for this cabinet to be elected with a full majority", said the candidate for Prime Minister Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski after presenting his proposed cabinet composition and handing over the completed mandate to President Rumen Radev. Nikolay Gabrovski stated that he has outlined priorities on 7 topics on which there is a majority in the 48th National Assembly, and on the remaining topics "there may be arguments between the political forces".

Gabrovski defined the members of the proposed project cabinet as high professionals in their fields, people with careers, all with management experience and without a bright political color, who will give a chance and can lead Bulgaria out of the crisis.

[iihih]

Zak Ové is a British visual artist of Trinidadian descent. His sculptural installation, The Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness, encapsulates the complex history of racial objectification and the evolution of black subjectivity and is up in the sculpture garden at LACMA through November. . . . #lacmasculpturegarden #lacma #lacmasculptureinstallation #zakové #zakove #theinvisiblemanandthemasqueofblackness #historyofracialobjectification #contemporaryart #art #fineart #sculptures #sculpture #trinidadartist (at LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0eNc7ZgM7A/?igshid=k2no7w8ezv96

[supportblackart]

Fish by @zakove 🐡 . . #supportblackart #zakove #fish #mixedmedia #conceptual #blackart #artlovers #artgram #artlove #artistlife #blavity #afropunk #fishart #details #artoninstagram #artisttofollow

[kalup-linzy]

@21chotels @crystalbridgesmuseum @preachers_son_bentonville @turpentinecreek @thorncrown.chapel @eurekasprings Spent the weekend in Arkansas! What a lovely time I had! A much needed getaway 🤗 Saturday, I hung out at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville. After dinner at The Hive located in the 21c Museum where I am staying, I had a drink on the rooftop of The Preacher's Son. Today, I drove to Eureka Springs, but before my afternoon dinner on Main Street, I did some sightseeing at Turpentine Creek Wild Refuge, Thorncrown Chapel, Christ of the Ozarks, and St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. After my time in Eureka Springs, I headed back to Bentonville. I spent time viewing the current 21c Museum exhibition Refuge: Needing, Seeking, Creating Shelter. Tomorrow morning, I head back to Tulsa. 1. Saturday night head back to the hotel 2. Devorah Sperber. After the Last Supper. 2005. 20,736 thread spools, hanging apparatus, ball chain, viewing sphere, and stand. Courtesy of the artist. On view at Crystal Bridges Museum 3-4. The Preacher's Son 5. Turpentine Creek Wild Refuge 6. Thorncrown Chapel 7. Christ of the Ozarks 8. St. Elizabeth Catholic Church 9. Eureka Springs 10. Zak Ove. Inheritance, 2011-2012. Mixed-Media included in Refuge: Needing, Seeking, Creating Shelter on view at 21c Museum Hotel #kaluplinzy #bentonvillearkansas #21cmuseumhotel #eurekasprings #thepreachersson #turpentinecreekwildliferefuge #thorncrownchapel #christofozarks #stelizabethcatholicchurch #crystalbridgesmuseum #devorahsperber #zakove #2020tulsaartistfellow #2020tulsaartistfellowship (at 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEiY1IJlvFX/?igshid=1osc8d3s6oj5m

[artsology]

“Star Gazer X,” 2018, by Zak Ove, on view at the Lawrie Shabibi booth at the 2019 Armory Show. #sculpture #zakove #zakové #wallsculpture #stargazer #lawrieshabibi #thearmoryshow #nyc (at The Armory Show) https://www.instagram.com/p/CArUHRqlUZy/?igshid=26y7n8mzxaml

[bellus-spiritus]

Prepare to visit worlds ahead of our time: #UtopianImagination! The third show in @fordfoundationgallery’s inaugural year, curated by @jaishri.abichandani, features 14 diverse artists whose futuristic narratives inspire wonder, joy & hope for our existence on an increasingly imperiled planet. With the understanding that (radical) #love is the answer to the violence presented in #PerilousBodies, this exhibition recognizes the difficulties of the task ahead. Utopias are increasingly hard to imagine in a world torn asunder by conflict. Using #sciencefiction to frame this interrogation, this exhibition presents objects, bodies, vessels, fragments created by artists over time that when pieced together, offer a vision of a future that includes all of us. Images: 1. #YinkaShinibare @shonibarestudio “Cloud 9” one of Shonibare’s earliest black astronaut sculptures-part of a two-decade exploration that imagines the survival of #BlackPeople as pioneers in space. The work explores themes of colonialism, post-colonialism and black aspiration. 2. #ZakOve @zakove “Sky Lark” And #LolaFlash @flash9 “Syzygy” (self portrait) an embodiment of her ancestors’ dreams of liberation. 4. #SaksAfridi @saks__ ‘The Prayer Catcher’. “If all your prayers were answered, would it change the world, or just yours?” ~ unknown #SpaceMosque The narrative explores greed & morality at war when prayer becomes the de facto global currency. The work asks us to reflect on what it is we pray for and to what end. 5. & 6. Zak Ove “Nubian Return” 7. #JulianaHuxtable @julianahuxtable “Lil’ Marvel” (self portrait) as a #transgender #BlackWoman provoking discourse on the power of her own image & heteronormative tropes of anatomy & the politics of the human body. 8. #MikaelOwunna @mikaelowunna “Infinite Essence”. Otherworldly images, black models transformed into #cosmic #ethereal beings. 9. #FarxiyoJaamac @hausofriya “Black Girls Live in Outer Space Too” series 10. #MarikoMori @marikomori #afrofuturistic #afrofuturism #futurism #blackness #blkcreatives #blackexcellence #artlover #artcollector #artcurator #artadvisory #destineeross @desti.knee & #joakimvonditmar (at Ford Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2kE8uBlsHi/?igshid=1r5b5bf9m8jva

