Martin Trifonoff
Bulgaria
When a train would approach the camp, the detainees were taken out of their facilities to dance traditional folk dances so that random passengers would watch. This stage has left an imprint on me and was one of the reasons that I started making my sculptures.
Bio
Martin Trifonoff has graduated from National Academy of Arts in Sofia and has MA and BA in Sculpture – National Academy of Arts in Sofia. He has studied in the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto within the scope of “Erasmus” programme. In 2019 he is a selected participant in Residency in Cité internationale des arts – Paris, France.
Full Artist Statement
“The series of events unfolding in the aftermath of the coup d’état on 9 September 1944 cause the murder of thousands of people who were neither brought before court nor received any sentence. Another huge number of victims were judged by the so-called ‘People’s Court’. There were even people who opposed the new regime and consequently were detained in a labour camp where they had to change their minds. The official narrative was that these camps were meant for criminals, prostitutes and hooligans: yet, those older than me have explained to me that people would know about the wider purpose of these places. From a contemporary perspective this perception of the regime is blurred when it comes to young people like me and there is a widespread understanding that everything was better arranged and people would go more often to the seaside during that past. I am of the utter confidence that this misconception has nothing to do with the absurd name ‘Sunny Beach’ given to a labour camp after the name of a famous seaside resort in Bulgaria. When a train would approach the camp, the detainees were taken out of their facilities to dance traditional folk dances so that random passengers would watch. This stage has left an imprint on me and was one of the reasons that I started making my sculptures.” (translation : Rosen Dimov)
