Rafi Chehirian

Ra!, my love, I continue to see the world through your eyes.

!"#$, %&'$($, )*+,-%."/"( ," 0%1,"( 2/13" 2 3/+$31 +4$.

Galia

When we are dead, seek not our tombs in the earth, but !nd it in the hearts of men.

Epitaph on Rumi’s shrine

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is an e"ort to gather re#ections on Ra!, written by people who knew him in di"erent ways, times, and places, on pages illustrated with his own drawings. Moreover, this book is an attempt to create something that re#ects his life and his characteristic e"ect on those around him. Our deepest gratitude to all who put their thought and e"ort into this creative process, beginning with Anna So!anides, who is the impetus behind it all; Rumyana and Ivan Ivanov, who took care of the translitartion into Cyrillic from Latin letters; Emma Tahmizian and Dessi Kissilenko, for their moving translations; Misha Georgieva for her impassioned and imaginative design of this book. We would like to express our gratitude to our dear friends Eva and Borimir Darakchievi, Anna and Tom So!anides, Rumiana and Ivan Ivanovi, Maria Spassova, Nassya Kralevska and Aaron Owens, Elena and Garo Chehirian, and Dessi and Anri Kissilenko, whose material support made the realization of this book possible. By placing the book within Ra!’s artistic universe, we hope to have included him in the conversation.

Galia Chehirian

Julian Chehirian

Garo Chehirian Bulgarian 9

English 105

Tzvetan Kolev Bulgarian 21

English 111

Rumen Sera!mov Bulgarian 33

Margarita Pueva Bulgarian 37

Neti Dobreva Bulgarian 39

Alexander Tonchev Bulgarian 40

Boryana Semerdzhieva Bulgarian 42

Pepi Dakov English 43

Iveta Yane" English 45

Rosi and Emo Georgievi Bulgarian 47

Dimitar Kelbechev Bulgarian 49

Evelina Kelbecheva English 50

Beatrice Tolidjian English 52

Christo Marinov English 54

Borimir Darakchiev English 56

Eva Darakchieva English 57

Anna So!anides English 58

Thomas So!anides English 60

Catherine So!anides English 61

Noris Balabanian English 62

Emma Tahmizian Bulgarian 63

Bouriana and Vlado Todorov English 67

Dessi and Anri Kissilenko English 69

Ivan Ivanov Bulgarian 70

Rumiana Ivanova Bulgarian 71

Kalina Ivanov English 73

Charles E. Noyes English 75

Maria Spassova Bulgarian 76

Nassya Kralevska Bulgarian 81

Aaron Owens English 83

Scott Robertson English 85

Lyubomir Nikolov Bulgarian 86

Marina Petrova Bulgarian 88

Iliana and Pepi Petkovi Bulgarian 89

Holly Karapetkova English 91

Galia and Lyubo Vassilevi Bulgarian 93

Stefka Evstatieva Bulgarian 95

Teri Fisher English 97

Albert Gorab English 98

Violeta Karagiozova Bulgarian 99

Eugene Steinberg English 101

Ed Chehirian English 102

Bulgarian 119

Ra! Garo Chehirian English 103

Bulgarian 120

Photographs 123

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9

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Rafi, High school, Sofia,1967

Rafi and Garo, Sofia,1967

10

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Rafi, Military Oath, Varna,1971

Rafi in his studio, Sofia, 1972

13

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Thesis work, Sofia, 1981

14

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Rafi and Galia in their home, Tryavna, 1986

15

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16

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17

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18

Wedding Day

Bankia, Bulgaria, 8 October, 1980

This is the day when Galia and Rafi get married as if on a lark, breaking all known nuptial rites and canons. The officiating bureaucrats are disturbed since there is no wedding dress, nor tuxes, nor wedding bands, nor champagne. To top it all, a whispering buzz is going around that Rafi is on a furlough and has to go back to prison in a few hours. The ritual is brief but the marriage started so lightly turns out to be a happy one and spans 30 years and two continents.

20

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FG3 @B4<A9<9, 3A679 9@G586B684. /9B6 8136 76 MG76< @:9348=, 6 89B9 :G<4I4@<B=4 B @B4<6 86 478= 29C6, F9=<9 8=4 9<76B86 84 @34. R:9348= B MLFB6A8=1 @3=@GA 84 @GH4@<BLB6<. RAL;B6H=<4 @4 @GM=<=1 B=86>= @6 439J=986A89 LFC6@48= = @<C9>9 @LM4F<=B8= BGB BG5:C=43684<9 =3. '36 @639 MA476 =8<4C:C4<6J=1 86 84H9 84@=>LC89, @AL;=A9 @4 86 81-F9>9, ;=1<9 ;6@<=J6 89@=3 = B@4 :9B4;4 @4 9<76A4;6B634 9< 84>9. /6F6 @:9348G< @4 :C4BCGH6 B <B9C;4@F9 :C4D=B1B684 – F6C<=86, 3L5=F6, A=-<4C6<LC6. T@=;F9 <9B6 M= M=A9 C46A89 BG539D89, 6F9 @3GC<<6 84 M4I4 FC6E, 6 86;6A9 86 89B D=B9<. K9E 5864? R<CLB6 3= @4, ;4 56 $6P= <6F9B6 9MC6<89 MC9484 4 86:GA89 BG539D89.

TC434<9 @A47 56:9586B684<9 3= @ 84>9 :C9<4;4 @1F6I 389>9 :9-@>G@<489 = 439J=986A89 86@=<489. 0=2 F656A 79C= 4F@<6589, 56 F94-<9 79:C=86@1I4 = 3A679@<<6, C65M=C6 @4. -=@A1, ;4 :C4D=B1B6234 @=A86 439J=986A86 9MBGC5689@97=8= 86 9MHLB684 = <GC@484 86 @9M@<B48=1 @= <B9C;4@F= = D=<4E@F= 45=F = :C9@<C68@<B9 B @B4<6.

'363 ;LB@<B9<9, ;4 M1234 29C6, F9=<9 7GA>9 @34 @4 <GC@=A= = 86FC61 :9 81F6FB6 :C474A86 A9>=F6 8= M4 L@<C9486 H6@<A=B6 @C4H6. .<<9>6B6 56 3484 56:9;-86 4789 9@9M489 <B9C;4@F9 = 3=@A9B89 A4<9MC9484. '362 ;LB@<B9<9, ;4 @4 9<B9C= 81F6FGB @B4<GA :C9-59C4J = 862AL @B4D BG57L2 B 39=<4 79<9>6B6 79@<6 @639<8= :C4D=B1B68=1. ?91B= @4 ;9B4FG<, 86 F9>9<9 86E-:9@A4 39D42 76 79B4C1 = C65FC=1 @GFC9B489<9, F94<9 7B=D4I4 9H4 84@34A=<4 3= = 84LB4C48= <B9C-

21

;4@F= :C91B=. T4;4 39D42 76 :9F6D6 @B4<61 @B4<=2, B F9E<9 @4 39A42, F9E<9 :6542 = C4B8LB62.

-89>9 @6 7L29B8=<4 3= L;=<4A=, 9< F9=<9 @G3 ;4C:=A 9@89B68=1<6 @= 76 3=@A1 :9 9:C474A48 86-;=8 B =5FL@<B9<9 = D=B9<6, 89 9MHLB684<9 3= @ $6P= 3= 7674 84H9 38o>9 B6D89 – =5C658=<4 @C47@<B6, 45=F6, 86 F9E<9 76 @4 =5C651B63. /9E :C9=584@4 4789 >9A139 = B6D89 56 3484 „76”. $4B89@<<6 3= FG3 :GCB9=5<9;8=J=<4, FG3 =5B9C=<4, 9< F9=<9 <CG>B6-

I4 J4A=1< 3= <B9C;4@F= 3=C9>A47, 56 :GCB= :G< @4 @<9:= = C4I=2, ;4 39>6 76 >9 79:L@86 B 2C636 @=, 5864EF=, ;4 <9E H4 =36 86E-;=@<= :93=@A= = =@FC489 H4 34 C65M4C4.

' 56:9;86 >9A139<9 @F=<684 – 79 :C474A6, 79 @63956MC6B6. N6:9;86 >9A43=1< LC9F 86 9MHLB684<9, 86 BG52=<6<6 9< BG5:C=43684<9, 9@G-586B684<9 86 B=7189<9, P=A9@9P@<B684<9 = @BGC5B684<9 86 B@=;F9 B <B9C;4@F= 563=@A=. ,4 9@<686 @4A9, 3626A6, 34@<89@9 @ALI63 F6F B@=;F=<4 B:4;6<A48=1 :C4BCGH6I4 B :9A4 56 P=A9-@9P@<B684. T@=;F9 M4 :97A9D489 86 47=8 9@9M48, :C=@GH @639 86 84>9 686A=5 = 9M9MH48=4. R F6FB6 A4F9<6 86BA=56I4 B A9>=F6<6 86 84H6<6 = @GM=<=1<6! ' B@=;F9 M4I4 389>9 @B4<A9 = 79MC98634C489. -89>9 9< :C4D=B189<9 @4 :C4BGC86 B F6C<=8= = =74= 56 F6C<=8=. N6 348 <45= :G<=H6 9H4 84 @6 =5BGCB48= = 56<9B6 :C=@G@<B6< :9@<918-89 B F6C<=8=<4 3=. .< $6P= @4 86L;=2 :9FC6E B=7=39<9 76 B=D763 = @FC=<6<6 A9>=F6 86 84H6<6, = 9>C9386<6 B6D89@< 56 <B9C;4@<B9<9 86 <65= @FC=<6, 84B=7=36, 89 @GH89@<86 @<C686 86 <B9C;4@F9<9 3=@A4-84. % <65= 36>=1 3L M4I4 :C=@GH6 = B 3=@A484<9, = B F6C<=8=<4. ,4 M4I4 9< <=:6 86 7L29B8=<4 86@<6B8=J=, 89 @63=1< 3L 86;=8 86 3=@-A484, P=A9@9P@<B684, 686A=5=C684 86 84H6<6, 9<B6C1I4 89B= :C9-

Tzvetan Kolev and Rafi, Tryavna, 1986

22

@<C68@<B6 = 84 39D4I4, BA=56EF= <63, 76 84 @4 :9;LB@<B6I 84L79M89 B @<6C6<6 @= ;4CL:F6. /61 3L =5B=@489@< BG5MLD76I4 FG3 89B= 3=@A= = =74= 56 <B9C;4@<B9.

.>C9389 B:4;6<A48=4 86:C6B= :GCB6<6 @639@<91<4A86 =5A9DM6 86 $6P= = U6A1 B R9P=1. '36I4 @<C629<48 9<5BLF @ 89B9@<<6 @=, @B4D4@<<6 @=, @34A9@<<6 @=, 6F9 H4<4, B 98=1 >97=8=. )786 =5A9DM6, F91<9 9@<6B= <C6E8= @:9348= = @G3 @=>LC48, ;4 389>9 84H6 @4 :C9348=26 B 86I4<9 =5FL@<B9, 9@9M489 B @C47=<4 86 :9-3A67=<4 = 849MC434848= F9A4>=. %F9 M126 D=B4A= B 0GA>6C=1, @=>LC48 @G3, ;4 $6P= = U6A1 H126 76 @6 478= 9< 56:9381H=<4 @4 = B974H= @GBC43488= MGA>6C@F= 2L79D8=J=, 89 <9B6 4 7CL>6 <436.

