Forbidden Art 

Forbidden Art is a story about three removed works – destroyed, obscured, or taken down from exhibition halls. The three cases are: the destroyed exhibition Terrain and Constructions by Vesselin Dimov (1982, Varna); the controversial piece Anonymous L. (Anonymous National Hero) by Neno Belchev (2023, Karlovo), and the hastily removed contemporary iconography by Nikolay Panayotov (2014, Sevlievo). The date and place traces the chronology of the conflict, not the creation of the artworks.

Scattered across time, these three stories speak of communism, nationalism, and the politics of religious art. The stories of censorship raise legal, social, and ethical questions. But one thing is certain, censorship remains a stage for defending democratic principles – yesterday, today, and likely tomorrow.

These stories of prohibition are a guide to understanding our society. While this project is oriented against forms of censorship, the right of different groups to have their own worldview should not be violated. Conflict is the counterpoint to dialogue. The multiplicity of the social figure is no less an important democratic value than is freedom of expression. That is why Forbidden Art is an invitation to dialogue. By examining stories of conflict, the exhibition seeks to better understand attitudes toward art, the audience, and the light and shadows of cultural policies.

- Ralitsa Gerasimova, curator of the exhibition