This project, curated by Galina Dimitrova at the Vaska Emanuilova Gallery, a branch of the Sofia City Art Gallery, explores the theme of happiness as an act of resistance. The idea was inspired by Simone de Beauvoir, the renowned French writer and existentialist philosopher, who considered the possibility of happiness in difficult times by posing the question, “Is it right to be happy in a world that is broken?” The answer is difficult and involves various human dilemmas, anxieties, and a sense of guilt. Does focusing on one’s own happiness mean detaching oneself from the political reality? Given the relentless facts of wars, political crises, and widespread suffering, de Beauvoir wonders “What kind of depraved monster must one be to be happy?” Her conversations with her colleague Albert Camus helped her develop the argument that as long as happiness is “authentic,” it can be an act of resistance against the injustice and absurdity of life. “Happiness exists, and it’s important; why refuse it? You don’t make other people’s unhappiness any worse by accepting it; it even helps you fight for them” (Camus).*

The curator borrows this thesis from the period after the Second World War and transfers it to our day, believing that there are points of commonality with our present global situation. The hope is that it will provide a kind of key to recognizing and responding to our confused thoughts and behaviour in today’s “difficult times.” 

The exhibition seeks reflections on the assertion that happiness is an act of resistance through works of art that have something to say about this complicated question. Eleven Bulgarian artists have been invited for the project: Veneta Androva, Harita Asumani, Petra Dimitrova, Nevena Georgieva, Dumisani Karamanski, Slav Nedev, Antoaneta Quick, Radostin Sedevchev, Dimitar Solakov, Dina Stoev, and Iva Vacheva. The selected works are in diverse media: paintings, videos, objects, and installations. These are not works of sharp social engagement by activists, but are rather along the lines of poetic political art, which the curator has presented in her projects in recent years. Some of them involve existential reflection, while others touch on personal histories; others still are a means of coping with trauma, focusing on art and freedom as the only way to carry on with their lives. 

* The name of the exhibition, as well as part of the research on the theme, is taken from Skye C. Cleary’s article “Happiness As an Act of Resistance: Simone de Beauvoir and Authentic Happiness,” published on the website of the Institute of Art and Ideas, July 21, 2022.