,=F9>6 84 M1234 B=D76A= 79<9>6B6 81F9E 76 B67= 9< M1A9<9 :C9-@<C68@<B9 <6F6B6 3=@<=F6, <9AF9B6 84:981<8=, F6<9 ;4 A= 9< 7GAM=8=<4 86 3=@<=;86 P=A9@9P=1, 86I4:B68=1. ,=F9>6 :9B4;4 86 @C4H862 2L-79D8=F, F9E<9 <6F6 76 @B4H48974E@<B6 @ 36<4C=-6A=<4, 79C= @ 86E-9M=F89B48=1 ;4C48 39A=B, 76 :C=C6B81B6 36<4C=6A6 – =5C658=1 45=F, 79 7L26 @=. ,4 =@F6I4 76 FG@6 <65= B56=39@BGC5689@< = =5BG8 841 <CL789 :C=436I4 F93:C93=@=. 094I4 @4, ;4 A9I6<6 3=@GA, 5A9@A9B=4<9, 39D4 76 BA454 B F6C<=8=<4 3L = :654I4 <4C=<9C=1<6 @=. '36I4 81F6FB6 ;=@<9:AG<89@C9389 = <C6E89 M4I4 :C=@G@<B=4<9 86 $6P= F6<9 :C4:976B6<4A B *L79D4@<B489<9 L;=A=H4 B /C1B86. T84@4 = <LF @B91<6 @B4D4@< @C47 56F9@<4-84A=<4 „B76@F6A48=” 7LI=. T :C4:976B6<4A@F6<6 @= 74E89@< =51B1B6I4 @B91 686A=56<9C@F= 86-

Galia and Rafi, Show opening,108 Rakovski Gallery, Sofia, 1987

23

;=8 86 3=@A484 = B@=;F9 =5A=56I4 =5BG8 F8=>=<4 = L;4M8=J=<4 = @4 :C4BCGH6I4 B 36>=;4@F9 9M618=4. 04I4 ;LB@<B=<4A48 = :C98=J6<4A48 FG3 @FC=<=<4 BG539D89@<= = 76CM6 86 74J6<6. N6H=H6B6I4 >= 9< 67-3=8=@<C6<=B89@<<6 86 :C6B=A6<6 = 8479MC98634C489@<<6 86 F9A4>=<4. ,=F9>6 84 M4I4 @29A6@<=;48 B :C4:976B684<9 @=. .BA671B6I4 74J6<6 @ =3:C9B=56J==<4 @=, L344I4 76 >= 936>[9@B6 @ L36 @=, 86;4<489@<-<6 @=, LBA4;48=4<9 @= B =5FL@<B9<9. ,6 47=8 ;=8 81F9E M4I4 =571A6A @ 89D;4 – „$6P= 4 M9>”. /9E 34 86L;= 86 79MC9<6 = AVM9B FG3 L;48=J=<4 = BG9MH4 FG3 29C6<6. QLI6<6 3L @<C676I4, F9>6<9 81F9E 81F9>9 <9C3954-I4, 9@9M489 6F9 <9B6 M4I4 :9 673=8=@<C6<=B48 C47. N6MC6B=2, ;4 @G3 L;=<4A B FA6@=;4@F=1, F98@4CB6<=B48 @3=@GA. ?C6B4I4 84H6<6 76 =5->A4D76< A4@8=, @1F6I B@4F= >9 39D4, 84 :9<=@F6I4 8=F9>9 @G@ 5868=1<6 @= = 84 79F65B6I4 F9AF9 7CL>=<4 @6 :9-8=@F9 9< 84>9.

,4 :9586B63 <9AF9B6 M=@<GC = 686A=<=;48 L3! T@1F9 84H9 M4I4 :9-B97 56 686A=5 79 @GH=86<6. .MHLB684<9 @ 84>9 M4I4 4789 M45FC6E89 P=A9@9P@<B684, @B4<A9 = 79MC9, B=86>= 9:<=3=@<=;89, @ 9>C9386 BAV-M489@< B D=B9<6. T D=<4E@F6<6 3L P=A9@9P=1 84 :C=@G@<B6I4 8=F6F-B6 :A68=C686 :97C47489@< 86 F6C7=86A8= J4A= = :9@<=D48=1. ?C9@<9 :C43=86B6I4 :C45 BC434<9 @ C679@< = @B4<A9 L;L7B684 9< @B4<6. /6F6

@4 7GCD6< @639 389>9 8676C48=<4, M9>9=5-MC68= 29C6.

.MHLB6I4 @ L79B9A@<B=4 = <GC:48=4 @ B@=;F= = =36I ;LB@<B9<9, ;4 8=H9 B @GM4-@478=F6 84 39D4 76 >9 :97C658= = J1A9<9 3L B8=368=4 4 @639 56 <4M. \344I4 76 @ALI6 – <9AF9B6 36AF9 29C6 B4;4 L341< <9B6. '5AG-;B6I4 79MC98634C489@<, :4;4A4I4 A4@89 29C6<6, BG52=H6B626 3L @4 = 3L =3626 :GA89

24

79B4C=4 – M4I4 86E-D4A68=1 @A67F97L34J. $67B6I4 @4 86 C65899MC65=4<9 9< ;9B4IF= <=:6D=, C65>676B6I4 A4@89 ;9B4F6, @ F9->9<9 9MHLB6I4 = 3L :C9H6B6I4 36AF=<4 2=<C=8= = 71B9A==. ,4 @G3 56:938=A 81F9->6 76 4 M=A 179@68 =A= 95A9M48 86 81F9>9. ,63=C6I4 9:C6B768=4 = :C9IF6 79C= 56 86E-A9I=<4 ;9B4IF= @A6M9@<= = :C91B=. ,4 :9381 = 81F9>6 76 4 =36A 56B=@<8=J= = 5A9D4A6<4A=.

T =5FL@<B9<9 84 :C=586B6I4 B=7=39<9, 6 <GC@4I4 @FC=<9<9, @GH89@<89<9, L8=F6A-89<9, P=A9@9P=1<6 86 84H6<6, F9=<9 8= 56-9M=F6A1<. ,6MAV76B6EF= @GM=<=1<6, F9=<9 @4 @AL;B626 B 98=1 >97=8= 86 B8456:8=, 84-9;6FB68= :C9348=, F65B6I4, ;4 „6M@LC7G< 84 <C1MB6 76 MG74 B D=B9<6, 31@<9<9 3L 4 B =5FL@<B9<9”.

/9B6, FG3 F94<9 @4 @<C434I4 = =@F6I4 9< @4M4 @=, >9 =@F6I4 = 9< 29C6<6. 045F93-:C93=@48 M4I4 B 686A=5=<4 @= 56 84;=4 =5FL@<B9, BFAV;61 = 394<9. /9B6 79 >9A136 @<4:48 =534@<= = 39=<4 3=@A= = =5C658=<4 @C47@<B6 B <B9C;4@<B9<9 3=. /9AF9B6 @=A89 M4I4 BA=18=4<9 3L BGC2L 39=<4 C6M9<=, ;4 :9 4789 BC434 MA=59@<<6 @ 84>9B=1 86;=8 86 =5C651B684 @<686 9:6@86. R639 :9<6E-

Rafi and Galia in their home, Tryavna, 1986

25

8=<4 3= „=5B9C=” 34 @:6@=26 9< :C=3F=<4 86 @G:C=F9@89B48=4<9 @ 84>9. -89>9 M4I4 @GMA658=<4A89 76 @4 79MA=D6B6I 79 84->9B=1 86;=8 86 C=@LB684. ?C=;=86 56 <9B6 M4I4 B@4F=784B89<9 8= 9MHLB684 = „P=A9-@9P@F=<4 @F=<68=1 =5 /C4B848@F=<4 :C474-A=”.

?9 989B6 BC434 65 M12 @B=74<4A 86 <B9C-;4@F=<4 3L :C4BG:AGH48=1. ,4 M126 36AF9 AL<68=1<6 = 4F@:4C=348<=C684<9 B <GC@4-84 86 89B= =5C658= @C47@<B6. T@=;F9 M4I4 B :9@9F6 86 @=8<45=C68, =5;=@<48 79 FC6E-89@< 45=F. 09>6<6<6 3L =8<L=J=1 >9 79B474 79 @B4<A=1 „M1A” :4C=97 B D=B9:=@8=<4 3L P=A9@9P@<B68=1. '36I4 3= >9A139 79B4C=4 = B=86>= :9F65B6I4 :GCB9 86 348 89B=<4 @= C6M9<=. K65B6I4, ;4 @G3 47=8 9< 29C6<6, F9-

=<9 86E-79MC4 >9 C65M=C6<. -=@A1, ;4 @G3 M=A =@FC48, F9>6<9 @G3 @4 9:=<B6A 76 686A=5=C63 C6M9<=<4 3L, :GF = 56 3484 M4I4 >9A136 9<->9B9C89@< = L79B9A@<B=4 76 >9B9C=3 = 76 @:974A13 B:4;6<A48=1<6 @= 9< 86E-89B=<4 3L <GC@48=1. ,4>9B=<4 84H6 M126 =34889 <GC@4-8=1 B 4789 86:C4>86<9 L26DB684 86 =8<L=J=1<6. -9D4 M= 86E-79MC4 :9586B62 :GCB9=5<9;8=J=<4 86 F6C<=8=<4 3L. /9E M4I4 =@<=8@F= 6C=@<9FC6< B <B9C;4@<B9<9 = P=A9@9P@<B684<9 @= = 84:C4<48J=9-548 FG3 :C956<6 86 D=B9<6. ' 86 7C4M8=<4, 4D4784B8= 74E89@<= 9< B@4F=784B=4<9, 8456B=@=39 9< @=B9<6<6 = 9@FG7=J6<6 869F9A9, @4 9:=<B6I4 76 :C=7674 6C=@<9FC6<=5G3 – MC684<9 86 >GM=, B6C484<9 86 ;6E =A= F6P4 – B@=;F9 M4I4 :9 84>9B, 86 $6P=, 36>[9@8=;4@F= 86;=8.

Rafi, Tryavna, 1987

26

%86A=5=C6I4 = C65M=C6I4 BC434<9, B F94<9 D=B44234 <9>6B6 = 8=-F6FB= 9M@<91<4A@<B6 84 >9 :C6B426 56B=@=3. %M@9AV<89 9<2BGCA1I4 76-B4H6<6 8= 849M297=39@< 9< F93:C93=@=. % B <9B6 BC434 F93:C93=@G< 586;4I4 7B9E8@<B48 86;=8 86 :9B4748=4 = D=B9< – B<9C6 :C=C976, @ F91<9 M1234 @B=F86A= F6<9 @ 7=I684<9 @=.

/9E M4I4 M9A458489 ;LB@<B=<4A48, F9>6<9 @ A4F6 CGF6 @4 :9@1>6I4 86 81F9= 9< @<6C=<4 6C2=<4F<LC8= 9M4F<= B >C676. U9A136 4 56@AL>6<6 3L 56 4F@:98=C684 76C48=4<9 86 Q=3=<GC K656F9B. /C1B86 :C=<4D6B6 4786 9< 86E-M9>6<=<4 @M=CF= 86 84>9B= <B9CM= 9< 86E-:A979<B9C8=1 :4C=97 86 2L79D8=F6. Q9:=<B626 @4 79 84>9 56 389>9 9< FLA<LC8=<4 86-;=868=1, 56 76 84 MG76< 79:L@F68= F93:C93=@= B @<9E89@<<6 = F6;4@<B9<9 86 2L79D4@<B48= 9M4F-<=. '3626 3L 79B4C=4 BG:C4F= :9A=<=;4@F6<6 3L 849MBGC5689@< = 8479AVMB684 86 BA6@<<6, F9=<9 <9E 84 FC=4I4.

