Events – Page 4 – Museum of Humor and Satire

The Mobile Exhibition “SIN” Visits the Dryanovo Historical MuseumThe Mobile Exhibition “SIN” Visits the Dryanovo Historical Museum

Opening: November 26, 11:00 a.m.

Ikonomov House, 119 Shipka Street

Period: November 26 – December 3, 2025

The Museum of Humor and Satire presents in Dryanovo the first visit of the mobile exhibition “SIN” – a contemporary look at the unique museum collection of 50 panels, created in the 1970s as copies of Renaissance frescoes with satirical and instructive motifs.

Half a century later, the museum team conducted a large-scale study of all the temples from which the original frescoes originated.

Some of them are now severely damaged or lost, which turns the copies into a valuable historical document.

A monograph is also being prepared as part of the project, which will present the entire process of research, analysis and interpretation of the collection as a basis for its future re-exhibition.

The exhibition includes:

– archival materials and reproductions from the collection;

– footage from field research;

– analytical texts by specialists in the fields of art, theology and psychology;

– contemporary interpretations of the place of the theme of sin in our cultural memory.

“SIN” invites the audience to enter into a dialogue with the past and discover how moral, laughter and human weaknesses remain relevant throughout the centuries.

The Sin Research and Exhibition Project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and in partnership with the Historical Museum – Dryanovo.

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BORIS DIMOVSKI, THE DISAGREERBORIS DIMOVSKI, THE DISAGREER

Постер на документален филм за българския художник Борис Димовски, включващ информация за събитие и екипа на продукцията.

Documentary, 2025

Duration: 50 minutes

Gabrovo premiere: November 27, 6:00 PM, Museum of Humor and Satire

Free admission

A film about the great Bulgarian artist Boris Dimovski, whose works reflect almost half a century of controversial Bulgarian history, in which he always finds his own unique way to express his civic and creative position.

The screening is a side event to the exhibition “Boris Dimovski – 100-Year Birth Anniversary”.

During the Gabrovo premiere, you will have the opportunity to meet part of the production team: screenwriter Kalin Nikolov, director Ralitsa Dimitrova and Plamen Gerasimov, cinematographer.

From the creators of the film:

“Boris Dimovski is among the most popular Bulgarian artists in our country since the second half of the 20th century. The significance of his art makes him an artist who is also a spokesman for the public conscience, the face of honesty.

As early as 1968, one of his drawings turned the attitude towards our culture in general upside down, showing what enormous power satire can have.

This is not just a film about an artist, despite Boris Dimovski’s undoubted qualities. His works are a painfully distorted, sadly realistic reflection of the events he experienced. We tell the story of a man who passed through time with dignity, with the help of his works. This is an attempt to restore the memory of the artist and the person – both in the people who have experienced his works since their first appearance on the pages of books or newspapers, and in the younger generation, for whom this story is an occasion and an opportunity to see and understand this time.

The film intertwines two visual and semantic layers, united by the figure of Boris Dimovski – the complex and turbulent historical events that his life went through and which he reflected in his cartoons; and the development of cultural processes in our country since the second half of the twentieth century, as his work connects him with a number of the most exciting moments.

The film strives to make the figure of Dimovski interesting and accessible to the younger generation, which is largely unaware of his work and qualities. The goal is not just to preserve the memory of the personality of Boris Dimovski in a showcase, but also to create a space for the interaction of his work with the present.”

BORIS DIMOVSKI, THE DISAGREER

Producer: B PLUS FILM

Screenwriter: Kalin Nikolov

Director: Ralitsa Dimitrova

Cinematographer: Plamen Gerasimov

Sound: Mariana Valkanova, Georgi Tsvetkov

The film was created with the financial support of the Culture Program of the SOFIA MUNICIPALITY

and with the assistance of:

BULGARIAN NATIONAL TELEVISION

MUSEUM OF HUMOR AND SATIRE – Gabrovo

Municipal Institute “Old Plovdiv”

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Kalin Nikolov. Graphics and Drawings with Unwritten ContentKalin Nikolov. Graphics and Drawings with Unwritten Content

An artist and art critic from the street at 70

Обява за изложба на Калин Николов, включваща графики и рисунки с недописано съдържание, отбелязваща 70-годишнината на художника.

