In Between by Svilen Nachev is a photographic project that moves through gray areas, undefined spaces between past and present, between social systems that overlap without ever fully merging. Nachev observes places and people living in a suspended reality, “in-between,” on the edge of Europe yet far from its most canonical imagery. Here, political freedom of choice exists, but is often stifled by corruption and lack of prospects, and daily life unfolds among the remnants of a communist ideology and the increasingly fragile hopes of a democratic present.

His images tell of the coexistence of different ethnic cultures, languages inherited from the past, and technological contrasts that take on almost caricatural forms. In Between thus becomes a mosaic of childhoods, friendships, dilemmas, and mourning—a journey that highlights the unifying power of the human condition, capable of emerging even in the most complex contexts.

Svilen Nachev was born in 1979 in Svishtov, a small Bulgarian town on the banks of the Danube. After cultivating an interest in photography from a young age, in 2011 he began to devote himself to street photography, which remains his main focus to this day. He is a member of the international collective Full Frontal Flash and co-founder of the educational project Street Photo Lab, an initiative that promotes street photography culture and its ability to tell everyday life without filters.

In Between fits perfectly into this journey: a direct and intimate gaze that does not seek aestheticization but reveals the cracks, contradictions, and resilience of communities balancing between past and future.