For his largest solo exhibition to date, Filip Boyadjiev continues to grapple—with equal parts satire and self-irony—issues central to him both as an artist and as a citizen: the rise of nationalism, the swelling wave of pseudo-patriotism in Bulgaria, and the shifting constituents of national identity today. The Concept Space DOM is transformed into an immersive “shrine,” wrapped in ten thousand empty metal cans, dedicated to one of his most iconic characters from the conTEMPORARY HEROES seri­­es: the thug, the mutra, the so-called “traditional man”.

photos: Mihail Novakov

First introduced in 2022, this character began as a poor wannabe, clad in fake Adidas, knock-off luxury watches, cheap gold necklaces, and plastic bags from Billa, sustaining himself on a steady diet of waffles. Over time, through a familiar mix of shady deals, speculation, and corruption schemes, he has amassed wealth and, along with it, a pharaoh-like fear of death. Inspired by ancient Egyptian burial rituals that he saw on TV, designed to ensure luxury and comfort in the afterlife, he sets out to stage his own. The offerings are plentiful: traditional amphoras and silver cutlery, iPhones and guns, even his beloved piggy bank. Thousands of empty cans form the walls of his final resting place, a fortress of consumerism meant to protect him even beyond the grave. And, as the ultimate guarantee that no labor will ever fall to him, a small army of “shabtis”—slaves of the underworld—is readied to shoulder the work on his behalf. Chalga lyrics and popular sayings—the very clichés that have shaped his individuality—adorn the offerings like ancient spells. Yet in a final twist of meta-criticism, Boyadjiev cloaks every object and figurine in black paint, erasing their details and collapsing them into a single, mute mass. The glitter of consumerism is thus dimmed, leaving only an undefined monument – something between a shrine, an ethnographic museum, and, perhaps, a bar.

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