Brave men never die, at least not in the world of art. And exploring masculinity takes a lot of courage, particularly when it is men themselves who take on the quest.
All About Him, realised by the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria and the alternative newspaper 39grammes (39грама) and initiated and curated by Ventsislav Zankov, is an artistic-sociological project that has the goal of using art and public space to delve into the various interpretations of sex roles, personal identification as related to sexuality and what makes a man a man in the 21st century.
It started off with a photography exhibition dedicated to the topic of men, masculinity and the place of the male in the modern era, realised by 50 foreign and Bulgarian artists (12 countries total), in June 2008 in the garden in front of National Theatre Ivan Vazov.
A public vote chose German/Belgian artist Stefan Bohnenberger's piece Holy Imagination as its favourite.
As of September 22, the 14 best works have been posted on billboards in Sofia, from the intersection of Tsar Osvoboditel and Vassil Levski boulevards, down Boulevard Bulgaria to Todor Kableshkov Boulevard.
They will be on display until October 5 2008.
Yet All About Him (A-A-H!) does not stop there. On October 2 and 3, from 3pm to 6pm in front of Yalta Club, the artists themselves will be present and hold “unique art actions” open to the public, organisers said in a press release. In other words, the artists will present their creations and explain the motivation behind them.
The A-A-H! finalists of 2008 were Dan Tenev (Bulgaria), with stands and tests, 2001/05; Ferhat Ozgur (Turkey/United Kingdom), with Felt Like A Prophet Today, 2007; Haimi Fenichel (Israel), with Horror Vacui, 2008; Hua Kuan Sai (Singapore/United Kingdom), with They Will Still Be There Bext Year, 2007; “Jorrras” Georgi Georgiev (Bulgaria), with series Distortions – PAUSE, 2008; Leonarda Vidanne (Kristina Vidanec) (Croatia), with my partner – my friend II, 2006; Lyuben Bossilkov (Bulgaria), with Мъжете от Светлата страна (Men from the Light Country); “Lubri” Lyubomir Armoutliev (Bulgaria), with Портрет на мъж с тениска 38 (Portrait of a Man in a Sized 38 T-Shirt); Noa Ben-Shalom (Israel), with Soldiers, Hebron, 2001; Paula Delgado (Montevideo/Uruguay), with How Come You Are So Beautiful _03; Rada Boukova (Bulgaria/France), with Dominique in Hamburg, 2007; Sašo Vrabič (Slovenia) with Face, 2006; Stefan Bohnenberger (Germany/Belgium), with How Prinz Stufitz Reacted to a Female Attack, Hampi (India) 2000; and Susanne Greven (Germany), with Man under the Bed, 1994.
A-A-H! traces its origins to 2002, with Vessela Nozharova's and Zankov's project White, Male, Straight, which sought to defend the rights of the white, straight male to have as much of a voice in society as those who fell into the category of “other”.
