Description
The project aim is to present the cultural treasures of the national archives through an exhibition and events, which are intended to familiarize the general public with contemporary art and culture. The title of the exhibition, Expressionism - The Eternal Dance of Life, derives from the name of a great cycle of works by Norwegian artist Edward Munch, who was one of the most influential expressionists of the early 20th century, and many Bulgarian artists were influenced by his style. The project is based on a research on the impact of expressionism style on the development of fine arts in Bulgaria in the postmodernism age and will present new forms of interaction with Munch’s art. The exhibition will present works from the collections of the national archives and the works of 20th century Bulgarian painters and contemporary artists whose art touches expressionism. The exhibition shows the relationship between artists in a style in art over time. The exhibition comprises: display of original works from the collections of the Archives State Agency and art created especially for this project by present-day Bulgarian artists as the newly created art will be preserved in the archive; art of children of different ethnic backgrounds; web-based presentation of the project; multimedia presentation of the exhibition. 7 informative events will be held in order to advertise the project and modern art, as well as a symposium for contemporary Bulgarian artists including artists from the Roma minority, multimedia presentation of the exhibition in the country and the Kingdom of Norway and organization of 7 lectures and 7 workshops for 140 children of different ethnic backgrounds. The purpose is to enrich their knowledge of fine arts and to facilitate their integration in society. Also 7 additional events named Fridays of Culture will present the exhibition and the project.
Summary of project results
The project aims to present and popularize cultural heritage preserved at the National archival fonds via exhibitions and workshops implementing the goals of the Small Grant Scheme on presentation and reaching a broader audience while introducing contemporary art and culture. The exhibition "The Expressionism. The Eternal Dance of Life" was organized and opened at the exhibition hall of the Archives State Agency (ASA). In order to popularize cultural heritage, contemporary art and cultural specifics of the minorities the exhibition was digitized and presented in the six (6) regional state archives directorates in the country. This new approach in presenting the exhibition provided possibilities to created records on cultural history, preservation of cultural heritage and provided broader access to contemporary art and culture and enriched cultural diversity. The exhibition and the public access provided possibilities to introduce to general public unknown paintings by Bulgarian painters expressionists, preserved at the State archives, as well as to present works of art by contemporary painters. The visitors of the exhibition could trace the continuity between generations of Bulgarian artists, many of them still unknown to the general public. The lectures in art with children, including representative of the Romani minority, made them create together contemporary drawings and enriched their knowledge and skills in art, as well as made them appreciate better traditional art values with no regard to social and ethnic origins. The work with electronic devices (tablets) made them also part of modem technologies applied in art education. The celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Edvard Munch is influenced the project The Eternal Dance of Life" by the big cycle of paintings dedicated to new methods and approaches toward his art. At the beginning of the 20,h c. and the emergence of Expressionism many Bulgarian artists were influenced by the style and the themes on Munch. The project is a wonderful opportunity to present to general public the Bulgarian contemporary art and culture in the context of European cultural exchange. The exchange of visits - the visit of the General Director of the National archive of Norway and the visit of Chairman of ASA, contributed to the establishment of mutual cultural relations and exchange of best practices and knowledge in the field of art and culture and archival science. The established cooperation between the two institutions is a ground for future development of the relations between Bulgaria and Norway.
Summary of bilateral results