T4;8=1< 3L @<C434D FG3 6M@9AV<86 <B9C;4@F6 = D=<4E@F6 @B9M976, D4A68=4<9 76 84 56B=@= 9< 9M@<91<4A@<B6<6, >9 79B474 79 C4I48=4<9 76 86-:L@86< @ U6A1 /C1B86 = 76 @4 56@4A19A136 <G>6 =5:=<B63, F9>6<9 <C1MB6 76 @:93486B63 56 C6571A6<6. R $6P= = U6A1 C6571A6-<6 84 @<686 =5B478GD, 6 86 <C= 4<6:6 = BG:C4F= <9B6, 56 348 M4I4 M9A458486. ' 79 @4>6 3= @4 @B=-B6 @GCJ4<9, F9>6<9 3=86B63 FC6E FGH6<6, B F91<9 D=B4426 B /C1B86, =A= :C45 @4A9 +8<C6.

Rafi, Tryavna, 1987

27

KGH6<6 =3 - <9B6 84 M4I4 :C9@<9 FB6C<=C6, 6 36AGF <46<GC, FALM 86 :C=1<4A@<B9<9, P=A9@9P@F9 @M9C=H4, C6M9<=A8=J6 56 =74=, @:9C9B4, 31@<9 56 9M9MH6B684 86 :C4D=B189<9 :C45 78=<4 86 @F=<6-84. U6A1 8= <GC:4I4 3GA;6A=B9, F6F A= 8= 4 :986-@1A6? ,4 @4 9:=<B6I4 76 8= :C=5431B6 = 8= :C9-H6B6I4 7GC79C484<9. )7=8 2LM6B 748 C65MC62, ;4 79F6<9 8=4 @F=<6234 = 7GC79C4234, <1 C6M9<4I4 @4C=9589. ' @4 9F656 47=8 5C1A 2L79D8=F: :91B=26 @4 <45= :A6@<=F=, F9=<9, @A47 86:C6B486<6 9< 7B6-36<6 =5A9DM6 B R9P=1, @4 56:938=26 B 2L79D4@<B4-8=1 D=B9< 86 0GA>6C=1, 79C= 8634C=26 :9@A4-79-B6<4A= =A= :9-@F9C9 4:=>98=.

,6 <C= :G<= @= @GM=C626 @:9348=<4, :C4D=B4-A=J=<4 = :9FGH8=86<6. ?9<4>A=26 :GCB9 FG3 @4A9 +8<C6, :9@A4 FG3 R9P=1, 6 86FC61 = 56 O6<=<4. T +8-<C6 L@:126 8689B9 76 =5>C671< @B9E @= @B1< = 89B9 >84579 86 =AV5==<4 = 8674D7=<4. T1CB626 B <B9C-;4@F6<6 @= =5MC689@<. ,4 D=B4426 L@639<489, 56-H9<9 B@1F6FB= :C=1<4A=, :C=BA4;48= F6F<9 B=86>= 9< 79MC6<6 484C>=1 = FC6@9<6<6, F91<9 =5AG;B6I4 89B=1< =3 793, =3 >9@<LB626. '36I4 4789 B4@4A9 = H6@<A=B9 :9FA988=;4@<B9. .< 36<4C=6A86 >A4786 <9;F6, A=I6B6EF= @4 = 9< 36AF9<9 :6C= 9< L;=<4A-@<B684<9, <9B6 @= M4I4 ;=@<6 6B68<VC6, 89 8=H9 84 >= :A6I4I4.

Dimitar Kazakov and Rafi, Tryavna, 1988

28

?9@A4 9<76A4;6B684<9 :C97GAD=. R9P=1 >= :C=BA4;4 @ 9M4H68=4 56 :9-I=C9F= <B9C;4@F= =51B= = F6<9 <C63-:A=8 56 @A47B6H6<6 @<G:F6 – 43=>C6J=-1<6.

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Rafi and Galia, Varna, 1988

29

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37

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40

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42

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY to write something about Ra!. However I could not do it for quite a long time. We spent so much time together and did so many things together so it was impossible

to tell in a few pages something that would describe the great time we had together and what wonderful person Ra! was.

It was always fun to be with him. We spent countless hours discussing anything someone can think of. I always enjoyed our conversations no matter whether we were talking about our daily problems or we were carried away in philosophical discussions of the values of life. Our conversations were never boring although sometimes they were dragging for hours on the same topic. And that was all Ra!’s fault. He was not only an excellent talker - he was also a philosopher with a strong desire to analyze. His knowledge and understanding of life, religion and especially art was broad and extensive. He enjoyed sharing this knowledge and wisdom with others. At the same time he was receptive to others views and opinions. He was eager to explore further and to discover new things. When we were talking it was not only about me or about him – it was about everything. He was open minded, willing to debate and expand his horizons. He was tolerant, accepting and forgiving; always looking for the goodness in people and beauty in life. He was positively driven trying to become better and achieve more in all his endeavors, while being compassionate and helpful to others.

I could write many stories about Ra! and none of them will be su^cient enough to show vast goodness of his character. So I will share just one – when I actually barely knew him.

In March 1989, I left Bulgaria during the Communist regime. I was alone, I did not know where I was going to and what will happen next. I knew only that I was not going back. Initially I was placed in the refugee camp in Traiskirchen, Austria. There were about 500 – 600, people mostly from

43

Eastern Europe. Among them, in the same situation as me, were a dozen people from Bulgaria. One of them was Ra!.

In Traiskirchen, we were staying temporarily for about two weeks in “quarantine” and then we were resettled to di"erent locations all over Austria. There we were waiting for our acceptance and departure to other countries.

The day before I was supposed to be resettled, I accidentally met Rafi. I told him that I will be sent tomorrow somewhere in Austria. He asked me whether I had money. I did not have even one dollar. He took out his wallet, pulled out 200 Austrian shillings and asked me to take them.

I refused to take the money. I was greatly appreciating that he wanted to help me but I knew that he was pretty much in the same di^cult situation as me. Furthermore, I told him I cannot take the money because I did not know where I was going to and I did not know whether we will see each other again. I could not take the money because I had no idea when if ever I will be able to give it back. He told me that he fully understands this and if it happens that we do not meet again, he would ask me to help somebody else and give the money to someone in need.

Fortunately, we met again, we spent a lot of time together and we did many things together in Austria and then in the USA. There was a period of time when we were going out pretty much every day skating with rollerblades. We were spending so much time together that some people were looking at us as a gay couple but we did not care at all. We both enjoyed trying new turns and tricks until we got several injuries. We also loved speeding and did many lap races in Prospect and Central Parks. And no matter how much I tried, I could never beat him even once although I was the younger one. Whatever Ra! he was doing, he was completely involved in it and he was trying to do his best.

I wish we could have had more time and fun getting older together.

Pepi DakovMay, 2012 New York

44

WHEN RAFI AND GALIA visited us in Canada about 15 years ago we rented a cottage in the country. I remember sitting with Rafi around the fire late in the night, greatly enjoying

our philosophical conversation. This is what I recall of Rafi’s contemplation:

“Life is a miraculous manifestation. It is a glimpse of the in!nite. What matters the most is our ability to wonder, to admire, to commit to marvel. It is our duty to watch out carefully that we never lose that ability. Because when we do, we die. The same truth applies when we cross over. What reunites us with the great Source of Light is that urging curiosity to see more, to know more, to experience more.

What is safety? Worldly safety is a pure illusion. You are only safe on earth when your soul, mind and body are in alignment. This is what happens when you play; in sports, in love, in creating beauty… There is no end and no beginning. One form transforms into another continuously, as winter transforms into spring, and spring into summer. As !re transforms into air, and air into water…It is an ongoing cycle of transformation. In Nature nothing is constant. Everything is continuously changing. Then why are we humans so afraid of change? Men and women, when they are still young, should be trained to accept change and #ow with it with ease.”

Iveta Yane"

February, 2012 Toronto, Canada

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R A F I ` S I N F LU E N C E S

I love how time leaves its imprints on everything around us and more so, on us.

I love old cities, towns, villages and places, their temples and houses with old people looking from the windows.

I love Fez, Marrakesh, Cairo, Rome, the Old Jerusalem and Constantinople to begin with.

I love the Acropolis the way it looks now and with what history has left from it. The Sistine Chapel before it was restored. The old rusted cars still on the road.

I love Georgia O’Keefe’s face when she was in her nineties or Chavela Vargas’s face now, her gaze and voice still triumphant, still resisting.

And at the end, old wine and aged cheeses to !nish with.

Found in RaI`s notes

46

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DEAR RAFI, YOU, WHO ARE IN THE SKIES, I remember every time we were together – from Tryavna to Brooklyn, between Princ-eton and Manhattan, in Tena#y and Fair Lawn.

...And we will sit around abundant tables, but more so will spend our time talking -- way after midnight -- talking, talking, talking….We would be surrounded by new books and art albums, and we would be envel-oped in the strange and exciting voices strolling from the East and the West. You had the talent to discover music from Morocco to Iran and to make us love it. You had the same gift of digging up artists and land-scapes, architecture and cuisines that you adored to share and to enjoy with us.

Our conversations would be like a tender snowball of question after question. All would be in them -- doubts and hopes, enchantment and disillusion, fascination and anger, discovery and pain. Because you had the unique gift of passion for knowledge, for understanding the world of ideas, for rethinking the evident, for searching for new, daring and un-usual answers. There was no space which you would not explore with this same passion and curiosity. You would change your mind if you would discover new arguments, new facts, new theories. This was an incredible quality of your intelligence.

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Everytime we talked I felt as in a breathless journey in time and space, exploring ideas and images, discovering sounds and colors... We would jump from history to art, from religion to politics. You would always have the same fascination to uncover the way one creates and destroys our world. These endless conversations had engulfed a quest for answers that we were maybe not able to reach. But you have been always child-like-persistent in “tearing the Devil’s tail” in the search for real understanding of the universe – both outside and inside us.

Going to museums with you was another adventure. It was a feast of the mind and the senses. And, again, this feast would transform itself into profound commentaries and analyses. Your erudite taste for art had no mercy for commercial art, for quasi-avant-garde or for gauche new “stars”. You had a genuine veneration to the art which has not been signed. You knew perfectly well the oeuvres of God-inspired authors. Because you were one of them. Your incredible paintings reveal the same passion, depth of feelings, and empathy for humans, that you radiated everyday to these close to you.

You have left us to discover your entire cosmos in your art – your brilliant brainpower, your profound pain, your unknown silence. And above all – your propensity and your passion for creativity.

Thank you, Ra!! You, who are in the skies and everywhere!