Floor 4, Hall 6

“This exhibition is a return to two of the sources of my (poor, in my opinion) imagination (but the world is rich and its content lurks everywhere).

The first are the pictures seen back in the late 1950s and still viewed with interest through a now retro bakelite diascope from the last century. It is preserved in our country in its original box and even with the instructions – “Model E”, a beautiful rarity once, before our television. These pictures were arranged in slide drums with the seven wonders of the world, the wedding of the Queen of England, parrots, Hollywood shows, the ascent of Vesuvius. The last one especially always reminded me of the final stop of tram five (the final stop of the line with the final traverse) and the start up Vitosha with the expectation that we would someday come across the terrible crater.

The second moment is my graphics for the 1970 film “Catch 22” based on the famous novel by Joseph Heller, skillfully adapted to the writer’s black humor. The genre of my cartoon (one of the things I have done in print – both as independent graphics and drawings) is mainly of the “black humor” type: this amuses me even more since I generally don’t understand anything about art, but in my field this is rarely of urgent need to anyone.

To all this I add a few satirical comics, as well as two satirical drawings from different times – my host is a museum of all genres in the funny and the sharp, I would not like to overlook that fact…

There is also a long drawing that slowly grows from exhibition to exhibition, perhaps until it itself becomes one. Its theme is reality, people and destinies – important to us, wherever they came from or will come to us…”

Kalin Nikolov

Kalin Nikolov was born in 1956 in Sofia.

He graduated from the Art High School and the Nikolay Pavlovich Institute of Fine Arts, majoring in Graphics and Graphic Technologies under Prof. Dr. Evtim Tomov.

He studied and worked with the artist Boris Dimovski.

He is currently a curator at the Graphic Department of the National Gallery, Sofia.

He has had solo exhibitions in Sofia, Gabrovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Hamburg, Athens, Budapest, Skopje, Ohrid, Dimitrovgrad and other cities.

He was an artist in newspapers such as “Vecherni noviny”, “Reporter 7”, “La Strаda” and the magazines “FEP”, “Terra Fantasia”, “Usuri”.

He is the author of books, monographs and research studies on Bulgarian and world fine arts.

Nikolov is a researcher of forgotten pages of Bulgarian cultural history – the Union of South Slavic Artists “Lada” (1904-1906), the Ukrainian sculptor Mykhailo Parashchuk and repressed Bulgarian artists.

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Symposium on “Sin – a research and exhibition project”Symposium on “Sin – a research and exhibition project”

Среща на български хумористи в Музея на хумора и сатирата, участниците обсъждат хумор и творчество.

On October 27, 2025, a Symposium on the “Sin” project was held in the library of the Museum of Humor and Satire – a key event in the preparation of the new permanent exhibition, which will restore and rethink the presentation of the emblematic museum collection, exhibited in the Museum from 1975 to 2022.

About the Project

“Sin – Research and Exhibition Project” focuses on the unique museum collection of 50 copies of frescoes from 16 churches and monasteries in Bulgaria.

Its goal is to support the team in developing a narrative about the collection that is understandable to a modern audience – from field and archival research to interpretive solutions, design and communication with the public.

The corpus of images offers artistic, ethnographic, historical and moral-philosophical layers, putting sacred art, satire and contemporary interpretations of moral themes into dialogue.

Participants and Topics

The symposium brought together curators, art historians, theologians, psychologists, museum specialists, artists and teachers, who presented their analytical texts and research and discussed.

The meeting took place in a spirit of in-depth dialogue and shared commitment to the topic of the collection and contemporary approaches to its presentation – considered not only in a theological, but also in a cultural, social and aesthetic context.

Event facilitator: Margarita Dorovska – Head of the Fine Arts and Exhibition and Fund Activities Department at the museum and author of the project concept.

