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Bulgarian Institute of Culture is a project for the creation of a fictional institution. The work was created as a public art project within the framework of the exhibition “Harburger Berge” organized by Kunsverein Harburger Bahnhof. For the duration of the exhibition the artist rented one of the city buildings in Hamburg and branded it as the Bulgarian Institute of Culture (BIC). BIC announced that it was hosting a show presenting for the first time in public the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Bulgaria (MUSIZ) – another project by Ivan Moudov. In such a way BIC - an institution that never really existed - presented the collection of another institution (MUSIZ) that does not really exist.
A plate with the name and the working hours of BIC was mounted on the building and a press release was distributed to the media in Hamburg and in Bulgaria. A web site of the institution was especially created for the project and was given for further reference. While the Institute remained closed even during the opening ours, the public could still see the exhibition through the window. In reality, the works on show were borrowed from the Flackenberg Collection in Hamburg. A handwritten note on the door stating: “I will return in 5 min.”, brought to Hamburg a usual sight from the Bulgarian reality.
After the end of Hamburger Berge exhibition the project continued virtually through its website for another 3 years. The artists invited curators to make “ghost” exhibitions that were presented as shows at the Bulgarian Institute of Culture in Hamburg.
