Art in Times of War and Indifference

"Art in Times of War and Indifference"

Exhibition of Bulgarian artists

05.04.2023 - 05.05.2023 y.

The exhibition is realized with the financial support of the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria

The exhibition "Art in a Time of War and Indifference" features 35 paintings with a variety of techniques by 18 different Bulgarian artists from different parts of the country.

First exhibition "Art in Times of War and Indifference"

Art and war are two themes that are inevitably intertwined in the modern world. One - destructive, the other - creative. Unfortunately, once again today we facing turbulent times and a changing world order. Once again, guns are becoming the main argument for resolving disputes and conflicts. More disturbing, however, is the human apathy and indifference to the human drama and impending danger to the world. That is why in the hectic everyday life, sometimes permeated by selfishness and hedonism, in which the care and empathy for the other, the neighbour, is missing, art turns into the corrective, that can recreate the suffering and pain, but also hope and faith in something better in human society. The subject of the amateur exhibition Art in a Time of War and Indifference, presented to your attention, is therefore hardly randomly chosen. In fact, it is relevant to every single moment, every hour, every day of our lives, if we all wish to preserve the world we know and love. A world of peace and harmony!

The virtually exhibited paintings do overflow with these emotions. We observe an overt dualism: a struggle between darkness and light, multiple symbols, deep semantics, veiled messages. The techniques are most varied and reveal a wealth of worlds and perceptions: watercolour, oil painting, graffiti. Fear, anxiety and terror are felt in some works, while in others art miraculously appears as a barrier, a shield to negative emotions and suffering. Each of the amateur artists, as difficult as it is to use that term for the represented artists, reveals his or her own individuality. Vanya Mrekyova's Black Swan, for example, has become a symbol of unforeseen changes and unexpected events in world history, according to Nassim Taleb. The dualism in the battle between darkness and light can be deeply felt in the depictions of dark ballerinas, black tears, mummers in battle with demons and evil forces in Ivaylo Manushev's works, Gergana Turkalanova’s Panikhida, memorial service and especially by the dark colours and tones in the artistic flight of Magdalena Peycheva, Stefka Nikolova and the painting Apocalypse by Boryana Rekarova.,

But fear, anxiety and apathy, seem to disappear in the subsequent artworks. The painting "Life always finds a way" by Diana Kostova symbolizes that even in destruction, war and indifference, small seeds of love and light always break through the darkness and give birth to new life. Again, the artwork "Fairytale Light" by Todor Georgiev is a symbol of hope. Emilia Vasileva's white doves symbolize peace and hope; and trust in God is felt by the angels in the canvases of Teodora Blazheva and the icon painter Toshko Vachev.

Hope and faith in the Good never leave us, especially when we create art. In the painting "Like sand through the hands" by Boryana Rekarova, you can feel the contrast between reality and hopes presented in an interesting and original way. Therefore, let us rely more often on art and remember that war and indifference to Good and Justice, human suffering and pain, are Evil! We should not be indifferent to it!

Artworks