THE ROOTS OF GABROVO HUMOUR
(permanent exhibition, Room 1)
The exhibition introduces every newcomer to the phenomenon Gabrovo
Humour focusing on some broadly popular Gabrovo anecdotes that have
been illustrated by the inimitable Bulgarian artist Boris Dimovski.
It is these anecdotes that most adequately
reveal the inner mind and mentality of the mountain-dweller faced by
the challenges of a life of hardships and deprivations. This hard life
developed a more economical and economically determined attitude to
everyday matters. Perhaps, being thrifty is not an entirely negative
trait, but the conceivable dimensions of thriftiness did unleash local
jokers' imagination.
BULGARIANS NEVER KNOW BOREDOM - WORKS
FROM THE HUMOUR OF THE PEOPLES ART COLLECTION Paintings
(November 11 - April 30, 2010, Room 3)
Twenty-four paintings by ten Bulgarian artists draw a composite
picture of the Bulgarian people in action: when they make up
characters and build up hurdles for them; when they create heroes
and take to a hero's carousing. Bulgarian people's original
craving is to observe customs and traditions, therefore, they
are eager to get involved in the preparation of all festive
events. Their excitement, thrills and utter rapture at the beauty
of the snaking chain-dances on the village square and the evening
gatherings are a national brand.
The exhibition is an apotheosis of the simple human relations, of the respect for traditions and of the admiration for the fascinating symbiosis beteen man and Nature.
GABROVO Planet- Children's Amusement Room
(suitable for children from 5 to 105)
(permanent exhibition, Room 4)
On the eve of the birthday of the House of Humour and Satire
- April 1st - doors opened the renovated permanent
exhibition GABROVO Planet. On the planet of laughter,
fun and amusement there are no bans. Here all children from
5 to 105 can look, listen, touch, sing and laugh to their
heart's content. Wander about the labyrinth of funny corners abounding
in adventures and pleasant surprises! Plunge into the pagent of lights and sounds! Get to know the inhabitants on the Laughter Planet
and address your message to them! Enjoy yourselves in the company of weird mummers, fairy-tale
and carnival characters! Take photos together with the Gabrovo tailless cats
in the Cats' House! Welcome to GABROVO Planet! Join in the amusement and attractions! You come in low-spirited, but leave smiling!
'PARADISE'
(permanent exhibition, Floor 3, the lobby)
The focal point of this eclectic exhibition is eight beautiful tapestries
designed by the Bulgarian artist Boris Dimovski (illustrator of Gabrovo
Anecdotes booklet) on the subject matter "What if Adam and Eve were
full-blooded Gabrovians?" Pieces of small Bulgarian sculpture and matching
"Garden of Eden" jokes enhance the feeling that man-woman relations
remain the topic of the day.
CARNIVAL TEMPTATIONS -
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY BY YVES GUIGNARDAT, FRANCE
Photographs
(February 11 - March 25, 2010, Room 5)
In the season of versicoloured carnivals all over Europe, worldwide known specialist on the history of the carnival YVES GUIGNARDAT shows selected works from his collection of carnival photographs that comprises 50 000 entries. Even though the viewer may never have been part of a live carnival, the exhibition offers him the chnance to submerge in the real atmosphere of the carnivals in Belgium (Binche), Germany (Cologne, Solingen), Spain (Valencia), Italy (Venice), France (Burgundy, Dunkerque, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Chalon-sur-Saone), Switzerland (Basle, Geneva), Brasil, Mexico and the USA.
Born in 1924, Yves Guignardat has lived with the carnival since
his childhood watching his parents dress up and join in the
festival of their place. He has authored a few books and publications
on the history of the carnival. Mr. Guignardat has been both
a friend and a contributor to the House of Humour and Satire
for nearly three decades. He is said to be the person who knows
all about the carnivals in the world and who has attended most
of them in person. Thanks to his camera and undying passion
for "this universal, common phenomenon associated with the
life of nature and human society", the carnivals in the
world come alive in the exhibition rooms of the House of Humour
and Satire.
CARTOONISTS READ THE BIBLE - WORKS FROM THE HUMOUR OF THE PEOPLES ART COLLECTION
Cartoons
(December 10, 2009 - March 25, 2010, Room 5)
The thematic exhibition, designed as a season's greeting to the visitors of the House of Humour and Satire, features 71 cartoons by 62 artists from Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, Cuba, Luxemburg, Mexico, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
Hearty laughter provoke the misadventures in the daily life of the first man and the first woman; diverse are the artistic interpretations of the salvation of humankind; amazing are the ideas rendering the paradoxes between the orthodox view of life and the galloping modern technologies.
