The chilling “Neighbors” from Bulgaria in the top 10 must-see projects in Venice

In 218 days – until November 24, the creators interpret the theme “Foreigners everywhere”

Nthe big discovery was a small pavilion on the shore opposite Judeka, where artists and historians have found a way to make visible a hidden chapter of Bulgaria’s past. This is what Laura Cumming, named Critic of the Year at the Press Awards 2024, wrote in her article dedicated to the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, which appeared in the English media The Observer and The Guardian.

It places Bulgaria among the 10 must-see pavilions, along with that of Egypt, Japan, Great Britain and others. In her words, the project represents “exciting revelations about the country’s history from the communist era, conveyed through the furniture in a typical Bulgarian home.”

The “Neighbors” project, with which Bulgaria participated in this year’s edition of the biennial, is a multimedia interactive installation that “brings to light the silenced faded memories of the survivors of the political violence of the communist regime in Bulgaria.” Its authors are Dr. Lilia Topuzova, Krasimira Butseva and Julian Shehiryan, and the curator is Vasil Vladimirov.

The Bulgarian exposition also impressed the journalist Kate Connolly from “Guardian”, who even came to our country to familiarize herself with the project. The theme of the camps is new to us, she says, spending two days with the creative team.

According to The Art Newspaper, it is the voices that calmly retell stories that allow us to understand what we are experiencing – “a man tells of being forced to change his name, of being beaten, a female voice from another place in the room speaks of her surprise from the silence of others in the face of evil”. But more chilling are the places in the project that represent the stories of people who can’t or won’t talk about their memories. “This is certainly not a depressing installation, there is a certain beauty in witnessing that these voices are finally being heard,” the publication wrote.

“Surrounded by brown furniture, straw mattresses and the meager cupboards of normal Bulgarian life, the experience for visitors is sad and exciting, but for many the show will also provide access to a part of otherwise unknown history. The silence is broken.” This is how Galerie magazine describes the Bulgarian pavilion.

Apollo magazine presents the “Neighbors” project as an “amazing pavilion”. “When you approach the kitchen where

the vessels and

the cylindrical one

grater stand

frozen

in the sink, a sense of silence clings to the installation. The voices represent a set of memories, but there are others that may never be told,” it reads.

The Bulgarian pavilion invites the public to enter an unsettling space where they witness true stories of persecution and survival, but also resilience and a steadfast refusal to be left out of the historical record. This is how the project is presented on the Stir World website. “Although these stories are Bulgarian, they reflect a brutal reality that continues to unfold around the world.”

“The pavilion is a lesson for today’s problems outside Bulgaria: it is easy to erase a group of people, it is more difficult to bring them back” – these are the words of Oliver Basciano from ArtReview publication.