On 16 May the Museum of Humor and Satire presents IN PARALLEL – an exhibition of local artists and active participants in the Gabrovo Biennial of Humor and Satire in Art, who donated a significant number of works to the Museum collection. Some of them have even worked at the House of Humor and Satire.
Hall 3 “Stefan Fartunov”, Museum of Humor and Satire Opening: 16 May, 18:00
IN PARALLEL is a collective exhibition of Iva, Tihomir and Georgi Rusinov, Antonia and Ivan Barakov, and Georgi Karaliev. The Museum and the IN PARALLEL exhibition are the crossroad where they are all together. It is an intrinsic meeting of artists revealing the world to us through their different techniques and miscellaneous materials – painting, graphics, sculpture, woodcarving, and caricature. Their creative path runs parallel with the development of the Bulgarian and world art scene as well as the growth of the Museum.
The Museum of Humor and Satire supports the performance of artists from Gabrovo and the region.
We invite you to immerse yourself in a fascinating story that reveals the enigmatic personality of the artist Genko Genkov, a true visionary of our time.
Through intimate interviews, delving into the life and work of Genko Genkov, our documentary offers a glimpse into the inspiration, passion and creativity that define his art.
Behind the project is the Burgas director Todor Todorov, and as interlocutors in the film you will see actress and director Boryana Puncheva, artist and director of the Burgas Art Gallery “Petko Zadgorski” Georgi Dinev, art critic and curator of the Sofia Art Gallery Krasimir Iliev and artist Ilian Urumov. The project will be presented by the author Todor Todorov.
Genko Genkov mainly creates landscapes, which are distinguished by a characteristic author’s handwriting, bright color and relief surfaces. Over the years, the artist experimented with different approaches and techniques of work. In the 1970s, he developed the possibilities of different materials, treated oil paint like watercolor, treated the surface with sand or replaced the brush with a knife. In the 1990s, he used pigments reminiscent of ceramic glaze.
The event takes place with the financial support of the National Culture Fund.
Participants:
Boryana Puncheva – actress, screenwriter, director Georgi Dinev – artist, art historian, director of BHG “Petko Zadgorski” – Burgas Krasimir Iliev – art historian and editor at Sofia City Art Gallery (SCAG) Ilian Urumov – artist, teacher, chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Artists – Sliven Director – Todor Todorov Operator – Georgi Georgiev Editing and Animation – Veselin Stoychev Sound processing – Viktor Marinov Color corrections – Milen Mladenov Photos – Vihra Velkova Drone – Stefan Sarmabozhov
Partners:
Sofia City Art Gallery Museum – gallery “Anel” Burgas Art Gallery “Petko Zadgorski” Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich” – Sliven
The project is implemented with the financial support of Burgas Municipality.
The Gabrovo Carnival? Everyone who has participated or attended at least once, associates it with laughter and good mood, shared emotions, and, in our style – playfully snarky political satire, without which this national celebration wouldn’t be complete.
The tradition was born at the end of the 19th century, then the festive Oleliynya on Meatfare Sunday was transformed into a Carnival – and so for 101 years, no matter who is in power and what the political regime is.
The people of Gabrovo missed this spectacle only twice – during the Second World War and at the beginning of the Transition period (1990-1998).
In the 21st century, the Carnival, now part of the world carnival family, is a favorite event for the city’s guests – tens of thousands of fans from the country and abroad gather on the third Saturday of May.
Driven by its genetic carnival addiction, the Museum of Humor and Satire called on local photographers who have captured moments of the Gabrovo Carnival in the last 10 years to participate in the “10% Carnival” exhibition.
We look back at the smiling faces and themes of the Gabrovo Carnival since 2014:
2014 – Oh, the times! Oh, the customs!”
2015 – “A Gabrovian and a cat never fall on their backs”
2016 – “There is no such country, there is such a town”
2017 – “Let’s crow with laughter”
2018 – “Gabrovo, my little Brussels”
2019 – “Masks up!”
2020 – “Between East and West”
2021 – “Follow the cat”
2022 – “Come what meow”
2023 – “More or less 100 years”
… and we are preparing for Carnival 2024, guided by the motto “Make CARNIVAL, not war”.