I cherish the days and the nights we spent together as one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Yours,

Evelina KelbechevaSeptember, 2011 SoIa, Bulgaria

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THE YELLOW BED We stopped for afternoon calvados at „La Rotonde“. The northwest corner of the Blvds. du Montparnasse and Raspail can be quite windy. Ra! found a table along Raspail

which was somewhat more private and protected from the draft. It will soon be amethyst dusk. Ra! wanted to meet Gertrude Stein and I promised to take him to one of the famous Salon soirées at 27 Rue de Fleurus. He wasn’t at all apprehensive about meeting Picasso, as most people are. Ra! didn’t care much for Cubism but was still fascinated by the man. I told him, if we hung around long enough this evening we’d probably see him. He is a regular here. The laughter of Kiki of Montparnasse was infectious. Ra! delighted in her spontaneity and e"ervescence. Man Ray, on the other hand was suspicious of Ra!’s amusement and remained vigilant. We noticed Fujita at a near-by table, feverishly sketching the gaunt

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silhouettes of two vieilles dames who had partaken of the grace of better days. Quickly a fantom shadow approached our table and a handsome though frail man in his early thirties bent his head in a courteous bow: “Modigliani, painter and Jew!” We talked. He laughed and remained on the look-out for more promising clientele. He soon left our table and went around to the more a_uent parties, o"ering 5-minutes drawings for an evening meal. The buzz around Montparnasse was that Marevna and Diego Rivera were being seen together. Frida would not have taken that well, even though she certainly was in no want of a"ection, herself. A hearty laughter could be heard from a nearby table and a legato in Russian-infused French. Ra!, who had just left Chagall’s studio was re#ecting at length on the latter’s unfaltering tenacity and single-minded concentration. Hard work was Marc Chagall’s only antiserum for the boredom and bohemian plaster of Montparnasse. Not all the absynthe in the world would cloud his mind’s vision of Bella, the one who was waiting for him to take her away from Vitebsk.

We parted ways in front of Gare de Lyon. The fragrant Parisian night was entoxicating. Ra! had read that some of Vincent’s van Gogh’s works were to be auctioned o" and he wanted to be there. As he stood waiting for the train to Arles, the simple luminous pleasure of a child enshrined his face. I have returned to the States now, and I surmise, Ra! is still there. He is probably treading on that iridescent ground ... of the blue room … with the yellow bed!

Beatrice Tolidjian

March, 2012 Washington, D.C. USA

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OF RAFI AND WINE I am back in New Jersey. Sitting at the back patio and smoking a cigarette. There is a dreadfully peaceful quiet all around. The hurricane Irene is gone forever. Only a

twisted tile from the roof reminds us of her. The river is like a shame-faced child who just made a big mess and is hiding guiltily back in its banks.

I am wandering in the back yard. There is a toolbox covered with mud and tools spilled all around it. I take a wet rag and start to clean them and put them back into the toolbox. Julian comes. He tells me a story of how for one Mother’s Day he and his Dad went to buy a present for Galia and they came back with a big yellow toolbox. It is this same toolbox I am trying to clean from the mud.

I am in the garage. There are two tennis racquets lying on the #oor. I want to take one of them and to start playing, hopefully as skillfully as Ra!. Then I abandon the idea. There is a bottle of red wine on the #oor also half covered with mud. I think that we are going to drink it later…

Finally we are sitting at the table. Ra! sits at the edge, a little aside from us, with a glass of red wine in his hand. This evening he is unusually quiet and thoughtful. I am thinking of the sophisticated dish he is going to prepare and I am getting hungry. With Galia and Julian we are talking about Mexico, about Florida, about politics, about Obama, if he will be able to clean this whole mess...Ra! slightly shakes his head and takes a

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sip of his wine. Galia disappears somewhere. She comes back carrying a big folder. She puts it on the table. There are some things inside the folder that nobody has seen before, but Ra!. She opens the folder and starts to pull out paintings, one by one. Some of them are rather strongly stuck together because of the moisture. Galia and Julian very gently start to separate them one from the other. I want to help but I am afraid I could damage them. The images on the canvases are of very simple, even slightly mad people. In spite of it, the small paintings look like little pieces of jewelry. Our faces are red and blazing from excitement and from the wine. Ra! takes another sip from his wine.

I am looking at Julian. The little boy suddenly became a man. He drinks wine, discuses art and smokes a pipe. Ra! is watching him with the smile of Mona Lisa. I am looking at an old album with black and white pictures of Ra! and Galia in Triavna and I understand why Ra! is smiling. On one of those old pictures he sits on the #oor like Ravi Shankar and smokes a pipe…

It is one o’clock. For the first time this evening I can hear Rafi speak. He says:

“You go to sleep — I will stay here to !nish my wine.”

Christo MarinovMarch, 2012 Washington, D.C. USA

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THESE THOUGHTS I DEDICATE TO MY FRIEND RAFI, in an attempt to re#ect on the great personality of a person who had such a diverse and complete knowledge of the world, history, religion, art, tennis, politics, wine, food,

beauty…you name it.

Ra! and Galia were one of the !rst people I met in the US. It was in the early 1993. We met, we started seeing each other and soon I realized how much I have in common with him.

Ra! was an encyclopedic person, I would say, a Renaissance idividual…like Leonardo. He was not a cheap talker. He was a talker, though, I give him that. At times his thoughts were !ghting with each other, asking to be allowed some freedom, but Ra! patiently and passionately, like a caring father, would funnel them…!nally, into a conclusion, (unless somebody didn’t interrupt him already).

This, in my opinion was not a weakness of his skill to express himself; this was a re#ection of his complex, constantly enriching itself, dynamic, sometimes contradictive thought, always supported by solid knowledge of facts, events, etc.

I valued his personal traits and qualities; the ones that stood out above all were his integrity and dignity. Ra! was a decent man; he possessed pristine human values and did not question other people’s ones even when challenged to do so.

Ra! knew how to enjoy life and was not shy of sharing his joy with others. He knew how to live in the moment, whether this moment was a glass of wine, a movie, a book, a painting, or just a crack in a brick. I didn’t know his parents and early life in#uences, nor do I know how this got cultivated in his mind, but his gift of treasuring and enjoying his and other people’s life, I think, was unique and mind-blowing. The material world never interfered with his spirituality. He was always walking a little bit above the ground. Now, when he is much higher, his absence makes me aware of the great loss and void he left in my soul.

Ra!, I miss you man!

Borimir Darakchiev September 2012 Long Island, NY

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WHEN I CATCH MYSELF THINKING OF RAPHI

It is when I taste a wineand I thinkis it wild

or is it rather a quiet one

It is when I listen to Chavelaor Bebo & Cigala

It’s when I rememberI hate politics

It is when we watch tennis and we make sure the phone is close‘cause Raphi will ring‘

It’s when I look at his artwith admiration and frustration‘damn, why can’t I do that‘

And when I cook something good, I can hear Raphimakes me feel I did it

When I catch myself thinking of RaphiI feel alive

Eva DarakchievaFebruary, 2012 Long Island, USA

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MY COUSIN EVELINA INTRODUCED ME TO RAFI in 2002 when he drove her from the airport to our home. I liked him immediately – warmth and goodness radiated from his kind

eyes. Later we met Galia and became close friends. It seems to me that I have known them for all my life.

Ra! was gregarious, liked to talk about various subjects, but never boasted about himself or his accomplishments and never had negative comments about anyone.

Ra! was cultured with high erudition and insatiable intellectual curiosity. I do not know any other Bulgarian atheist who had read the Old Testament. His interests were diverse and his appreciation of art profound. He talked with infectious enthusiasm about the “agony and ecstasy” of Michaelangelo, Van Gogh, El Greco, Gauguin; discussed the latest articles from the liberal Israeli newspaper “Haaretz”; and in the next breath Camus and French existentialists; Mexican colonial architecture, su! music , Kazandzakis, etc. He loved to share his ideas with his friends.

A week before Julian left for school we had dinner together. The conversation turned to the early 20th century Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, his back to nature philosophy and the !erce individualism of his heroes. It was a real pleasure to hear a father and son’s lively comments. And this was not the only instance. During the last two years it became common to hear them discussing art, philosophy, literature and politics together. Ra! was immensely proud of Julian, the son he and Galia brought up with so much love and dreams about his future.

Ra! and Galia were most gracious hosts and had lovely parties in their home, always with interesting conversations making the guests reluctant to leave. Both of them were !ne cooks and appreciated good food accompanied with a glass of red wine. Ra!’s grilled vegetables were always delicious and his mojitos were enjoyed by all.

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Beautiful pieces made by Ra! and Galia grace the homes of their friends. I love the splendor of his red and gold plates (he called it “Pompeian Red”) and never get tired of looking at them. The quiet calm of the large beige platter he and Galia gave me for my birthday two years ago brings me joy everyday. I hope an exhibit of his art including his paintings can be organized.

Ra! spent the last two days of his life at our home and I try to remember every moment of it. On Sunday night at dinner he was saying that after everything bad something good comes and even after great calamities one must be optimistic. As examples he gave the endings of two movies: “Zorba the Greek” and “The Nights of Cabiria”.

Ra! left the memories of a well lived life. Through all di^culties and hardships he didn’t lose his optimism and his deep love for Galia and Julian. He appreciated beauty not only in art but was seeking it in everything – and was able to !nd it in everyday life.

He touched the lives of many people and left many friends. Very generous, always ready to help, Ra! will live forever in the hearts of those who loved him.

Anna So!anidesSeptember, 2011 New Jersey, USA

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RAFI WAS A RARE PERSON AND A GREAT FRIEND. Last July for my birthday he took me to the Metropolitan Museum and for four hours patiently pushed me in my wheelchair from gallery

to gallery, enthusiastically sharing his knowledge and feelings about his favorite works of art. We started with a temporary exhibit of frescoes and pottery from the Minoan civilization. He passionately pointed out colors, shapes and unusual details even in the small objects. He gave me fascinating insights on many paintings; the culmination was El Greco, one of his favorite. He pointed out the greatly depicted !gures in “The Adoration of the Shepherds”, the unnatural light in the “View of Toledo” and the mastery of the stern and frightening portrait of the Grand Inquisitor. This was the most personal and highly individual birthday present. I will remember it as long as I live.

In the afternoon of the last day of his life, Ra! came to our house physically and emotionally exhausted but went to clean the pool although we all tried to stop him. Later when Catherine played the piano and sang, he told me how special she is and how she shines from within.

This was Ra!: always kind, considerate and thoughtful.

Thomas So!anidesSeptember, 2011 New Jersey, USA

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ALTHOUGH RAFI WAS INITIALLY A FRIEND OF MY PARENTS, I quickly considered him a friend of my own. Ra! always added life to the conversation. Whether we were discussing careers,

colleges, politics or a recent trip, Ra! always had plenty of insight to share. Once he e-mailed me that he and Galia had a wonderful visit with my parents and he and my father had been able to “solve all of the world’s problems except their own”. In another e-mail he sent me a picture of a mother bird in her nest. Ra! was always very observant and sensitive to all creatures of life. I remember he once explained to me how if there was an insect in the house I could catch it in a jar so that I could take it outside and let it be free in its habitat again.

Ra! was always active and energetic. He loved to play tennis. On visits to his home, we would play ping-pong together. Although he was quite competitive, he would always “take it easy” with my father and I.

One evening last summer, we had dinner together in Tena#y. I had mentioned to Ra! that we had a “small project” which we might need him to assist us with. Small, it wasn’t. There was a tree in our backyard that was growing into our fence. We had tried to cut it unsuccessfully. For us, it was a tremendous task and we became reluctant to do it. However, Ra! said it would be alright. At 9 pm at night, we all went to the backyard and Ra! cut down the tree while the rest of us “guided it” to make sure it fell on our property. He even removed all the branches.

The night before Ra! passed away, we were uploading photos he had taken of the house. He spoke to me about Galia and how di^cult it is to really !nd someone with whom you could be yourself, share your joys and sorrows and in his case, spend almost 100% of your time with. He told me how lucky he was and wished that I too would !nd such a partner in life.

