Performance at the roof of the headquarters of the Union of Bulgarian Artists at 6 Shipka Str., Sofia
The Exhibition was running on the roof of the 6 Shipka Street Building.
Bendji / Albena Mihaylova was dressed in a rubberized hazmat suit and her head was covered with a mask made of silver foil, which lets barely enough air in for her to breathe. Albena spread a parachute (D-42) to the roof railing and did performance with different breathing techniques. She could see through the mask, but remained hidden from the eyes of the audience. Her act was politically provocative and symbolized the suffocation of the individual by society, not being allowed to have an independent opinion or free expression under the communist regime. Up to that point the roof of the SBH building had never been used for exhibitions. The young Artists conquer access to the roof and make it an alternative space of political independence. During the exhibition the roof becomes a meeting place for dissident, who read their poetry.
Video
Albena Mihaylova - Bendji