For Buna 3, artist Filip Boyadjiev draws inspiration from the art collection of the Varna City Art Gallery—specifically, several iconic works familiar to local Bulgarian audiences. By subtly manipulating these pieces using AI, Boyadjiev highlights problematic aspects of contemporary political and social life: from the raging wars and vote buying to reckless driving, the pursuit of beauty, youth violence, the rise of nationalism, and the ever-growing gambling industry. This series marks the first step in a broader project engaging with collections across the country.

Unseen Works from the Collection of Varna Gallery humorously references a scandal surrounding the questionable authenticity of privately owned artworks shown in a recent exhibition in Sofia, where they were presented as “unseen” works by famous painters. Here, the notion of fakery is taken further through deliberate technological “disturbances” introduced into the often life-affirming and tranquil content of the original paintings. The result is an uneasy bridge between past, present, and future. The clash of seemingly incompatible ideas, objects, and icons—an approach of syncretism the artist often employs—creates opportunities to challenge assumptions and spark processes of identity evolution.

Boyadjiev positions himself as an artist-citizen, inviting the public into a shared reflection on the critical issues of our time. In this role, he attempts to function as a societal seismograph—capable of registering, warning, and shaking established foundations in pursuit of new ways of looking.

text: Snejana Krasteva / Filip Boyadjiev

Nenko Balkanski’s Nature morte is reinterpreted to depict the everyday contents of a famous Bulgarian politician’s drawer.

Hristo Simeonov’s Fishermen is altered by replacing the figures’ clothing and objects, addressing the alarming rise of youth violence and the male identity built around domination and aggression.

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Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master’s Girl is transformed to reflect the pursuit of beauty and perfection through plastic surgery and consumer culture, used to fill an ever-growing dissatisfaction.

Boris Georgiev’s Don’t Kill is reworked to comment on the so-called “war on the streets,” a term connected to the epidemic of reckless driving in Bulgaria, which leads EU statistics in road fatalities.

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Boris Ivanov’s Naked Body is reframed to reflect the normalization of war in everyday life, exposing its frightening and perverse presence in a world that proclaims a strong moral compass.

Vladimir Dimitrov – The Master’s Girl with Grapes becomes Girl with Ballots, where the grapes are replaced with piles of voting papers. The work addresses vote buying and ballot falsification.

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Rayko Kurtev’s work is adapted from the original to critique the expanding gambling industry, which targets low-income communities with false promises of wealth.

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The project also carries an element of institutional critique. Initially, the works were proposed for exhibition in the halls of the actual Varna City Gallery, but the institution refused—arguing that the use of renowned Bulgarian artists’ works in this way is an abomination that should never be done. In response, Boyadjiev emphasizes that Bulgarian institutions must begin to accept reality: they cannot and should not dictate what artists may or may not do. Moreover, they would benefit from engaging with self-reflection and humor as essential parts of contemporary cultural discourse.

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