Catherine So!anidesOctober, 2011 New Jersey, USA

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TIME FLIES INDEED and I can’t believe it has been more than a year since my dear friend Ra! was taken away from us all of a sudden...His broad smile and deeply human touch are before my

eyes every time I think of him…

I shall be always grateful that our paths crossed almost by accident in life and I gained such a wonderful friend. Never had a brother but felt as if Ra! cared for me as a true brother and had always my best interest on his mind. No words can truly express the void his departure created in the lives of the many who loved him deeply and were proud of his friendship….

Tsdesoutyoun, yeghpayr Ra^, yev Astvadz lousavore hokit…

Noris Balabanian February, 2012 Washington, D.C. USA

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I N T E R L U D E for R A F I To Galia and Julian

Row, row, row your boatGently down the stream.Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily-Life is but a dream.” *American Children’s song

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64

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65

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66

WE MET RAFI AND GALIA FOR THE FIRST TIME on a hot summer day in 2002. Our acquaintance, Snezhana Zareva, had invited us and a visiting professor from Bulgaria, to her home in

Morristown for an afternoon party. The only guests were the three of us plus a young couple who were introduced to us as Bulgarian artists and long-time US immigrants. Later, when we learned their names, we realized how well known their work was in Bulgaria.

The conversation was interesting and the debates heated. This is what marked all our subsequent long and pleasant conversations with Ra!. What we remember from this !rst meeting with him was Ra!’s mentioning his encounter with the works of Knut Hamsun. We were surprised that he would bring up the name of this previously quite famous but now obscure Norwegian author. We were familiar with his dramatic works but did not know his novels and were very impressed with what Ra! had to share about them. He told us how he was in a New York public library and he saw a man kneeling on the "oor, reading a book. He asked the man what he was reading – he had not seen anyone so engulfed with a book. The man was reading Knut Hamsun. Ra! decided to try out one of his books and was hooked – reading this author changed his life, he thought. Now, thinking back to this story and lea!ng through the pages of Hamsun’s novels – especially “The Growth of the Soil”, we try to reconstruct the reason of Ra!’s passion for this author. The last epic novel of Hamsun is “the life story of a man in the wilds, the genesis and gradual development of a homestead, a unit of humanity” (W.W. Worster). This is the story of a man who gradually conquers a wilderness, and creates a path where no path existed before. Here is the opening sentence of the novel: “The long, long road over the moors and up into the forest — who trod it into being !rst of all? Man, a human being, the !rst that came here. There was no path before he came.” Isn’t this the metaphor of an immigrant experience?

67

—A man, alone, making his own way through a “wilderness” – through e"orts and sacri!ces and with strength he did not know he possessed, and !nally – appreciative of all the pleasures that wilderness had to give back in return. “The wilderness was inhabited and inrecognizable, a blessing had come upon it, life had arisen there from a long dream” – muses Hamsun’s character. “There you are, living in touch with heaven and earth, one with them, one with all these wide, deep-rooted things. No need of a sword in your hands, you go through life bareheaded, barehanded, in the midst of a great kindliness. Look, Nature’s there, for you and yours to have and enjoy.”

You knew that, Ra!.

Bouriana and Vlado TodorovNovember, 2011 New Jersey, USA

68

"...I am looking for beauty and poesy in the unassuming reality of man’s life. I wish I could do it the way Knut Hamsun wrote or Skip James sung. I like these two…

... Hey, this imam bayaldi is amazing... Calder’s aesthethics formed under the influence of the biomorphism of Jean Arp, Joan Miro, Yves Tanguy and the ‘60s psychedelia….Don’t waste your time in Borghese – this is where the “official” art resides. Instead check the Etrucscan art in Villa Guilia – that’s the real thing..."

Rafi Chehirian

SO MANY MEMORIES will stay with us forever from our time spent with Ra!: walks around the Pepsico gardens or Storm King, the countless delicious meals we shared and the conversations we had.

He touched our souls and hearts and the memory of him will always be preserved there. Ra! was one of those rare people who had “found the beauty and poesy in a man’s life” and was so generous in sharing it with those around him.

Thank you Ra!! We feel privileged to have known you.

Dessi and Anri KissilenkoDecember, 2011 New York, USA

69

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70

E N L I G H T E N M E N T

He walked in awe

In awe of light

At nightfall, not at dawn

What ever he saw

Receding from sight

In the sky’s afterglow

Was what he wanted

To see, to know

Samuel Menashe

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71

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72

IT WAS A PERFECT SUMMER AFTERNOON, sunny and not too much heat. Our car was gliding down Route 4 navigated by the polite voice of Tina, our GPS. Charlie plugged in his IPod so we were listening to the band

Dream Theater when the GPS announced our destination.

We had arrived at an intersection and knew immediately that we were lost. We always did this on the way to the Chehirian home.

We followed the routine: pull cell phone out of the bag, dial Ra! and after he picks up, describe the intersection, then keep the phone on speaker while his voice guides us to the !nal destination.

It was always Ra! who navigated us to a beautiful dinner, excited about the newest spices he bought, describing the perfect wine for all the dishes. Galia would set the table quietly knowing not to interrupt…

73

Ra!’s words came in torrents as if they were forming a symphony. He was not a minimalist, so if I had to compare him to a composer, I’d say he was Tchaikovsky: melodious, romantic and descriptive. How we argued about politics, or the state of contemporary art!

The thing that most struck me about Ra! was his never-ending curiosity. He loved not just art and politics, but also philosophy, science, history, cooking, wine and travel. He was a good listener and sensitive to others’ opinions. How else would you explain his patience with my eight-year complaining about George Bush?

I loved that Galia, Julian and Ra! came back from Morocco, Mexico or Argentina with such precise descriptions of the color palettes of each place. When Ra! talked about their trips, I wasn’t just hearing a tale; I was also witnessing a series of paintings unfolding. It was as if their living room had become a gallery of landscapes and abstract colors. His glass art always changed after each trip to become more and more magical.

That perfect summer afternoon turned into a perfect dinner night. Hundreds of !re"ies "uttered in the backyard. It was our last gathering together, and it’s how I’ll always remember Ra!.

I miss him so much and I !rmly believe that his spirit is with all of us, enchanting and "uttering like a !re"y.

Tribute to Ra! by Kalina Ivanov January, 2012 New York, USA

74

BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATHBy Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death,He kindly stopped for me;The carriage held but just ourselvesAnd Immortality. We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put awayMy labor, and my leisure too,For his civility.We passed the school, where children stroveAt recess, in the ring;We passed the !elds of gazing grain,We passed the setting sun.Or rather, he passed us;The dews grew quivering and chill,For only gossamer my gown,My tippet only tulle.We paused before a house that seemedA swelling of the ground;The roof was scarcely visible,The cornice but a mound.Since then ‘tis centuries, and yet eachFeels shorter than the dayI !rst surmised the horses’ headsWere toward eternity.

This poem was chosen by Charles E. Noyes in honor of Ra! Chehirian’s memory.

January, 2012 New York, USA

75

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REMEMBERING... Ra! Chehirian was de!nitely the best conversationalist I have ever known. He had an enormous range of interests and always spoke with authority, sincerity, and

authenticity about a broad range of topics. Art (of course), architecture, politics, geography, economics, music, sports. Nassya and I had enchanting evening-long conversations with him on many of these themes. On those occasions, Ra! did a lot of the speaking, but he also sought out our opinions, experiences, and feelings. I was enthralled every moment.

Ra! was also a great friend: open, sincere, and vulnerable. He was one of the few people with whom I felt comfortable speaking about di^cult personal decisions or challenging situations. He was good at giving advice but also at soliciting and receiving it. His advice was valuable because his interests and knowledge also included many practical topics. For example, when I was looking for our last car three years ago, I spoke with him about the leading models. He warned me that VWs – my top choice – are mechanically sound but often have electrical problems. Since then, the two new VWs in our family have had serious electrical issues, while the Mazda that he suggested to me has been perfect.

If there ever was a prototypical bon vivant, it was Ra!. First, he was captivatingly multicultural, with his Armenian heritage, Bulgarian upbringing, and American sensibilities. He was proud of all three heritages, and he combined the best characteristics from each of them. He was an American patriot by choice, having su"ered through Communism, and endured a long path to immigration.

He often travelled with Galia and Julian to an exotic foreign land, always returning with delightful observations and stories. In Morocco it was the desert houses with brightly painted doors. He liked Spain, but hated its cathedrals, which were designed to make mortals feel small. Mexico City

83

was exciting, and he vividly described the ex - patriot communities that he and Galia were considering for their retirement years.

Ra! should have been a food critic. He described in exquisite detail the ingredients, tastes, smells, and presentations of a multi-course New Year’s dinner at a restaurant in Mexico City. We re-lived the whole experience through his words, experiencing it clearly in our minds. And wine – especially red wine! He always savored each glass of wine, even the ‘every day’ qualities that both he and we usually drink, and described it in rich language. I !nally understood, from his explanation, what the sommeliers write… acid, tannin, smoke, berries, chocolate.

Having known Ra! literally makes each glass of wine that I drink taste better.

Aaron Owens December 31, 2011 Philadelphia, USA

84

MY GOOD FRIEND RAFI CHEHIRIAN We were born a world and 24 days apart in 1952, and when we would !rst meet some 46 years later, over pickled vegetables and red wine in a Brooklyn

apartment, I was immediately aware of and inspired by Ra!’s resounding and infectious zeal, passion and gusto for life. His interests were myriad and countless: art, music, poetry; history, religion, politics and, let us not forget, tennis.

He was my friend, my teacher, my brother; innovator, motivator, inspirer.

Our dinners together, with Pat and Galina and Julian, either in Brooklyn, Paramus, Fair Lawn or Monmouth Beach, were probably the most memorable times for me. It would begin with Ra! greeting us with arms open, smile wide and cordial laugh. He would open the Medoc, his favorite wine, breathe deep, taste, pause and then, with the greatest sensitivity and most subtle poetry, would describe how you could taste the earth because of the soil the grapes had grown in. Over dinner, as the conversation evolved into the night framed by candlelight, I learned more, than ever in any classroom, about the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottoman’s and their impact on the evolution of societies over history; of impressionists and realists and technique and style, and the dark subject matter that found its way to artists’ canvases after Communism fell; and of the poetry and lyrics of Leonard Cohen. The dinners were too few and never long enough, even though they generally ended reluctantly and in the early hours of the next day.

And it is because of that gift that we all received when we were in the presence of Ra!, that we should emulate his passion for life, seek out and develop our interests, take advantage of every day, and, more importantly, always try to taste the earth.

Respectfully,Scott RobertsonApril, 2012 New Jersey, USA

85

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90

ONE MORE HOUR

I believe in the power of revision. I write you until I get you right:

your eyes squinting against the sharp September sunlight, newly born.

You brush the leaves from the sleeves of your sweater,

listen as a plane from the naval basebreaks the sky’s perfect blue,

scratch your neck, your faceis more than I remembered.

I want them all to be wrong, the naysayers who doubt

my devotion to the process,who say the dead are dead for good,

cordon them o, in some quietcorner of heaven where they won’t stay put.

91

It’s autumn and the trees drop their leavescarelessly on the backs of the living

smothering the perennial grassas though it were only a matter of time.

We spend our days raking backto !nd what green is left, revising

the lawn into late afternoon.I pass you a rake, too, since you’re alive

and what does it matter how we living pass our time living? It’s all the same,

one more hour in the sunlight, pullingback the piles until our backs give out,

raking and raking as thoughthere were any other possible ending.

