June 6, 2025
18:00 – 20:00
The site of the former Mausoleum, Sofia
Moderators: Radoslav Chichev and Lea Vaisova
Participants: Dimitar Kenarov, Petar Denchev, Tsvetelina Yosifova
Visual environment: Filip Boyadzhiev
Third conversation in the series “BETWEEN THE PAST THAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN AND THE FUTURE THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN – CONVERSATIONS about society in time”, within the framework of the art installation of the same name by Krasimir Terziev. Placed in the heart of the City Garden, it is the visual and conceptual core of a series of conversations that seek to give voice to the deepest social anxieties, contradictions and opportunities for change.
IS THE PAST OURS?
Today, more than ever, it is time to look back – not to get lost in nostalgia, but to search for which narratives dominate, which are missing and why. How do we relate to the legacy of socialism – as a burden or as a resource? Should we destroy monuments to free up space, and what do we actually put in their place?
The conversation will navigate through concepts such as identity, memory, space, the politics of the past and will look at how these themes shape the present and our ideas about the future.
The mausoleum – as a symbol and a physical trace – resonates in the conversation as a “place of memory”, but also as a zone of resistance and oblivion. The debate will address issues of cultural heritage, urban mythology, destruction as a political act and the shared present as the only territory in which we can consciously influence the past and the future.
Topics and questions:
If we look back, what past do we see?
Are there any missing narratives? What lies beneath and above the surface of memory?
What has been destroyed, what remains – and why?
When does a monument cease to be a symbol and become an obstacle?
How did socialism settle into our cultural heritage – and why is it difficult for us to leave it?
Can we “take” something from this past, or must we leave it completely behind?
The event is open to everyone – passerby, resident, participant in urban life. The square is not just a backdrop, but a space of thought, debate and imagination, similar to the ancient agora – the place where society gathers to recognize and rethink itself.
Only in the present can we rewrite the past and imagine the future. Welcome to this open circle of conversation, where memory and imagination meet.