Authors of the analytical texts:

Prof. Dr. Raina Gavrilova – cultural scientist and historian, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
Dr. Vladimir Dimitrov – art historian, NBU
Dr. Slava Yanakieva – cultural scientist and theologian, NBU
Svetoslav Stoev – psychologist and social analyst
Tchavdar Nikolov – cartoonist and visual satirist
Tatyana Tsankova – ethnologist and long-time director of the museum
Ilina Peneva – curator and PR, Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center, Gabrovo (results of field research)
Sava Hristov – project manager, manager of Vidima Gallery, Sevlievo

Results and next steps

The event laid the foundations for the meaningful and interpretative process that will shape the new permanent exhibition “Sin”.

The presented reports and discussions will be used in:

Finalizing the exhibition concept
Preparing the accompanying monograph
Creating a mobile exhibition
Developing a project website

The video documentation from the symposium will support the work of the curatorial team in the next stages of the project.

This project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.

Група участници по време на симпозиум в библиотеката на Музея на хумора и сатирата. Видими са книги и декоративни елементи на заден план.

Снимка от симпозиум в библиотеката на Музея на хумора и сатирата, участниците седят около маса и обсъждат проекта 'Грехът'. Виждат се стелажи с книги и зелени растения.

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BORIS DIMOVSKI – 100 YEARS BIRTH ANNIVERSARYBORIS DIMOVSKI – 100 YEARS BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Постер за изложба, посветена на 100 години от рождения ден на Борис Димовски, с информация за откритие, куратор и партньорски организации.

October 23, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Opening: October 23, 5:30 PM

Curator: Krasimir Iliev

From October 23, the Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo presents an exhibition,

commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Boris Dimovski (20.10.1925–26.03.2007)

Follow the link for more information:

https://humorhouse.bg/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Humor-House_Boris-Dimovski_english.pdf

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Selected artifacts from the collection of Salza Petkanova (1921 – 1997), owned by the Museum of Humor and SatireSelected artifacts from the collection of Salza Petkanova (1921 – 1997), owned by the Museum of Humor and Satire

From September 25, the Museum of Humor and Satire presents selected bronze figurines, gold measures and masks, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. The unique African pieces are not just exhibits, but bearers of centuries-old wisdom, with which Salza Petkanova introduces us in her books and research. The collection of ritual masks and sculptures is one of the most valuable investments that the Museum has made over the years.

Raised under the wing of writers Konstantin and Magda Petkanovi, Salza Petkanova is a polyglot, philosopher, psychologist, specialist in librarianship and African art. She is the first research associate at the University Library of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. In 1965, she was sent as a specialist to Ghana. Later, she became deputy director and subsequently director of the Library of the University of Ghana in Accra, where she spent almost a decade. She returned to Bulgaria with a rich collection of works of African art. A significant part of it is now owned by the Museum of Humor and Satire. For many years, Salza Petkanova was the chairman of the association “Friends of Africa in Bulgaria”.

A black and white portrait of an elderly woman with glasses, sitting in a cozy living room setting. She is wearing a decorated blouse and has curly hair. In the background, there is vintage furniture and a television.

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Presentation of Violeta Tsvetkova’s book “Alone with the Unforgettables”Presentation of Violeta Tsvetkova’s book “Alone with the Unforgettables”

Promotional poster for the presentation of Violeta Tsvetkova's book 'Насаме с незабравимите' at the Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo, featuring details about the event and the book.

We invite you to an unusual meeting with 45 beloved and unforgettable Bulgarians. A meeting made possible thanks to Violeta Tsvetkova – a long-time journalist in the field of culture. Her hundreds of interviews, conducted over the years of work for various Bulgarian publications, inspired the creation of the book Alone with the Unforgettables. It brings to life not-so-grumpy old men, ageless favorites, inimitable ladies and unforgettable inspirers – personalities who are no longer with us, but continue to excite generations with their talent and spiritual heritage. Among them are actors, directors, writers, musicians and other cultural figures who have left a lasting mark on Bulgarian memory.

This meeting is even more special for us because it is an occasion to honor one of the people in the book. Her name is Salza Petkanova (1921 – 1997).

