site.btaForbidden Art Exhibition Opens in Sofia

The exhibition Forbidden Art opened on Friday at the Toplocentrala Centre for Contemporary Art in Sofia. It is dedicated to the fate of works of contemporary art that have been removed from exhibition halls, destroyed or covered up.

Curator Ralitsa Gerasimova said that the works in question are Terrain and Structures by Veselin Dimov from 1982, the deleted contemporary icon painting by Nikolay Panayotov from 2014 and the controversial Anonymous L. by Neno Belchev from 2023. She noted that all these works concern contemporary art and unconventional forms creating their own aesthetics, empowered by messages and concepts. The "judgement" these contemporary expressions receive seems to punish them in the name of a speculative idea of ​​universal beauty, Gerasimova criticised. The artists are the object of public indignation, accompanied by sharp criticism of their creative approach, accusations that this is not art and that the displayed works are ugly, she stressed.

Gerasimova pointed out that the case of Veselin Dimov is a classic example of centralized state censorship. The author, known as "the first contemporary artist in Bulgaria", created the exhibition Terrain and Structures in the Varna Sea Garden in 1982 with an abstract sculpture dedicated to philosophical and mathematical pursuits that excite him. The exhibition does not have a direct statement, but rather is the result of a search beyond the obvious. However, the power of this indirect creative language was apparently frightening to the local communist authorities, who decided that the sculpture should be removed immediately and destroyed. The exhibition has been studied over the years by several art critics, which is why it is known that there were ten or eleven sculptures at the exhibition. Two of them have been preserved and can still be seen in the Varna Sea Garden.

Nikolay Panayotov made his icon painting for the new church in Sevlievo in 2014. He depicted the worldly Petka of Tarnovo, exploring the canon of the religious image by modernizing the icon. After some campaigning by certain interest groups, they blacked out the image after about a month. Panayotov has been working in Paris for a long time. He graduated in mural painting and taught at the National Art Academy in Sofia. His most large-scale works are in Sevlievo, which he considers his second hometown. At the priest's invitation, he agreed to paint the main image of the central facade of the defunct Saint Petka church, built entirely through donations. Subsequently, Panayotov's painting caused disapproval, with a news article defining it as "non-canonical". The icon painting is believed to have been blacked out by the priest himself.

The work of Neno Belchev called Anonymous L. (Anonymous National Hero) is featured in the 2023 Dream of the Rabbit-Man exhibition in the Karlovo Art Gallery. Anonymous L. is a digital collage with hand-drawn elements, in which Vasil Levski is clearly recognizable, but his head is covered with a fishnet sock like a criminal. Next to his figure is a comic bubble with the words "capturing the zeitgeist is not the same as following trends!" The context of the revolutionary's hometown of Karlovo creates a conflict. According to Gerasimova, the work is a comment on the exploitation of the image of the national hero, but Belchev's message did not reach the audience and the painting ceased to be part of the exhibition.

The stories of prohibition are a guide to understanding our society, Gerasimova pointed out and specified that her project is oriented against censorship pressure and for the right of different groups to express their worldview. According to her, conflict is a counterbalance to dialogue, and the pluralism of a social figure is no less important a democratic value than freedom of expression. Therefore, by exploring histories of conflict, Forbidden Art seeks to better understand attitudes towards art, audiences and the nuances of cultural politics.

The exhibition can be viewed until January 26.