Photographers Dragomir Minkov, Viktor Marinov, Milcho Milev, Plamen Ilarionov and Tsvetomira Ivanova take part in the exhibition.
60 Diopters CARTOONvision – Jubilee solo exhibition of the Cartoonist Ivaylo Tsvetkov
The opening will take place on April 1st, starting at 17:30, in Hall 7 of the Museum of Humor and Satire.
Ivaylo Tsvetkov is one of the most active cartoonists in Bulgaria. Winner of a number of international awards, he does not fail to react to political events in our country and around the world through his cartoons and caricatures.
In 2022, he was awarded the Golden Aesop Grand Prize in the Cartoon Section at the 25th Gabrovo Biennial.
In his jubilee solo exhibition at the Museum of Humor and Satire, he is now presenting 109 works – cartoons and caricatures, 38 of which have won prizes in competitions in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Ivaylo Tsvetkov was born in 1964 in Troyan but grew up in Lovech. He graduated from the National School of Applied Arts in Troyan, profiling in Ceramics. He has worked as an artist in the periodicals Pardon, Duma, Republika, Monitor, Telegraph, Politika, Eurosport, Tema magazine. Over the years, he has contributed with cartoons in Hornet, Тhe Three Fools, Lud Trud, Hunting and Fishing magazine, etc.
In the period 2016-2020, he was secretary of the Cartoon Section of the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA). He is also a member of the international associations of cartoonists FECO, Cartooning for Peace, and Cartoon Movement. He was chairman and member of the jury in cartoon competitions in Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Italy, France, Slovakia, Romania, Russia, Iran, Poland, Turkey, Belgium, Ukraine. He holds about 140 awards and honors from international caricature competitions. His solo exhibitions were presented in Osijek (Croatia), 2006; Surgut (Russia), 2008; Prešov (Slovakia), 2016; Vinica (Macedonia), 2018; Sofia (Bulgaria), 2022. He has two books of cartoons published (1996 and 2016) and has been a member of the UBA since 1995.He is currently a cartoonist for the Telegraph newspaper.
The exhibition “Contemporary Bulgarian Product Design” can be viewed in Hall 7A at the Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo from March 26 to April 8, 2024. It is organized by MD – a magazine for design, interior, and architecture in cooperation with the Museum of Humor and Satire and with the support of North Central State Enterprise – Gabrovo.
Visitors will see 27 products by contemporary Bulgarian designers, six of which have been awarded the prestigious Red Dot international design award. Among them are the DiFOLD Origami Bottle folding bottle, the Infinity desk lamp created by designer Lyubomir Tsvetanov, the innovative Halfbike by Martin Angelov, and the Small Foot snowshoes by Petar Dimitrov and Ivan Kolev. The other two Red Dot products featured in the exhibition are the work of successful Bulgarian designer Ilian Milanov – the LUMI rocking chair for children and the Twip pregnancy test made of biodegradable material commissioned by Unicoms AG, Switzerland. The exhibition is part of a series of events aimed at promoting Bulgarian design and the achievements of Bulgarian designers. The products are part of the book “Bulgarian Product Design 2000/2022” by Bismarck Publishing, released in June 2023.
The exhibition is part of a series of events related to the promotion of Bulgarian design and the successes of Bulgarian designers. The products are part of the book “Bulgarian Product Design 2000/2022” by Bismar Publishing House, which was released in June 2023.
Visitors to Gabrovo will also have the opportunity to see the Halfbike by designer Martin Angelov live. The idea for it was born in 2010 when he participated in the SEOUL CYCLE DESIGN COMPETITION. In his attempt to make the traditional bicycle as compact as possible, he removed the saddle and focused on a different principle of control, which includes the body, resembling the movements of a skier. Two years later, together with Mikhail Klenov – his friend and business partner, they created the innovative Halfbike. The Halfbike is compact, foldable, and can be carried in the subway or in the trunk of a car, and its design is very attractive. In 2015, its second modification was awarded the prestigious Red Dot international award. The third modification of the Halfbike, created in 2019, with improved quality and more intuitive control, proves to be particularly successful. Halfbike is currently mainly sold abroad, with the main destinations being the USA and Western Europe, and lately, interest has been growing from the Far East – Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong.
