Copenhagen in Shapes & Colors: Urban Fragments by Mariyan Atanasov

Ten years ago, we featured Bulgarian photographer Mariyan Atanasov and his captivating Urban Fragments series, where he transformed everyday architecture into minimalist studies of form and contrast. A decade later, he is bringing his long-running exploration to Copenhagen, revealing a different side of the Danish capital through bold compositions and unexpected perspectives.

In these new images, buildings become intricate arrangements of sharp angles, repeating windows, stacked balconies and sculptural facades. Mariyan often points his camera skyward, isolating architectural details against brilliant turquoise skies that intensify the colors and graphic quality of each scene. Coral-red panels, lime-green glass and crisp white structures create striking visual contrasts, with dramatic shadows adding depth to the beautiful geometric patterns.

His approach makes even the most complex structures appear surprisingly abstract. Curving towers form sweeping ribbons, clusters of balconies resemble folded paper, and carefully framed sections of buildings become studies in rhythm and symmetry. More recently, he expanded the series further, turning his camera to Barcelona. You can check out both series on Behance and follow Mariyan’s latest work on Instagram.

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