Raised under the wing of writers Konstantin and Magda Petkanovi, Salza is a polyglot, philosopher, psychologist, specialist in librarianship and African art. She was the first research associate at the University Library of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. In 1965, she was sent as a specialist to Ghana. Later, she became deputy director and later director of the Library of the University of Ghana in Accra, where she spent almost a decade. She returned to Bulgaria with a rich collection of works of African art. A significant part of it is now owned by the Museum of Humor. The collection of ritual masks and figurines is one of the most valuable investments that the Museum of Humor and Satire has made over the years.

This year marks thirty years since Violeta Tsvetkova’s interview with the cosmopolitan Salza Petkanova. This coincidence gives us a wonderful opportunity, along with meeting the charming Violeta and the presentation of her book Alone with the Unforgettables, to show you part of the collection, consisting of small bronze figures, gold measures and masks, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. The unique African pieces are not just exhibits, but bearers of centuries-old wisdom, with which Salza Petkanova introduces us in her books and research.

You will hear more about this and other inspiring meetings, about the voices behind the words and about the memories that do not fade – from Violeta Tsvetkova herself.

Come on September 25 (Thursday) at 5:30 p.m. to the Library of the Museum of Humor.

An evening full of stories, spirit and warmth awaits you, which only living memory can awaken.

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All That Variété – an exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Experimental Satirical Variety Theater – GabrovoAll That Variété – an exhibition dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Experimental Satirical Variety Theater – Gabrovo

Плакати и текстове, свързани с изложба, посветена на експериментален сатиричен вариеетеен театър в Габрово. Заглавие на изложбата на български и английски език.

The Museum of Humor and Satire presents All That Variété – an exhibition based on the online archive dedicated to the Experimental Satirical Variety Theater in Gabrovo.

The Variety Theater in Gabrovo is an emblematic institution that existed in the period 1985 – 1999 under one roof with the Museum of Humor and Satire. This year marks 40 years since its opening.
Gabrovo residents fondly remember the cozy evenings spent in the characteristic bar atmosphere among talented actors, glamorous costumes, dances and music. Since 2021, the archive has been publicly available online, allowing the audience to follow the history of the theater in detail.
This exhibition presents selected moments from the legendary history of the Variété, as everyone called it.
The audience will find information about some of the plays performed and meet again with the main characters in this beautiful and somewhat sad tale. Many of these artists – now established actors, directors, choreographers and musicians – began their careers in Gabrovo. The exhibition includes video interviews with some of them, as well as excerpts from performances.

The exhibition can be viewed in halls 6 and 7 on the fourth floor of the Museum of Humor and Satire.
The digital archive is available at http://variete.humorhouse.bg/

The Museum of Humor and Satire would like to express its sincere gratitude to the State Archives – Gabrovo and the Aprilov – Palauzov Regional Library for their assistance in collecting archival materials.

The digital archive project was implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.

Among the artistic directors of the theater are eminent personalities such as Nikolay Nikolaev, Vili Tsankov, Sotir Maynolovski and Nikolay Georgiev. Denitsa Shopova, Nikolay Kipchev, Nona Yotova, Katsi Vaptsarov, Pepa Popzlateva, Teo Elmazov made their acting debut on the famous revolving stage. From the younger generation of artists who played in the Variety Theater are Orlin Pavlov, Yoana Zaharieva and Stefan A. Shterev, and stars such as VG Trik, Nikola Anastasov, Kamelia Todorova, Stefan Mavrodiev and many others have come touring.

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THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFETHE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

Stefan Fartunov Hall
Period: August 15, 2025 – January 10, 2026

The exhibition The Bright Side of Life brings together works from the Museum’s art collection and guest canvases by a total of 30 Bulgarian artists, who are meeting for the first time in a specially prepared exhibition. The works presented are constructed through naive expression – one of the most immediate and exciting artistic styles of our time.

For some of the authors, naivety is a main line in their work, for others – a short period, for others – a thread that appears episodically. What connects them is serenity – one of the distinctive features of this style. They almost always choose to see the glass half full.

Naive art entered the world art scene at the beginning of the 20th century – with the jungles of Le Douanier Rousseau and the Artists of the Sacred Heart group in France, with the naive poetry of Niko Pirosmani in Georgia and, a little later, with the canvases of Grandma Moses in the USA. These early paintings were the work of unschooled authors, distinguished by a lacking or distorted perspective, as well as by bright, raw colors, like windows to an instinctive world.