Holly KarapetkovaWashington, DC

92

I was in the postmodern maze for years. I found my way out. For now I am looking for beauty and poesy in the unassuming reality of man’s life. I wish I could do it the way Knut Hamsun wrote or Skip James sang. I like these two.

Rafi Chehirian

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96

I WAS IMMEDIATELY STRUCK by the work of Ra! and Galia when I !rst entered "Arrivee". "Arivee" was owned by Pat and Scott Robertson. They provided the entrance into the life of the Chehirians’.

What a beautiful family – each one so full of expression and life. Ra! almost bounced from one spot to another because he was so excited. Such energy is intoxicating. We loved being in his presence, truly he was so full, it splashed o" of him everywhere.

How brave he always was when the downturn a"ected his business.

I have all of his email’s and read them from time to time.

Julian will always carry his memories to me.

I am so thankful that I got to call Ra! my friend.

Love, Teri FisherFebruary, 2012 Seattle, Washington, USA

97

MY ASSOCIATION WITH RAFI began through a mutual friend Dr. Thomas So!anides. Ra! was interested in pursuing a teaching career so that his talents as an artist and educator

could be used to bene!t the young people of his adopted country. My experience as an educator and school administrator was my opportunity to get to know Ra! as an intelligent and motivated person who wanted to give back and pass it on.

The enduring message Ra!’s life teaches us who knew him is that he loved freedom so much that he left his homeland in Bulgaria when it was ruled by the Communist party and made his way to the U.S.A. to begin a new life.

His tragically shortened life serves as a reminder that life is fragile and all of us should strive to give our best everyday as Ra! did for his family and fellow man.

Albert Gorab December, 2011 New Jersey, USA

98

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DEAR JULIAN, do you remember how we became friends in high school, the endless arguments about how horrible Communism was and how great Gogol Bordello is? The arguments were frustrating, but they were

invigorating. It was exhilarating to know someone who was so passionate about the world around them. You were like no one I had ever met before. We became such good friends after that and I still cherish our friendship.

The !rst time I came to your house – I think it must have been when we were doing that Leo Tolstoy documentary for Shaw’s English class – I began to understand how you turned out to be the person you are. Your parents were like the red and blue that make a purple. I could see so much of you in your father, or rather your father in you – although I’m sure it #owed both ways. Your passionate opinions, your fearlessness to speak in the abstract, your appreciation of beautiful, complicated, sophisticated things and ideas were undoubtedly nurtured by a loving and supportive father.

We are all re#ections of one another. With every deep heartfelt connection we make with another human being, we share something of ourselves. Certainly your father imparted a large piece of himself in you. I only talked with your father brie#y, on the drive home from school or on a summer night in your backyard, but he would say things in those few minutes that could keep me thinking for weeks. He was insightful and unafraid to voice his deepest thoughts. He boldly jumped from tennis to metaphysics in a conversation with some kid he barely knew. Perhaps more signi!cantly, I had always liked to think that my friendship with you was in some way a re#ection of a meaningful connection to someone as great as your father. I was shocked and truly heartbroken to hear about the tragedy, but I can’t begin to imagine what this has been like for you. Obviously, if you need anything, I mean anything, I am there. My solace is that I am still friends with you and that therefore, through you, at least that connection survives. I hope this is a comforting thought for you too.

Sincerely and with love,

Eugene SteinbergSeptember 9, 2011 Boston, USA

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TO ME HE WAS SIMPLY “UNCLE”. To him I was the recipient of his now famous overture: “Eddie, you want to go hit a few balls?” His passion for tennis was transcendental, and his persistence

inescapable. After a long hard day at work he would somehow !nd energy to lure me onto the tennis court, where his sheer passion and will would overcome my only weapon: my athletic youth. The way he managed to morph from an easy going, slow moving and quiet artist type, to a ferocious and unforgiving athlete with cat-like re#exes and speed, will forever be a mystery to me. I was never able to win a tennis match and he never let me forget it.

Afterwards, he would invite me to dinner, where he would display his prodigious chicken-grilling skills, much to my delight of course. We would drink wine and talk about anything and everything. Sometimes, at the end of a wonderful evening, he would innocently propose, “Eddie, you want to go hit a few balls?”, only this time he was referring to table tennis. I was happier to oblige this request because his other-worldly tennis skills did not translate into dominance on the small table. I was able to win my fair share of matches and he would always jokingly blame his losses on the fact that I had a professional racquet.

Every moment spent with Uncle was wonderful. I realize now how much he enriched my life and how much I’m going to miss him. If he can hear me now, I’d like to say, “Uncle, you want to go hit a few balls?”.

Love,

Eddie

Ed Chehirian

July, 2012 New Jersey, USA

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FROM ONE RAFI TO ANOTHER: You and I both know that being a Ra! is no easy task. One must be loving, handsome, intelligent, creative, funny, outgoing, and above all, have an a^nity for wine

and racquet sports. You de!ne it! They went ahead and named me after you, how could I ever live up to it? In any event, I just want to take a minute and say hello. I can honestly say that of all the people that I have ever met in my life, I enjoyed your company the most. I always looked forward to our tennis and ping pong matches, barbecues at the house and cultural discussions. You are the best uncle that anyone can have and I miss you very, very much. Life is this strange thing that beats by its own drum and does strange things that leave me wondering.

I know that you’re not really gone. You live in my thoughts and in my heart and every time I think about the times and laughs we’ve shared, I get a warm, comforting feeling and can’t help but smile. They say that the essence of man lives on. It must be true because there is no doubt in my mind that I’ll see you again. Until that day comes, I will tell my children all the wonderful stories about uncle Ra!.

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you soon.

Your nephew,

Ra! Garo Chehirian

July, 2012 New Jersey, USA

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(translated from page 7)

Ra! Chehirian is my brother. We were together for nearly 60 years. Nearly … He passed on at the tender age of 59 and a half. Last April, for his 59th birthday, I jokingly told him his time spent hiding from the number 60 will come to an end. He con!dently shook his head and assured me that team 60 was not for him. He told me “I will enjoy 59 a little while longer, but you can go ahead, and if it’s good I will come.”

I am two years older than him and ever since we were little we followed the same routine – whenever he was afraid I would go ahead and test the waters while he waited anxiously for my OK.

When we were little he always wanted to be with me, but the rules of our street “Zagore” did not allow this. This was the street’s strictest law – the little ones did not mix and play with the older ones. We “the older ones” were 9-10 year olds and the “little ones” were our younger brothers, younger by no more than 2-3 years. However, the actual age di"erence was of no importance. The younger brother was considered a “little one” and played with the “little ones”, period. Ra! did not accept his fate as a “little one” peacefully, and he stubbornly tagged along. This breach of street law caused many !ghts between us. This is how we grew up, sometimes laughing – sometimes crying, each of us always staying true to our character.

Up until the 8th grade, my brother was the worst student I knew. He !nished the year with a D average – earning a D in every class except gym, earning a triumphant A. In the eyes of my poor parents this was a catastrophe. With such a low grade average, Ra! would not be accepted into any high school program. Even the less demanding Technical Schools were denying him admittance. My father was heartbroken. He was deeply ashamed by his son’s failure, who in turn was surprisingly una"ected by his predicament. Then, in the nick of time, “Uncle Levi”, a close friend of the family and a big

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shot in local government, came to my brother’s rescue. He proclaimed that the son of Vartkez and Arma Chehirian cannot possibly be a stupid boy, and he was not going to allow him to end up on the street. He pulled some strings and arranged for Ra! to be admitted to a vocational school. It was during this time that my brother began to draw. He soon began to believe he was god’s gift to drawing and considered his family so unworthy of his time that he stopped talking to us. This lasted for two long years. During these two years, as my mother would later tell me, he was leaving the house around eight o’clock and returning no earlier than midnight. Being a concerned mother she decided to follow him one night. To her amazement, his trail led her to the University of So!a, the most prestigious school in the country. It turns out that her 15 year old son was sitting in on night classes in Philosophy … Who would have thought my brother would undergo such a drastic transformation at such a young age.

He graduated the vocational school with a B+ average and declared that he would apply to the national art academy. At the time (1971) this was considered not only heresy of a degree equivalent to Giordano Bruno’s theory of the model of the universe, but also extremely unlikely, given our family’s social status. The unfortunate truth was that our family did not have the connections required for my brother to gain admittance.

Putting his artistic ambitions on hold, my brother entered the army. During his military service he matured and we began to forge a close relationship. I was getting to know my brother all over again. Once our silence was broken, we talked for hours on end, !nally speaking the same language. We debated passionately about art, philosophy and everything in between. In the course of our conversations I was realizing the degree of Ra!’s transformation and it was monumental. He had become an artist, both intellectually and spiritually. He was well on his way, and the rest was only a

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matter of time. From then on I knew my brother had true talent and I began totolerate the unbelievable mess that he created with such natural ease.

The way in which my brother earned a spot in the Art Academy deserves admiration. It took him 3 years of applying, and countless hours of hard work. He worked the night shift in a factory, because art lessons are very expensive, and during the day he paid for drawing lessons, and after all this he continued drawing when he returned home. Day after day, I watched him get better and better, and his improvements fueled his growing ambition. After being rejected from the academy for the second straight year, he returned home full of anger and rage, because the committee unfairly graded him in order to deny him admittance. The manipulation was obvious, but my brother swore, “Next year I will be accepted as the number one applicant!” That same day, he sat at his drawing table, and spent the next 365 days and nights hunched over his work, meticulously scrutinizing and improving every minute detail. He developed new techniques because he wanted his work to drastically di"erent and strikingly original in order to separate himself from the other applicants. He was not going to give the committee the option of ignoring him. A few weeks after the exams, all of us at home celebrated his triumph – he was !nally accepted! He was the number one student, as he predicted three years ago.

At the academy he made a big impression. His innovative style and constant search for new methods earned him the respect of his fellow students and professors. Looking back, however, I would say that the most precious thing that my brother took with him from the academy was Galia. Despite all his declarations that he was a cursed bachelor that would never marry, Ra! married Galia! Thank God!

Our emigration to America was one of the greatest things, if not the greatest that ever happened to us. Ra! was the !rst to escape Bulgaria,

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settling in a refugee camp in Austria. I wasted no time and rushed straight to America. It was our great fortune, that in less than a year we reunited in the greatest city in the world – New York.

We could hardly contain our excitement that we were !nally in America together. Our childhood dream had come true. The journey that our grandfather began long ago in year 1915,from Turkey through Bulgaria and towards America, was !nished at long last by my brother and I. We were poor but liberated. To us,living in a country with open borders and no restrictions on international travel was the very de!nition of freedom. I know that today, this might not sound like much, and I’m sure our children will never understand, but to us at that time this freedom was intoxicating.

In the early months of our time in America, my brother was mesmerized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His long time dream of visiting one of the world’s greatest museums was now an everyday convenience. There was a time when he would visit the museum every single day as soon as he !nished work. He told me that while in the museum he felt he was part of the artistic world. At this late stage of his life, when I thought I knew everything about my brother, he still managed to surprise me. The last stage of his art was full of secrecy. It was as if he did not want anyone to know what he was working on. When I !nally saw some of his paintings I was #abbergasted. Never before had Ra! drawn such abstract paintings. The faces and human forms on the canvas were mysteriously withdrawn and unnaturally inanimate. At the same time they portrayed a childlike shyness, saying “We are not here of our own free will.”