The exhibition also includes two of the most successful products created by the architecturally educated designer Petar Zaharinov. His innovative thinking and imagination are the basis of the brands of the Praktrik studio, WallStack, and DiFOLD. Among the exhibits, you will see the table by the Praktrik studio, for which the designer received the Platinum A’Design Award in 2011, and the DiFOLD Origami Bottle folding bottle, which expresses the brand’s mission for single-use to remain in the past and to reveal a whole new world of alternatives for multiple uses. Their patented folding technology is used for the folding bottle, preserving the product’s strength and user comfort, saving space, and achieving zero waste in packaging. It was awarded the German Sustainability Award Design 2022 and the Red Dot 2023.
Location: Foyer, 3rd Floor, Museum of Humor and Satire
Ventsislav’s wonderful art is a journey into the imagination of an artist whose muse is Nature itself. As Heraclitus said, she loves to hide, but Ventsislav Toshev presents her in her beautiful and intriguing form. Beauty for him always contains a bit of strangeness, precisely that involuntary, naive, unconscious strangeness that makes everything so beautiful.
Ventsislav Toshev was born in 1964 in the village of Rakovitsa, Vidin region. He is an artist whose creativity arises from the Academy of Nature, not from formal education. His early works emerge during his school years when he began to delve into the twists and turns of nature, discovering them in the streams and forests of his native places.
The solo exhibition in 2001 at the House of Humor and Satire marked the beginning of his creative journey, followed by participation in international biennials and exhibitions in Germany. His collection provides not only natural motifs of animals and people but also whimsical perspectives on form – such as “Moment Before the Catch,” “Embraces,” “With the Horn Forward.”
The idea behind the exhibition “The Year of the Dragon” is a challenge to the viewers – “What can and should you see in this world?”
Ventsislav Toshev invites you to immerse yourself in his world, filled with wonders, peculiarities, and beautiful forms that reveal different perspectives on nature and the human spirit.
Opening: December 27 Time: 16:00 Hall 6, Museum of Humor and Satire The exhibition runs until March 2024
The exhibition “Humor and Satire through the Eyes of Gabrovians” is an attempt to publicly share the views and values of a local community by creating a temporary exhibition with works from the collection of the Museum of Humor and Satire.
Here the participants, in the role of curators, express their understanding of the role of satire as a moral corrective of society and power.
The exhibition is based on the principles of working with communities and involving the public in the work process of cultural institutions. The purpose of this opening of the Museum towards its audience is to establish a dialogue with the local community. Through this communication we hope to make the space of the Museum more welcoming and accessible to our fellow citizens, and at the same time to enrich our program with ideas and creativity through which the local community presents itself and its commentary on the cultural heritage of Gabrovo humor and satire.
The rich experience of the Museum’s partners from the Norwegian University of Green Development Høgskulen for Grøn Utvikling provided a good basis for turning citizens from passive receivers of the museum narrative into “creators” through the art of different and community-inspired stories. The creation process of this exhibition is a good basis for developing a practical model for working with different groups of society, including disadvantaged communities – a process leading to their inclusion and transformation into direct participants in the activities of our museum institutions.
As a result of this joint work, an exhibition was born, whose curators are members of the Disability Club in Gabrovo – a new experience for the visitor, which winks with a slight irony to the values of our society, to what is important and whether our society is growing intellectually with the required speed.
During the cooperation between the Museum team and the community, we shared warm feelings and spent unforgettable moments. The participants showed us an indomitable spirit and proved that despite the difficulties of fate, the people of Gabrovo never lose their sense of humor – because it is the best medicine!
Active participants in community curation: Vasil Grancharov Dafina Berova Krasiana Lubenova Neiko Kamburov. Nina Dimitrova Penka Gateva Stanka Angelova Temenuga Tsoneva
Support by the Museum team: Dimka Koleva Dragomilla Doikin Ivelina Angelova Svetlana Mihailova
Consultant: Tsvetelina Hristova Digital researcher with experience in non-formal education and community work, lecturer in the Department of Arts, Media and Technology at the University of Southampton.