Like any artistic movement, naive art has no strict boundaries or objective criteria for recognition. Nowadays, many of the artists using naive expression have an artistic education and the creation of art is their conscious choice and vocation, and not an intuitive need, as with the first naive artists.

And what does art naive look like today? For us, these are the works that make us smile, sometimes because of the deliberate or completely spontaneous childish ease, sometimes because of the wink hidden in the story, or simply because of the positive mood that flows from the canvases. These are paintings free from academic canons, with a direct expression of feelings, moods, dreams – a flight to a better world, where everything is light, airy, liberated.
May the smiles that this exhibition awakens stay with you for a long time – as a sunny reminder of the bright side of life.

The exhibition features:
Angel Vasilev, Gancho Karabadzhakov, Georgi Georgiev, Georgi Yordanov, Georgi Panov, Grigor Nechev, Daria Vasilianska, Elisaveta Angelova, Emanuela Bayrakova-Popgencheva, Zdravko Yonchev, Irina Hristova, Kalina Atanasova, Keazim Isinov, Kiril Bozhkilov, Kosta Forev, Lika Yanko, Lyubov Toteva, Lyubomir Minkovski, Lyudmil Mladenov, Mariela Dimitrova – Mara, Nikolay Angelov – Gary, Nikolay Stoev, Radi Nedelchev, Rosen Rashev – Roshpaka, Rumen Gasharav, Stayo Garnoev, Stoyan Bozhkilov, Suleiman Seferov, Todor Pavlov, Hristo Stoychev.

Research and preparation of the exhibition:

Curator: Daniela Osikovska

Fine Art Department, Museum of Humor and Satire
Translation: Nevena Ekimova
Graphic design: Anton Ivanov, Studio Mozaika
Printing of exhibition graphics: Visart

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For a year now, books from the museum’s collection have been available to everyone in the renovated libraryFor a year now, books from the museum’s collection have been available to everyone in the renovated library

Постер с надпис 'The LETTERS of BULGARIA ALPHABET of EUROPE' и изображение на охлюв в зелена трева, създаден от Петър Чучулигов. — от “Буквите на България – Азбука на Европа”, каталог от Международно триенале на сценичния плакат – София, 2008

The month of May is rich in occasions for celebration – both for the city of Gabrovo and for the whole of Bulgaria. It is a time of celebrations, traditions and national pride.

Among all the significant dates, the most inspiring is the day when we pay tribute to the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture – May 24. This is a holiday of spirit, knowledge and literature, which reminds us of the power of the word and the unquenchable pursuit of education and enlightenment.

In the spirit of this festive month, we at the Museum of Humor have another special occasion for joy – on May 16, 2025, we celebrated the first year of the renovation of our Library (of course, not since the book was invented!). Instead of a cake, we chose to celebrate with spiritual food – in the form of an entertaining game.

In three student groups, inspired, young minds embarked on a mental adventure in which they had to connect literature with fine art. Or in other words – aphorisms met cartoons. And, as often happens in such meetings, it was not without smiles, jokes and a philosophical insight or two.

We called the activity “Wisdom of a Smile” because in it words and images embraced creatively. The children chose aphorisms that captured centuries-old wisdom (and sometimes light sarcasm) and looked for a suitable cartoon from our international catalogs to illustrate the message. If you think this is easy – try expressing “Life is short, but boredom prolongs it” with a cartoon and you will understand!

The result? Combinations that made even the most serious eyebrows raise a smile. And most importantly – we created a space for shared inspiration and creative dialogue.

The game remains open! Any visitor who wants to test whether their imagination works in rhymes, metaphors or caricatures is welcome at the Library. Grab a smile, put a little curiosity in your pocket and let your imagination guide you on the path to humor in everyday life.

We are waiting for you – with books, cartoons and, of course, a smile!

Деца играят и се радват в библиотека по време на занимателна игра.

Ученици участващи в занимание в библиотека, докато работят по проекти, свързани с литература и изобразително изкуство, на фона на рафтове с книги.

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Category: Events

An artist and art critic from the street at 70