The project explores the interconnection between the hierarchical dependence in the world of art and the acts of censorship imposed by particular institutions or persons. The interest in this topic is provoked by my personal experience with censorship in the Ifitri resident program in Morocco and my participation in the International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Casablanca in 2011. With one argument or another all Bulgarian participants in the international event were censored. Their works were either removed from the exposition or altered in accordance with the wishes of the organisers, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. Some of the censored authors are pictured in the portraits included in my current project. The black rectangle, which is probably the oldest symbol of censorship and control over artwork and other forms of human expression, is used as key element in the project. By definition, censorship means suppression of free expression or another type of public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or embarrassing as determined by some institutions, the media or other controlling body. Hence the relationship between censorship and subordination. The subordination of the levels within an organisation represents a hierarchical relationship between them. The basic meaning of subordination is dependency, hierarchy. In this sense every artist strives for a certain type of sovereignty, for the opportunity to have the freedom to do whatever they want, but this sovereignty is probably mythical, because it is constantly attacked, restrained, contested, circumvented or misappropriated by the art market, the state and the art industry. Artists are forced to comply with rules generated by the increasing dumping down of art, by the economic forces of the market, the imposed principles and concepts and the complex interrelations between the various units in the system. All this also gives rise to the questions about who and why has the right to control and censor, how far-reaching are the limits of intervention and to what extent is the modern artist independent and free to express their ideas without adapting to and complying with the dominant market rules and tastes?

Georgi  Yamaliev