Methodologists: Johan Barstad Rhys Evans Lecturers at the Norwegian University for Green Development Høgskulen for Grøn Utvikling, the Museum’s partner in the Project.
We are sharing photos from the opening on December 27, 2023.
Project No. BGCULTURE-1.001-0039 “The Address of Satire – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum” is financed under Program RA14 “Cultural entrepreneurship, heritage and cooperation”, co-financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021.
Exhibition of Posters by Students from the National Academy of Arts
Opening: November 30, 5:30 PM, Hall 7 Duration: November 30, 2023 – February 29, 2024
The exhibition ‘International Year of the Nameless Finger’ presents unique solutions on the theme by 34 students specializing in ‘Poster and Visual Communication’ at the National Academy of Arts, branches in Sofia and Burgas. The humorous posters find their place anywhere and specifically in the Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo.
The exhibition’s theme explores the nameless finger and its unjust neglect over the years. Provoked by this, their teacher Prof. Georgi Yankov decides to challenge his students by presenting them with the task of addressing this ‘problem.’ The National Academy of Arts students created 34 satirical posters, giving new names to this forgotten finger. In their concepts, they seek a contemporary and unburdened interpretation of the ‘sensitive issue,’ demonstrating the importance of the nameless finger in the end.
The new names can be divided into practical, comical, and creative categories. How would you name the nameless finger?
The participating students in the exhibition are: Adelina Zlatareva, Akseniya Avramova, Alexandra Mitova, Ana Ivanova, Anna-Maria Adamova, Afrodita Sarieva, Ashkan Sedat, Bozhidara Dimitrova, Valeri Dimitrov, Venelina Petkova, Ventsislav Nanov, Viktoria Ilieva, Gabriel Petrov, Gergana Yankova, Desislava Fuchedzhieva, Elena Gencheva, Ivan Petrov, Ivana Angelova, Ivett Petrova, Iliana Ilcheva, Yoan Yotov, Kristiyan Dimitrov, Lyuboslav Boyanov, Mina Dicheva, Monika Radeva, Nikol Stoykova, Prolet Borisova, Radina Simeonova, Ralitsa Vuleva, Rossena Todorova, Simeon Dimitrov, Stefani Atanasova, Tea Micheva, and Yana Dobreva.”
We are sharing photos from the opening on November 9, 2023.
Starting on November 9, the Museum of Humor and Satire presents the Cartoon Salon 2023, a traditional autumn event focusing on caricature. It includes 3 exhibitions featuring 32 artists and nearly 200 artworks, including the 48th National Cartoon Exhibition and solo exhibitions by cartoonists Mario Ivanov and Sergey Elkin.
Hall 3 – Stefan Furtunov, Museum of Humor and Satire Opening: November 9, 17:30 Duration: November 9, 2023 – February 25, 2024
48th National Cartoon Exhibition
The National Cartoon Exhibition is an annual overview of the highest achievements of contemporary Bulgarian artists working in various genres of caricature. Traditionally, the artists showcase works from the past year, reflecting events in our public and political life, as well as a global perspective on enduring human themes.
Within the Cartoon Salon 2023, the Museum of Humor and Satire presents selected works from the 48th National Cartoon Exhibition by the following artists:
Born in 1962 in Vorkuta, Northern Russia, Sergey Elkin originally studied architecture and was involved in city planning until the late 1980s. He participated in the development of comprehensive plans for Voronezh, Belgorod, and Stary Oskol. With the dissolution of the USSR, he moved into the newspaper business, working as an artistic editor and later as the chief editor of several Russian newspapers. Since 1998, he has been a professional caricaturist.
His move to Moscow allowed him to collaborate with central Russian publications. After the introduction of censorship on political cartoons, he began drawing for opposition publications. In recent years, his work has been published in Izvestia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, The Moscow Times, Vedomosti, Polit.ru, The Guardian, Economist, Svoboda.org, and many others. His cartoons primarily feature Russian politicians.
He is the author of the book “Two-Headed Russia: A History in Pictures” (2014). In 2017, he received the Gerd Bucerius Award for “Free Press in Eastern Europe.” Sergey Elkin is the most renowned Russian cartoonist outside the country.