Ra! always had great respect for amateur artists. He used to say that in order to get close to the true meaning of art, you had to move away from the academia. I was not sure I completely understood him and I begged

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him to explain, to which he responded !rst with his characteristic hand gesture – using his thumb to touch each of his other !ngers, from his index to his pinky, and back again, over and over, as if checking to make sure each !nger was still there. He furrowed his brow, slightly closing one of his eyes more than the other – a mix of irritation and contempt, and said “How can I explain it to you when you are not an artist?” – this was all that I understood, that I was not an artist. But I didn’t need him to tell me that, as I knew all too well that I was not an artist, and when I reminded him of this we always had a good laugh. Oftentimes during our conversations about art he would tell me that I should be happy that I live and work in a world of exact measurements and not in his world of uncertainty, agony and endless torture. I had a feeling that deep within his soul there burned a nagging #ame of doubt and guilt... that he was not talented enough to ful!ll his artistic mission.

Ra! often told me that it’s impossible to cheat on the canvas because a painting is mercilessly compared to every work that came before it. For him that was always like a guillotine over his head – the constant fear that his technique and methods are not original, but have already been used by someone else, and he is merely walking in another’s footsteps. He had incorruptible artistic integrity which prevented him from ever making any compromise. I pictured him as a coal miner digging deeper and deeper in search of something that seemed to elude him. I have asked him, “What is driving you, what are you searching for?” He answered me that he was striving to materialize that which is invisible to all of us – the human soul. Not emotions – joy, sadness orexuberance – but the soul, the one thing we cannot describe, but feel is hidden deep within us.

In his later paintings I felt his titanic struggle to create an image of the soul. Looking at them I was overcome by a feeling of nihilism and timelessness. Staring at the faces in the paintings for too long would cause me to be pulled

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into an abyss where gravity and light faded in the distance. I shared these feelings with him, and suggested that he had, in fact, been able to !nish his long quest to capture the elusive intangible. He took a long look at the canvas, quietly pondering, after which he simply said, “I don’t know, this is just the beginning”. He was not talking to me, but rather to himself, realizing the road that lay ahead. This made me feel tremendous respect and lovefor my little brother, watching him bear this enormous burden and carry it towards an uncertain end.

Now, when everything relating to Ra! is like a frozen frame of !lm, never to be developed or changed, I ask myself, if that was just the beginning, I wish I would have seen the end. God how I wish…

Rest in peace, my dear brother,I won’t bid you farewell.The memory is only getting louder,As you send for me your spell.One day I’ll :nd you there,And we’ll meet again,Sometime, somewhere,A star to star and man to man. My brightest star of all,My brother,I will remember you forever.

Translation by Dessi Kissilenko

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The Great Contemplator (translated from page 7)

In times of powerful emotional upheaval, it has seemed to me possible to begin a journal with death as the starting point, and then going backwards towards the bright, youthful formation of consciousness. Not memories, but rather a new journey back into the world of the people we have ceased to be long ago. Memories in the literal sense don’t exist. Events are always emotionally embellished and strictly subjective in how we perceive them. There is but a pale interpretation of something indistinct that has happened to someone we know, a particle of which we carry as we move from it further and further. Thus the memory gets transformed into an experience of art – a painting, a piece of music, a book. All that would be realistically possible if death was not an end but a beginning of a new life. Who knows? It seems to me that for Ra!, such a backward accounting is entirely possible.

Time, after getting acquainted with him, seemed to #ow in a much more intense and emotionally condensed way. I would even say ecstatic, to which our youth contributed, of course. I think we were experiencing a strong emotional bond in those years of interaction, in search of our own creative and existential language and our niches in the world.

I have the feeling we were two persons who had long searched for each other and for whom, in the end, bound by some logic of destiny, a happy meeting was arranged. That marked the beginning of a peculiar sense of time for me and my creative and thought process. I had the feeling that a certain window of light had opened and fresh air rushed into what were until then my quite lonely experiences. The person to whom I could reveal and could entrust with the innermost had !nally appeared, which was compelling for my still hesitant and insecure artistic endeavors. I was now able to show the temple in which I prayed, the temple I guarded and was possessive of.

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Many are my spiritual teachers from whom I have drawn my own rationale for thinking in a particular way about art and life, but my interaction with Ra! gave me something very important – the tools, the language in which to express myself. He pronounced a major and important “Yes!” for me. For the !rst time, my jealousy towards the prime sources, towards the wellspring from which my entire artistic view of the world had stemmed, melted, and I decided I could let him into my temple, knowing that Ra! would have the most pure intentions and would genuinely understand me.

And the great wandering began – to the edge, to the oblivion of self. Thus started the great lesson in interacting, absorbing in awe, processing the seen, philosophizing, and then connecting it all in creative concepts. Not a village, neighborhood, or site throughout the corners of the entire Tryavna and Elena regions were left un-roamed by us. It was endless pleasure to listen to him and to his transforming all impressions into a territory for philosophizing. Everything was subjected to his typically unique analysis and summary. With what ease did he get to the logic of things and events! And everything was so full of light and good intentions. Much of what we experienced turned into paintings and ideas for paintings. For me, those roads are still not fully traversed, and because of that, they are constantly present in my paintings. From Ra! I learned to see, along with the visible, the hidden logic of things, and the immense importance of this hidden, invisible, yet essential side of creative thinking for the work. Now, that magic was inherent in his thinking as well as in his paintings. He was not the spiritual guru type, yet his very way of thinking, philosophizing, and analyzing was opening new horizons, and you could not, having entered there, but feel uncomfortable in your own old shell. This evolvedness of his was stimulating you to new thoughts and creative ideas.

Ra!’s and Galia’s !rst exhibition in So!a made a tremendous impression. It received an awesome response for its newness, freshness, even boldness,

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if you will, in those years – an exhibition which left lasting memories - and I am sure many things changed in our art scene, especially in the milieu of the younger and more unburdened colleagues. Had they lived in Bulgaria, I am certain Ra! and Galia would have been among the most memorable and leading contemporary Bulgarian artists, but that is another topic.

Until then we had not seen anyone draw such mysticism from the white blankness, nor such incomprehensible, as if from the depths of a mystical philosophy, whisperings. Never since have I met a painter with such a sacramental approach toward his materials, even toward the simplest black pencil, equating the material – the means of his expressive language – with his spirit. He did not want to sever this interconnectedness, and outside of that it was hard for him to accept compromises. He was afraid wicked thoughts or badmouthing could enter his paintings, and protected his territory. He possessed a certain kind of cleanliness in his attitude toward his own art.

Huge and lasting was Ra!’s presence at Tryavna’s Art School. Here too he imported his freshness amidst the fossilized, dogmatic souls. In his pedagogical work, he used to state his analytical ways of thinking, and consequently everything going out from books and textbooks was being transformed into a magical enchantment. He was sensitive to and perceptive of the children’s hidden potentials and talents, and was protecting them from the administrative nature of the regulations as well as from colleagues’ unkindness. Never was he scholastic in his teaching. He used to captivate the children with his improvisations and was able to enchant them with his mind, erudition, and passion for art. Someone had engraved a bench with a pocket knife: “Ra! is a god”. He taught me goodness and love towards the students and towards people in general. His soul was su"ering whenever one being was tormenting another, especially if that was done in administrative form. I forgot I was a teacher in the classical, conservative sense. He was

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making things seem easy, as if anyone could do it, oppressing no one with his knowledge, nor attempting to prove others to be lower than himself.

I never knew such a clear and analytical mind! Every single thing was a cause for analysis to get to the heart of the matter. Interacting with him meant endless philosophizing that was luminous and good, always optimistic, in his immensely-enamored-with-life way. In his existential philosophy, there was no presence of a planned orderliness of cardinal goals and achievements. He was simply passing through time with joy, in bright wonderment with this world. His was the behavior of only very gifted, God-chosen people.

He was communicating with pleasure and patience with everyone, and you had the feeling that nothing in his interlocutor could aggravate him, his entire attention being there, solely for you. He had the ability to listen – so few are capable of that at this point in time. He was emanating kindness, winning people over easily; they admired and trusted him implicitly – he was the most wanted sweet-talker. Enjoying the diversity of human characters, easily deciphering the person he was interacting with, he was forgiving towards minor cunning and mischief. I don’t remember him ever being angry or bitter with anyone. He used to !nd excuses and forgiveness for even the worst human weaknesses and deeds. I don’t remember him to have ever been envied or to have had ill-wishers either.

In art, he did not recognize the visible, and instead was looking for the hidden, the essential, the unique, and the philosophy behind the things surrounding us. Watching the events in those years of abrupt, unexpected changes, he used to say: “The absurd ought not to be in life, its place is in art.”

What he was striving for and demanding of himself, he wanted from people as well. He was uncompromising in his analysis of others’ work, mine included. This also shifted my thoughts and means of expression in my art to a great degree. His in#uence on my work was so strong that at one point this

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closeness with his style of expression became dangerous. Only my secret “wellsprings” saved me from those hooks built into my contact with him. It was very enticing to get close to his way of expression. This was on account of our daily communications and “philosophical wanderings through the Tryavna sites”.

During that period, I was a witness to his creative transformations. No small amounts of rambling and experimenting were involved in search of new means of expression. Everything was directed towards a synthesized language, puri!ed to the extreme. His abundant intuition brought him to the luminous “white” period in his artistic philosophy. He had great trust in me and always shared and showed his new works !rst to me. He used to say that I was one of the people who best understood him. I think I was candid whenever trying to analyze his works, as for me it was a great responsibility and pleasure to speak and share with him my impressions from his latest explorations. His works were precisely explorations in an intense courting of intuition. Perhaps I knew best the primary sources of his paintings. A true aristocrat in his work and philosophy, he was nevertheless unpretentious toward life’s prose. Even to the minute, mundane activities of daily life, he was trying to impart aristocratism regardless of the greyness and scarcity around – gathering mushrooms, preparing tea or co"ee – all of that in his - Ra!’s - sorcerer’s way. Analyzing and understanding the time in which we lived then, he could not be made subservient under any circumstances. He absolutely rejected the necessity for compromises which was drowning us. And in that time compromising meant duality in behavior and living – a second nature we grew as used to as to breathing.

He was painfully sensitive when, nonchalantly, some of the city’s old architectural buildings were encroached upon. He was greatly instrumental in the exhibiting of Dimitar Kazakov’s bequest. Tryavna now owns one of the most extensive collections of the artist’s work from his most proli!c

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period. Ra! was consulted about many of the cultural endeavors so that no compromise would be allowed in the evaluation of any given art work. They trusted him regardless of his political detachment and lack of fondness toward the ruling powers, of which he made no secret.

His everlasting aspiration for absolute artistic and existential freedom and his desire not to depend upon circumstances brought him to the decision to leave Tryavna with Galia and move to the village of Yantra. I think he didn’t want to depend even on his talent, and was slave to nothing in this world.

I feel the greatest sadness when I have to make mention of the parting. With Ra! and Galia, the parting did not happen all of a sudden, but in three stages, yet despite of that, it was still painful for me. To this day, my heart clenches whenever I pass either by the house in Tryavna where they lived, or through Yantra. Their house – that wasn’t simply a residence, but a small theatre, a club of friendship, a philosophical assembly, a workshop for ideas, arguments, a place for summarizing the experience from our roaming days. Galia tolerated us quietly – how did she endure us? She was not trying to bring us back to earth and forgave us our chattering. One beautiful day I discovered that while we had been wandering and chattering, she had been working seriously. It turned out she was a mature artist: her pieces of sculpture appeared, and after the joint exhibition in So!a, those sculptures were remembered in the Bulgarian art-world, and even found followers, or rather, epigones.

