The series titled "Postfactum" presents the projects ranked second and third according to the points awarded in the national competition for Bulgaria’s participation in the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. Ideas that—although not showcased as a National Pavilion—are an essential part of the process of forming the Bulgarian presence in the most prestigious international forum for contemporary art.
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“Every moment of our lives is a theatrical performance in miniature. Even our most intimate moments have an audience of at least one: ourselves.”
Declan Donnellan
In the video installation Rehearsal, Kalin Serapionov traces the relationships between people brought together in one common space. The action unfolds the provisional and metaphorical field of the rehearsal hall, but without any predetermined script or choreography.
The fourteen participants are of different ages, belong to different generations, and are more or less strangers to one another. Put onstage, they are invited to interact with each other. On this stage, all are equal.
The rehearsal is a predetermined life process that is taking place in the moment. It is simultaneously preparation for and an end goal of the artistic work. The participants must observe their own reactions, guided by intuition and spontaneity. Without words, but with gestures, body language, with hands that hold each other and eyes that meet, the people begin to communicate through slow, ritualistic movements. Their bodies construct figural compositions that tell stories of human relationships and emotions: empathy, love, jealousy, loneliness, anticipation. The sense of closeness and community is conveyed through bodily behavior.
The body is the primary instrument in this work. The camera captures the finest nuances of this behavior: the moments of bodily contact, the search for meaningful action, the intrigue and tension between the characters.
Toward the end of the piece, Serapionov introduces yet another “participant” into the action – a piece of colored fabric that enters the space like a drapery from a classical painting, simultaneously concealing and revealing the desires of the bodies.
In Rehearsal, Kalin Serapionov poses important questions to the audience. One of them is: Can we be together – truly, physically – in a time when everyone is alone?
Vessela Nozharova
Curator
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DoP: Tilmann Rödiger
Editing: Kalin Serapionov
Sound: Georgi Atanasov
Camera assistant: Lukas Rehm
Lighting: Kiril Yonchev
Gaffer: Nikola Lilovski
Grip: Georgi Georgiev – Gugunde
Make-up: Stanislava Cherganova
Filming equipment: Magic Shop Ltd.
Color grading: Color Company Vienna
Exhibition design: pov architects – Boris Emilov Tikvarski, Bojidara Valkova
Visual identity: Zahari Dimitrov
Special thanks to Toplocentralа and Magic Shop Ltd.
With the support of Fairnet Bulgaria and Maria Cappone
