An act of frivolity was allowed...

The exhibition An act of frivolity was allowed... presents a multidisciplinary research of the history of the Club of Cultural Figures (KDK) in Veliko Tarnovo. The building at 16, Velcho Dzhamdzhiyata St in the emblematic ‘old quarter’ of Veliko Tarnovo, Varusha – South, is a monument of culture and has existed for (at least) 150 years. Between 1967 and 1996, it housed KDK, and now it is a centre for contemporary culture and arts, renovated and enlivened by the TAM association.

The research covered hundreds of archival documents, documented the stories of respondents related in one way or another to the history of the space, studied its architectural transformations and entered into symbiosis with the works of young artists who interpreted the KDK with different means of expression and concepts within the framework of the TAM residency programme in 2022.

The title is a quote from a conversation with a respondent and expresses the duality of both the history and the narrative of the space for cultural events. KDK emerged within strict ideological frameworks, but over the decades it has developed as an independent artistic environment and a peculiar micro public sphere ‘under the radar’. The exhibition includes photographs from the history of the place, an expanded infogram with key themes and periods from the archives, emblematic objects, excerpts from interviews and archival documents, architectural plans, presentation of new works and events.

Other participants: Arch Emil Angelov and Arch Denitsa Indzhova

Contribution with images and stories by: Fabio Toppazzini, Tihomir Manev, Galina Tsvetkova, Hristo Tsatsinov, Elena Dimitrova, Katerina Milusheva, Orfey Mindov, Hristo Panev, Katya Mitova-Ganeva, Zorka Katsanska, Ventsislav Iliev, Petar Atanaschev

Acknowledgements of the assistance of: P. R. Slaveykov Regional Library, the Veliko Tarnovo Regional State Archive

Special acknowledgements of the team of TAM Association: Galin Popov, Miroslava Popova, Denitsa Milusheva, Vesselin Denev