site.btaPlovdiv Exhibition Gives First Comprehensive Study of Bulgaria's Participation in Venice Biennale

An exhibition, "Acqua alta. The History of the National Participation of Bulgaria in the Venice Biennale 1910–2024", at Plovdiv’s Kapana Gallery, is among the most important research exhibitions in the country this year, said art historian and director of the Kazanlak Art Gallery Dr Plamen Petrov in an interview with BTA's Ralitsa Stefanova. He is the curator of the exhibition together with art critic Svetlana Kuyumdzhieva. "It focuses on an issue that has never been the subject of a comprehensive examination before, namely all 11 participations of Bulgaria in the oldest and the most prestigious international art forum in the world," he said.

Works by more than 70 artists are included in the exhibition. "We have tried to reconstruct each of our participations at the Biennale," Petrov said, explaining that it was quite difficult to track down some of the works as there is no rich photographic material from the earlier participations.

Petrov also noted that Bulgaria’s recent participations in the Biennale have hardly been presented in Bulgaria and can be seen for the first time in this exhibition, though in an adapted version.

“The Venice Biennale of Art was established in 1895, when there was not even a painting school in Bulgaria, and Bulgaria has participated since 1910, only 15 years after its inauguration,” Dr. Petrov said. According to him, tracing these participations is an opportunity to trace the development of the Bulgaria’s art history and how it presents itself to the world. "It is as if we always appear at the Biennale at a very special time in our country, at a special foreign policy moment," he said, noting that this can also be traced in the exhibition. Another particular point that it shines a light on is the reflection of critics on the country’s participations, and it is usually quite negative. "Our view of our participation is always very critical, as for example in 2019. In 1910, the perception was similar," said Dr Petrov and argued that the Bulgarian public does not recognize these participations as a national cause. "Perhaps the most important thing about this exhibition is that it can help us to look at ourselves, how we think about our country in this participation, especially through the works, because they allow us to very clearly delineate the different styles and undertones over the years," he said.

The project presents works from more than ten state collections, including the National Gallery in Sofia, as well as galleries in Plovdiv, Varna, Sliven, Pleven, Ruse and others.

There will also be a large educational module involving the curators of the pavilions over the years, as well as tours with the curators of the exhibition, where visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the research that preceded it. A catalogue will also be put out. It will also show other works from Bulgaria’s participations in the Venice Biennale of Art that have not been put on display.

The project is supported by the National Culture Fund and organized by the Plovdiv City Art Gallery and the Plovdiv Municipality. The exhibition will be on at the Kapana Gallery until February 20 2025.

Acqua alta (from the Italian "high water") is a phenomenon typical of Venice, and refers to the tides of the Adriatic Sea that cause partial flooding of the city at different times of the year.