"About the letters: the Cyrillic alphabet in contemporary art from Bulgaria" in Geneva
On May 24 2016, on the occasion of the Day of Bulgarian Culture, Education and Slavonic Literature, an exhibition entitled "About the letters: the Cyrillic alphabet in contemporary art from Bulgaria" opened at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
The exhibition is the work of thirty Plovdiv artists and is composed of canvases, each of which represents a letter of the Bulgarian alphabet. The paintings were done in materials chosen by the artists, mostly oil, tempera, acrylic paints and textiles.
Welcoming the guests, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Ivan Piperkov, emphasised the importance of the Cyrillic alphabet, created in Bulgaria in the ninth century, and currently used as the script of the national language of more than 250 million people worldwide.
In 2007, when Bulgaria joined the European Union, the Cyrillic alphabet became the third alphabet in the Union, along with the Latin and Greek alphabets. With its history of more than 11 centuries, Cyrillic has proved the most stable pillar of the Bulgarian culture. And thus we mark it every year on May 24 - solemnly remembering the generosity of the work of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and their disciples, as we pay tribute to all the people of the spirit - teachers, musicians and artists and their educational activities for the benefit of future generations . At the same time the exhibition aims to show Cyrillic through contemporary Bulgarian art and thus to modernize the way we present the alphabet as a contribution to world culture, diversity and intercultural dialogue.
The exhibition is organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria in Geneva in partnership with the Municipality of Plovdiv, City Art Gallery and the Tsennosti Foundation - Bulgaria.