[seyiawolesi]

. . . . . In these Streets Get Up Stand Up NOW @yinka_ilori and @zakove . . . . . #PublicSpaces #SeyiAwolesi #Art #ZakOve #YinkaIloriStudios #Yoruba #GetUpStandUpNow #SamsungNote8 #Architecture #LocationScout #Interiors #Stitch #ArchitecturePhotography #IamThePanoramist #Atmosphere #Shadows #Juxtaposition #BrandConsultant #ArtLife #LiveLifeToDiscover #Patterns #Installation #SomersetHouse #Colour #Panorama #OutdoorSpaces #London #Perspective #InTheseStreets #Exhibition (at Somerset House) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz5ZJtdHYGI/?igshid=1l07di0jarle3

[bettymacs]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BettyMacs (@bettymacs_)

Our hysterical impression of the 80 not so 'Invisible Men' by Zak Ove @zakove at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park @yspsculpture last week for my Birthday #birthday #family #ootd #BettyMacs #Leeds #vintage #retro #ZakOve #Yorkshire #YorkshireSculpturePark #ysp #art #gallery #park #graphite #sculpture #education #joy #heritage #history #culture #installation #modernforms #funny #impression (at Yorkshire Sculpture Park)

[arttoygama]

@Regrann from @yspsculpture - ... An extraordinary assembly of 80 sculptures by British-Trinidadian artist @zakove. Wander down to Lower Park to see 'Black and Blue: The Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness', a mass of identical two-metre-tall figures which present a striking statement within the Park’s 18th century landscape. Photo @jontywilde #ZakOve #YorkshireSculpturePark - #artsculptures #whatisit #beautifulbizarre #artgallery #darkart #creatures #juxtapoz #artfido #surrealism #Contemporaryart #newcontemporaryart #arttoyculture #fantasyart #Artmagazine #imaginationarts #expressionism #worldofartists #characterdesign #contemporaryartist #creepycute #artfido #artsanity #artlovers #artoninstagram #artofinstagram #hifructose #installationart #artinstallation #artiseverywhere

[bugbrite]

another one of @yoonbii‘s ocs because FUCK

[mariacallous]

After months of tension and dispute around the topic, Bulgaria’s parliament on Thursday voted to send heavy military aid to Ukraine. 

175 out of 240 MPs voted in support of sending weapons to Ukraine. All technical specifics around this decision will be next discussed by the Ministerial council.

The vote marked a rare case of opposing parties such as GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms on one side, and “We Continue the Change” and Democratic Bulgaria on another, voting in unison. Only left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party and far-right Revival MPs voted against the decision. 

“When we say, ‘We will give you humanitarian aid but no weapons’ this is a real cynicism and I hope Bulgaria will stop taking this cynical stance,” Atanas Slavov, of Democratic Bulgaria, told the media shortly before the vote.

It’s expected that the gesture will also lead to more investment in Bulgaria’s own military. “We have proposed 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product to be set aside for contributing to our national defence,” he added.

On Thursday, the pro-Russian Revival party, which recently submitted a draft law on sanctioning citizens or groups that receive foreign financing, protested in front of parliament. Revival MP Angel Georgiev described the parties demanding to send military aid to Ukraine as “euro-Atlantic ragbags”, while Socialist member Kristiyan Vigenin said it was “collective irresponsibility”. 

Since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine in February, Bulgaria’s parliament has been deeply divided on the topic.

The Pro-Kremlin Bulgarian Socialist Party has stood firmly against sending military aid to Ukraine, to the point of threatening the coalition’s unity after ex-PM Kiril Petkov met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in April. 

However, investigations have revealed that Bulgaria is already transferring weapons to Ukraine through third countries, mainly Romania and Poland.

Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova, who in the first half of 2022 headed the commission on selling weapons, has denied the reports. 

President Rumen Radev, aligned with the Socialists, is also critical of such plans, warning that sending heavy military equipment may involve Bulgaria further in the war. 

Bulgaria and Hungary have been the only EU members to resist supporting the Ukrainian army. 

Opposition to the idea also came from the Defence Ministry, which in 2021 was embroiled in an espionage controversy. The 2021-2022 minister Stefan Yanev was ousted for calling the Russian invasion “a special operation”, borrowing from rhe Kremlin’s own rhetoric, and then founded his own nationalist party, Bulgarian Rise, which, surprisingly, voted in support of the military aid on Thursday.

Parliament appointed NATO envoy Dragomir Zakov to the post, but he too opposed military involvement in the war. 

Current interim minister Dimitar Stoyanov, appointed by the President, told media on October 27 that “Kyiv has requested anti-aircraft systems and tactical missiles from us but these are of critical importance for our own national security. We don’t have any spare quantities that we can offer.”

A factor in this hesitancy is Bulgaria’s political impasse. The country held four general elections between 2021-2022, the latest one being on October 2, after  Petkov’s reformist coalition was ousted by a no-confidence vote. 

In May, BIRN reported on how staches of Soviet-made weapons in Balkan countries might be of Ukraine’s interest.

[howlsglasses]

the butterfly knight [ zakov ]