Ra! and Galia collected their memories, experiences, and household possessions thrice. At !rst, they set out to the village of Yantra, then to So!a, and !nally to the United States. In Yantra, they succeeded in building once more their own world and a new nest of illusions and hopes. They believed in their artistic calling. They did not live in an isolated way as all sorts of friends, attracted as always by the good energy and beauty emanating from

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their new home, were visiting. There was a merry and a happy worshipping there. From a !nancial point of view, to deprive themselves even from the little bit of money that teaching was bringing, was sheer adventure, yet nothing could scare them.

Still later, the distancing went on. So!a drew them with a promise of wider artistic exposures and as a trampoline for the next step – emigration.

Before their departure, of which we had absolutely no inkling, Ra! came to Tryavna. I didn’t even understand that was a farewell. We went out to walk through the old pathways and to philosophize a bit. I took him to see a plundered excavation in the village of Kumanite. It was cleaved accurately and opened truly masterfully, and the usurper’s will and desire to !nd something were felt palpably. Ra! concluded: “This is how I like mankind; I adore his traces.” I will always remember those human “traces.” I transfer them into my own paintings. Oh, how untreadable are the traces he left…

On his way to America, Ra! took his memories, while I remained to guard and to keep on conquering the places we had roamed before.

He left to conquer the world – or rather went back to the world the way he had dreamt of it and had thought that he understood well. As I knew Ra!, I gathered he must have taken pleasure in all the various things, both good and bad, that were happening to him, and we, his friends, believed that he was ”conquering America”, albeit in his own way.

I have never felt so robbed and bereft as I did after this senselessness. How come Ra! is suddenly no more? I am so woebegone for this man. So fascinating was this world for him – to analyze it, to disassemble and then to re-assemble it all over again, as if in a play which should have continued and amused him for a long time yet to come.

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I believe the joy of freedom was !lling his life – he dreamt of that. I am certain there were continually many friends around him, and art, and beauty, and love.

I often think of him and am sad, yet I !nd it also beautiful to have known him. Ra! spoiled us with himself, and it is as if there hasn’t been anyone interesting for me after him. I remember both the wonderful evenings and the mornings in the old house’s yard, with a cup of English tea or a glass of nice wine. And the long conversations would begin, and there would always be something to tell one another, as though we had not seen each other in a long while, and the time is not nearly enough for us to say it all, while it was only the previous day that we had been together. I leave and know that next day, as soon as we see each other, it will be the same. And it is as if it will always be so – only the realities of life proved to be di"erent.

As I am writing all this now, still new and more memories #ow into my mind. And everything is mixing together, as if coming to life, and all the while it seems to me there is something important that I have left unsaid. Or maybe memories really don’t exist. They are but small particles of life which will remain in my mind and heart and will be coming back to life with all their emotion and beauty when we talk and talk and talk about Ra!.

Tzvetan Kolev

March 2012, Tryavna, Bulgaria

Translation by Emma TahmiziànNew York City, USA

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!"#$ %&' ()* +,&- , ."$/ "0(/ – Uncle ( translated from page 100)

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,4>9B6<6 @<C6@< FG3 <48=@6 M4I4 @BCG24@<4@<B486, 6 84>9B6<6 86@<91<4A89@< – 849<C65=36. RA47 7GA>=1, <4DGF C6M9<48 748 <9E 81F6F@= 863=C6I4 484C>=1 = 39<=B=C9BF6 76 34 :C=363= 86 F9C<6, FG74<9 @ 84B4C91<86 @<C6@< = B9A1 86774A1B6I4 867 39=<4 47=8@<B48= 9CGD=1 – 6<A4<=536 = 3A679@<<6 3=. ,6;=8G<, :9 F9E<9 <9E @4 :C49MC651B6I4 9< 6C<=@<=;89 >9<=8=1, <=2 = 84 9@9M489 484C>=;48 39E ;=;9 B @B=C4: = 84:C9H6B6H 6<A4< @ F9<4IF= C4PA4F@= = MGC5=86, H4 9@<684 56B=86>= 56>67F6 56 348.

%5 8=F9>6 84 L@:12 76 @:4;4A1 <48=@ 36; @C4HL ;=;9 = <9E 8=F9>6 84 34 9@<6B= 76 56MC6B1 <9B6. RA47 =>C6<6 <9E 34 :9F68B6I4 86 B4;4C1, FG74<9 56 394 9>C9389 L79B9A@<B=4 74398@<C=C6I4 @B94<9 L7=B=<4A89, MLFB6A89 84:9B<9C=39 >9<B6C@F9 L348=4 B :C=>9<B184<9 86 :=A4IF= F9<A4<=. ,=4 :=4234 B=89 = C65>9B6C1234 56 F6FB9 A= 84. ?981F9>6, @A47 B4A=F9A4:89 :C4F6C686 B4;4C, <9E :972BGCA1I4 84B=889: „)7=, =@F6I A= 76 ;LF843 81F9AF9 <9:F=?“ T <95= @AL;6E <9E >9B9C4I4 56 <48=@ 86 36@6. %5 @4 9<59B6B62 @ :9->9A136 C679@< 86 <45= :9F68= :C9@<9 56H9<9 B =>C6<6 86 <48=@ 86 36@6 <9E 84 793=8=C6I4 <6F6 M456:4A6J=9889. %5 L@:1B62 76 @:4;4A1 79@<6<G;89 36;9B4, 56 76 >9 :C=8L71 76 @4 9:C6B76B6 I4>9B=<9 @ P6F<6, ;4 65 =>C61 @ :9;<= :C9-P4@=986A86 C6F4<6.

T@4F= 47=8 39348< :C4F6C68 @ X=;9 M4I4 :C4FC6@48. )7B6 @4>6 65 9J481B63 79 F6FB6 @<4:48 <9E 9M9>6<= 391 D=B9< = F9AF9 389>9 H4 3= A=:@B6.

119

%F9 X=;9 39D4 76 34 ;L4 @4>6, M=2 =@F6A @639 76 3L F6D6: „Uncle, =@F6I A= 76 9<=743 76 L76C=3 7B4 <9:F=?“

R J1A6<6 391 9M=;,

/B91< :A43488=F )7=

1/2# – #(. $/ ",. 3)4)'.$#& (translated from page 101)

' <=, = 65 79MC4 58643, ;4 76 MG74I $6P= 84 4 A4@89. )7=8=1< 4 B@49M=;68, 9;6C9B6<4A48, =8<4A=>48<48, =59MC4<6<4A48 6C<=@< @ :C4FC6@89 ;LB@<B9 56 2L39C, 89 867 B@=;F9 – =36H =5<G8;48 BFL@ FG3 B=89<9 = M45:C474A86 @<C6@< FG3 <48=@6. /= @= @<6876C<6 56 B@=;F9 <9B6.

K9>6<9 @G3 @4 C97=A, C4I=A= @6 76 34 FCG@<1< 86 <4M. KG74 =3 4 M=A L3G<? K6D= 34 F6F M=2 39>GA 76 @4 34C1 @ B@=;F9, F94<9 @= <=? K6F<9 = 76 4, <9B6 4 391<6 9C=@=1. %5 :C9@<9 =@F63, 4E <6F6, 76 <= @4 9M671 56 3=8L<F6 @ 4789 „57C6B4E“.

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120

>9 9M1@81, 89 3=@A1, ;4 D=B9<G< 4 86=@<=86 @<C6889 84H9, B F94<9 :9 84B4793= :G<=H6 @4 @AL;B6< 849M1@8=3= 84H6. %5 5863, ;4 <4M <4 =36 81FG74 86 @FC=<9 31@<9. /= D=B44I B 3=@A=<4, B @GCJ4<9 3= = B@4F= :G<, F9>6<9 @= @:93813 56 <4M = 56 BC434<9, B F94<9 M1234 564789, 34 9MA676B6 ;LB@<B9 86 LV< = <9:A9<6. T <6F=B6 3=>9B4 :9 A=J4<9 3= :AG5B6 @:98<6886 L@3=BF6 – 9@<686A= <C92= 86 H6@<=4<9 76 <4 =363 B D=B9<6 @=.

K65B6<, ;4 7L2G< 86 ;9B4F6 :C97GAD6B6 76 D=B44 = @A47 FC61 86 5438=<4 3L 78=. O4 <C1MB6 76 4 =@<=86, 56H9<9 65 84 @4 @G381B63 = 56 3=>, ;4 H4 <4 B=71 9<89B9. Q9F6<9 79E74 <95= 748, 65 H4 C65F65B63 86 39=<4 74J6 56 B@=;F=<4 M=B6A= = 84M=B6A= =@<9C==, F9=<9 @G3 :C4D=B1A @ 391 ;=;9 $6P=.

0A6>976C1 <=, ;4 34 =5@ALI6 = 79 @F9C9.

/B91< :A43488=F $6P= 91H1(/*$, 2012

121

Happy ImmigrantsAsylum-seeker camp, Traiskirchen, Austria, April 1989

HallstattAustria,1989

Austria, 1989

Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna, Austria 1989

Julian is here1991

Rafi, Julian and GaliaPrinceton, NJ, 1993

RafiBrooklyn, 1994

Rafi and Julian1995

Galia, Julian and Rafi First Craft ShowBrooklyn Heights, NY 1996

Apartment in Carroll GardensBrooklyn, NY 1996

Rafi, Galia and JulianIn front of the White HouseWashington, D.C. 1997

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Rafi and GaliaNiagara, 1997

Rafi and JulianParis, 2003

Rafi and JulianMonet’s Garden, Giverny, France 2003

Rafi and Four NunsMontevideo, Uruguay, 2005

RafiNiagara, 2005

Eva and Borimir Darakchiev, Galia and RafiCozumel, Mexico 2005

50th Birthday Galia, Julian, Evelina Kelbecheva and Rafi Fair Lawn, NJ 2006

Rafi and JulianSahara, Morocco 2007

RafiVatican, 2005

Rafi and JulianCoyoacan, Mexico City, 2006

Rafi and GaliaPisa, 2005

Rafi Venice, 2005

Rafi at HomeFair Lawn, NJ, 2006

Rafi and GaliaMohonk Lake, NY, 2009

Rafi, Galia and Julian, Christmas Eve at HomeFair Lawn, NJ, 2010

Rafi and JulianHighline ParkNew York,NY, 2009

Rafi, Gali StudioAmerican Craft ShowBaltimore, 2011

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Maria Spassova, Rafi and Tom SofianidesNew York, 2011

Rafi and JulianGovernor’s IslandNew York, 2011

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RafiKendall Gardens at PepsicoPurchase, NY, 2011

Julian,Rafi and Galia Kendall Gardens at PepsicoPurchase, NY, 2011

Lybomir Vassilev, Anna Sofianides, Tom Sofianides, Ivan Ivanov, Rafi and Galia ChehirianRunyana Ivanova, Maria Spassova, Nassya Kralevska

Rafi, Julian and Galia at the Sofianides’Tenafly, NJ, 2010

Rafi and Julian Newburgh, NY, 2011

Rafi and Julian at HomeFair Lawn, NJ, 2011

Rafi 2010

Rafi 2010

Rafi at Storm KingCornwall, NY, 2011

Rafi’s Resting PlaceStorm King Art Center, Cornwall, NY, 2012

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148

Ra! Chehirian`s drawings, created between 1987 - 1996 appear throughout the book.

Design by Misha Georgieva

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Rafi Chehirian

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