Metamorphoses Solo Exhibition by Mario Ivanov
Mario Ivanov – Maxter is a graphic designer specializing in packaging design. He is passionate about logo design and illustration and is a member of the “Plakat Kombinat” platform for poster art. He is a music enthusiast and a collector of vinyl records.
He studied Design at the “Acad. Ananie Yavashov” Humanitarian Gymnasium in Razgrad and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Industrial Design from the Technical University of Varna.
In recent years, he has participated in the Illustration Biennial in Sofia, several editions of the National Cartoon Exhibition, “Europe in Bulgarian,” and “Personalities, Heroes, Inspirations” by the “Plakat Kombinat” platform. He has also contributed to the Gabrovo Biennial of Humor and Satire, as well as to joint cartoon exhibitions in Turkey, Macedonia, and Bulgaria.
He has received a special award from the Museum of Humor and Satire at the 48th National Cartoon Exhibition in Sofia in 2023. He has received distinctions in various cartoon and design competitions in Bulgaria.
His work has been published in numerous humorous newspapers. He has also contributed to magazines like “Elle,” “EVA,” “Manager,” and “Programata.”
We are sharing photos from the opening on November 9, 2023.
From October 17th to November 18th, an exhibition of one of the most prestigious international typography competitions in the world, TDC69, is visiting Bulgaria.
Between October 17th and October 29th, the Museum of Humor and Satire is hosting the outstanding achievements in font design for the year 2023. From November 6th, the exhibition will be presented at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia.
The opening of the exhibition at the Museum of Humor and Satire is on October 17th at 5:30 PM. During the vernissage, Boril Karaivanov will introduce the guests to the trends in the field of font art.
About the Competition:
The Type Directors Club (TDC) competition and annual awards were launched in 1953. Today, it stands as one of the most prestigious and longest-running international competitions for typography and font design. Initially created exclusively for club members, it became public in 1956. Participants initially competed in a single discipline until 1996 when two categories emerged – communication design and font design. In 2023, Communication Design was renamed Typography, and for the first time, a third category, Lettering, was introduced. The jury comprises designers native to various writing systems worldwide, specializing in Arabic, Cyrillic, Latin, Han, Hindi, Thai, African scripts, and more.
In the 2023 competition, designers from 77 countries participated. The winners hail from 42 countries, with the top five in terms of awards being:
52 awards for the USA
24 awards for Germany
23 awards for China
11 awards for the Netherlands
9 awards for Ukraine
In addition to winners in each of the three disciplines, the jury selects one winner for each discipline, and every member has the opportunity to vote for an individual participant. All winners receive a “Certificate of Typographic Excellence” and are featured in the club’s annual publication, “The World’s Best Typography,” released each year. The publication is available for purchase, with club members receiving it for free.
About the Type Directors Club (TDC):
The Type Directors Club (TDC) was founded in 1946 in New York with several primary objectives:
To build a community through public events and platforms.
To support the growth of students and professionals at the beginning of their careers.
To recognize achievements in font design worldwide.
Over the years, the club has initiated a series of events, some of which were groundbreaking in the history of contemporary graphic design:
1946: Annual meetings called “Ten Lectures” are held for club members.
1953: Annual awards are established, initially only for club members.
1956: Awards are opened to designers outside the club.
1958: The first international seminar is held, with over 500 designers from different countries participating.
1959: The first international conference is held.
1960: Designer Beatrice Warde becomes the club’s first female member, and an award for students is established in her name.
1967: German calligrapher and font designer Hermann Zapf receives the first medal for contributions to typography.
1980: The first annual winners’ yearbook is printed.
1996: The Font Design discipline is established in the competition.
2004: A commemorative edition of the yearbook, “Typography 25,” is published for the club’s 50th anniversary.
2010: The first certificate for postgraduate qualification is established and awarded in collaboration with Cooper Union.
2017: The 70th-anniversary celebration includes the conference “Typography Beyond Time.”
2018: The Typegeist project is launched, exploring the characteristics of different scripts worldwide. The first edition of the conference “Typography Moves Culture” is held and continues regularly in various parts of the world in the following years.
2020: The club joins The One Club for Creativity (OCC) network.
