Economy of Means: The 25th Gabrovo Biennial
May 20 – September 30, 2022
Museum of Humor and Satire, Gabrovo, Bulgaria

More info: https://biennial.humorhouse.bg/en

 

Climate anxiety was nominated as one of top ten words of 2021. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Artist Agnes Denes once said that creativity is hope. At a moment of global dysphoria, gestures and efforts that point towards the humanization of the world might be what helps us get out of bed day after day (a simple pandemic takeaway.) Once awake, the possible actions and responses are endless.

The pandemic put the care paradigm on the agenda. It also made visible the link between social inequalities and wealth concentration and reiterated that addressing security, economy, ecology is futile without the prefix socio-. “Social or ecological” is not an antinomy and social issues should not make an excuse for economic reactivation based on more of the same.

Solidarity between humans is not enough. What is needed is solidarity between humans and non-humans. And it might be just about time to figure out if plants laugh and what jokes clouds tell.

The Biennial consists of two juried exhibitions – one for cartoons and one for contemporary art – and a curated exhibition, titled Sensitivity Training which, for the 25th edition, will be curated by the artist Olav Westphalen.

The Biennial will open on 20th May 2022 at the Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo. The exhibitions continue until 30th September 2022.

The Biennial is organized by the Museum of Humor and Satire with the support of the Municipality of Gabrovo and the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.

*photos © Rosina Pencheva