13 points of view presented as a set of time slices of what has been happening in Bulgaria during the 100 days (144,000 minutes) of anti-government protests in 2020. Photography with position and cause - a document of the time and people - minute, by a minute, by a minute…
"144 000 minutes"
The exhibition presents over 100 works by 13 Bulgarian photographers, taken in 2020, during the 100 days of anti-government protests in the streets and squares of Sofia. The selection includes reportage and documentary photos used as an illustration of the protests in many of the major European and global information channels and media like Reuters and France Presse as well as several personal projects implemented in the typical style of the authors.
The exhibition is curated as 13 separate photo stories - a document of today's reality and events. Every photograph, every sealed minute, is a kind of cry of dissatisfaction, a desire for change, carrying in itself the emotion and charge of the moments and the people it reflects.
And who else but the photographer can work better with time, minutes, seconds - the exposure time becomes a strong author's position and so 144,000 minutes.
It is a photographic document and at the same time a form of spiritual search and statement of each of the authors in an attempt to capture the energy of the events every minute.
144 000 Minutes exhibition showcases more than 100 artworks from 15 Bulgarian photographers - Penko Skumov, Stoyan Nenov/Reuters, Kalin Kostov, Bedros Halvadjian, Dimitar Karanikolov, Ivailo Stanev-Álvarez, Nikolay Doychinov/AFP, Veselin Borishev, Vladislav Filipov, Solomon Frances, Anastas Tarpanov, Tihomira Metodieva-Tihich/Bulfoto, Georgi Paleykov/Bulfoto, Evgeni Dimitrov/Bulfoto, Teodor Angelov
The protests
The protests in Bulgaria in 2020 begin on July 9 with demands for the resignations of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev. The occasion is given by a series of events related to the actions and inactions of the executive and the judiciary. People oppose the growing expansion of the mafia, corruption and lawlessness in governing the country, as well as restrictions on freedom of speech. The protesters are mostly young people and there is no specific political party behind them. Although criticized for not having clear demands and not being able to represent them, the immediate goal of the demonstrators is the resignation of the cabinet, the chief prosecutor and early elections. There are also demands for remote voting, convening a Grand National Assembly and reforming the constitution, lustration of former communists in power, modernization of the administration, removal of the mafia as a privileged stratum, seeking justice for those responsible for the situation in the country and others.
Hundreds of demonstrations have been held in the country and abroad, including in front of the Council of Ministers, the National Assembly, the Presidency, the Judicial Chamber, as well as in front of Bulgarian embassies and consulates, the European Commission, the European Parliament and others. Dozens of intersections and main streets in the larger cities of Bulgaria, as well as highways and border checkpoints, have been periodically blocked. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands across and outside the country are joining the protests.
Sociological surveys in 2020 in the country indicate a complete collapse in trust in institutions and support for the protests of over 60% of the Bulgarian citizens.
View the exhibition catalogue below:
VIEW THE EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
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or explore all the arworks from "144 000 Minutes" on Monochrome Hub Online Exhibition Hall
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