THE“BULGARIA AND MOSAICS” EXHIBITION
Panel 1
The “Bulgaria and Mosaics” exhibition, commissioned by the State Institute for Culture – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, was created in 2023 by the Balkan Heritage Foundation in collaboration with several Bulgarian museums, non-profit organizations, and experts in the fields of art history and archaeology. The exhibition aims to present the rich and diverse mosaic heritage in Bulgaria, and to spark interest by showcasing details of ancient, medieval, and contemporary mosaics. It also demonstrates Bulgaria’s role in the preservation, research, and communication of the mosaic heritage of Southeast Europe as a whole.
These mosaics were created by different civilizations over the last two millennia. Most of them trace their origins back to Antiquity (2nd–6th centuries) or the 20th century, pivotal epochs during which mosaic art thrived, giving rise to remarkable examples that have survived on the territory of modern-day Bulgaria.
The exhibition consists of a physical print exhibition, created for the State Institute of Culture, and a digital component developed by the Balkan Heritage Foundation to complement it. The traveling print exhibition features 26 panels, most of which have a QR code linking to the exhibition’s website. The website contains information about the featured mosaics, their specific locations, and the institutions and organizations that made the exhibition possible. It also includes brief articles about the history, practice, and current problems of mosaic art conservation in Bulgaria, as well as the contributions of Bulgarian organizations to the field.
All of the photographed objects included in the exhibition are located in public spaces as defined by Bulgarian Law.
- Museum of Mosaics – Devnya
- Regional Archaeological Museum – Plovdiv
- Ancient Plovdiv Municipal Institute
- Regional Museum of History – Stara Zagora
- National Archaeological Institute with Museum – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
- Appellate Court – Sofia
- Bulgarian Posts
- The National Palace of Culture – Congress Centre Sofia LtD.
- National Museum of History
- Buzludzha Project Foundation
- The Faculty of Physics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
The following images are used as background in panels 2 and 26:
Panel 2
Panel 26
Exhibition Team:
Concept:
Ivan VasilevDesign:
Anton Chalakov, Ivan VasilevPhotos:
Anton Chalakov, Alexander Manev, Aron Tyler, Ivan Vasilev, Miglena Raykovska, Mishko Tutkovski, Tome Filov, Tsvetan ChetashkiOriginal texts:
Daniela Chulova-Markova, Elena Kantareva-Decheva, Ivan Vasilev, Lyuba Manoilova, Maria Kamisheva, Vanya PopovaEditing:
Ivan Vasilev, Lyuba ManoilovaWeb design:
Anton ChalakovBulgarian editor:
Boryana DarakchievaEnglish translation:
Boris DeliradevEnglish editing:
Liz Meshel, Rachel Harrison
An active participant in international cultural cooperation, the State Institute for Culture, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, contributes to the successful implementation of Bulgaria’s foreign policy through cultural diplomacy.
The Balkan Heritage Foundation is a Bulgarian non-profit cultural organization operating in the field of cultural heritage in Southeastern Europe since 2008. Aiming to reveal the contributions and potential of Southeast European cultural heritage at the global and local level, it has implemented or supported numerous research, preservation, communication, management and education projects in Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia,Serbia and Slovenia.
