site.btaBulgarian Artist Dian Kostov Unveils Exhibition in Largest Basilica in Brussels

A conceptual exhibition Crossroad - The Price of Choice by Bulgarian artist and icon painter Dian Kostov was presented in the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels. The event was attended by nearly 200 guests and was accompanied by a performance by artist Nikola Konstantinov, the artist's team said.

The exhibition, consisting of more than 70 icons, posters and murals, allows visitors to explore and experience the centuries-old tradition of icon painting in a new, modern way and has raised strong interest among the Bulgarian community in Brussels and the local cultural community, the organizers said. They note that Dian Kostov's wife, psychotherapist Milena Tashkova, is the author of the concept.

In the organizers’ words, Kostov and his wife received proposals from churches across Europe but have chosen the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart because it is the largest Art Deco church in the world. “The basilica has been transformed both internally and externally through innovative installations and icon paintings, and 1,300 white birds create the feeling of a heavenly world”, the team said.

The exhibition’s visitors are greeted by 20-metre-high images of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the Archangels Michael and Raphael on the facade and in front of the church’s altar. The interior space is shaped like a highway, representing the human quest on the way to a fulfilling and harmonious existence. Temptations, the strive for obtaining material things and consumerism are represented in the first part of the exhibition. The second part begins with a large crown of thorns, which symbolize the price people pay for every vanity, the difficult choices that accompany success. The third part gives the impression that the path continues among the clouds, searching for the spiritual and God, the organizers said. 

The organizers recall that last year Crossroads - The Price of Choice was a special guest of the Votive Church in Vienna, at the invitation of Josef Farouggia, parish priest of the cathedral, who approached the Bulgarian artist Dian Kostov to realize his project in 2019.