Krassimira Butseva's "Cartography of Absence" Exhibition Opens at ICA-Sofia, Exploring Memory and Political Violence

Krassimira Butseva's exhibition, "Cartography of Absence," opened on March 28th at the Institute of Contemporary Art - Sofia (ICA-Sofia). The exhibition delves into the theme of memory concerning political violence through the lens of personal stories and omissions. Butseva, a recipient of the Baza Award for Contemporary Art in 2022, presents a collection of photographs, videos, and photo books created from archival research conducted over the past decade. The exhibition includes photographs capturing moments from the Belene labor camp, offering a visual representation of a difficult past. These images, described as "blurred, unclear, and incomplete," evoke the concept of "lost images" and reflect on the challenges of representing spaces marked by political violence and restricted access. Butseva's work explores how memory is carried and transformed through generations, questioning how art can serve as a means of remembering, reflecting, and confronting erasure. The curator of the exhibition is Dani Radichkov.