The exhibition constitutes the concluding phase of the ‘Visual Chronicles’ project aimed at the creation of an archive of art in Bulgaria during the mid- through the late 20th century in the shape of video interviews and through the memories of artists who lived in the abovementioned age.
The videos with running time between 20 and 30 minutes present a close-up of nine artists with authoritative presence on the art scene. Their stories span over the period between the mid-20th century and the preset day. The themes range between issues pertinent to the creation of visual arts, issues pertaining to the relations between the artistic community and authorities, the social standing of artists through the years, and personal memories of and stories about teachers, friends and fellow artists.
The following is a sample the questions answered by the artists: ‘How did your approach to the working process change through the years?’; ‘Did you feel free during the socialist era?’; ‘How did you preserve your artistic potential?’; ‘What would you advice young artists of today?’.
Besides the interviews, the exhibition features works from various periods of the artists’ careers belonging to the genres of painting, graphic arts, sculpture, wood engraving, and illustration.

The video portraits were directed and produced by Rayna Taneva and Desislava Pavlova from Bureau Artrecord.

The project is realized with financial support from the ‘Culture’ capital city progra

Curators: Maria Vasileva, Daniela Radeva