To enhance the festive atmosphere and the sacredness of the Christmas holiday, the exhibition also includes excerpts from the Bible because people can read and interpret it in a variety of langages, including the language of art, but they should never forget that God is love above all.
THE WORLD IS A SMILE - 124 WORKS FROM
THE HUMOUR OF THE PEOPLES ART COLLECTION
The thematic exhibition is dedicated to the World Smile Day
- October 2nd - to be celebrated for the 10th
consecutive time in the world.
97 internationally renowned graphic artists and sculptors from
26 countries show smiling faces from everyday life or comic
situations that entirely tally with the motto of the day: Do
an act of kindness. Help one person smile.
Among the foreign artists who will undoubtedly help visitors
smile are some prize-winners of the International Biennial of
Humour and Satire in the Arts: Bernhard Hollemann (Austria),
Karlheinz Meyer (Germany) , Simo Hannula and Raimo Huittinen
(Finland), Mikhail Sazhayev (Russia), Piero Giarratana (Italy),
Peter Ford (Great Britain), Aki Toda and U.G.Sato (Japan), Mahmoud
El Tobgi (Egypt), and many others. The Bulgarian presence in
the exhibition is strongly felt through the "smiles" of Rumen
Skorchev, Borislav Stoev, Gredi Assa, Dimo Kolibarov, Edmond
Demirdzhan, Stoyan Dechev, Plamen Penov, Evgeni Kuzmanov, Vezhdi
Rashidov, Stavri Kalinov and Dimitar Rashkov.
MARITIME SATIRE - ONE-ARTIST SHOW OF BULGARIAN CARTOONIST ZHIVKO TENEV - GISSEN
Cartoons
(March 4 - April 10, 2010, Room 6)
Third consecutive solo show at the House of Humour and Satire,
MARITIME SATIRE marks an important jubilee - cartoonist's Zhivko Tenev's 50th anniversary. Mr.Tenev's decision to celebrate it exactly in Gabrovo is hardly unintended since his first ever cartoon was published in Gabrovo and his first entry in an international competition happened to be in Gabrovo, too, i.e. in the 12th International Biennial of Humour and Satire in the Arts in 1995.
The 78 cartoons on show feature an unconventional treatment of the two kinds of matter - water and land - transporting a number of actual situations in Bulgarian everyday life underwater, for in Tenev's view: "Over the last two decades we, Bulgarians, have permanently settled down below sea level in terms of standard of life, hence this exhibition breathes with the gills of the time we live in." The result is original thinking and lots of fun.
Zhivko Tenev lives and works in the town of Haskovo. His creative pursuits are chiefly in the field of cartoon, but he has also tried his hand at painting, graphic art, posters and installations. A student of Boris Dimovski - the great Bulgarian master of cartooning - Tenev has had more than 3 500 cartoons published in the press and the electronic media; over 50 solo shows; more than 100 entries in international cartoon competitions and salons. Zhivko Tenev is webmaster and owner of a contemporary art web-gallery (www.gissenbg.com) where solo shows of Bulgarian artists are on display. More than 30 cartoons drawn by him are housed in the Humour of the Peoples art collection of the House of Humour and Satire.
IT WASN'T AGREED TO MEET - SIXTH PHODAR INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL EXHIBITION AT THE HOUSE OF HUMOUR AND SATIRE Photographs
(January 28 - March 15, 2010, Room 7)
The exhibition features all selected works from the 6th edition of PHODAR Biennial
- 2009: 289 black-and-white and colour photographs by 59 established and budding photographers from 13 countries. The suject-matter of Biennial 2009 It Wasn't Agreed to Meet has also been developed in the complementary collections of works by photographers from Italy, France, Poland, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Life itself "breathes" from the pictures on show: festivals and misfortunes, brightly-coloured and dull everyday life, simple human faces, commonplace cityscapes, usual thrills and worries.
Starting in 1999, PHODAR Biennial has grown into one of the most large-scale photography events in Bulgaria. Its programme comprises an international photography competition in three sections, complementary exhibitions of works by Bulgarian and foreign photographers and a theoretical seminar. The major idea of PHODAR addreses photography that focuses on the human being.
After Sofia, Plovdiv, Thessaloniki (Greece), Oradea (Romania),
Adana (Turkey) and Paris (France), it is Gabrovo's turn to play
host to an impressive collection of photographic "gems".
WORLD CARNIVALS IN POSTAGE STAMPS Philately
(permanent exhibition, Room 8)
Little known is the fact that through the years of its development
the House of Humour and Satire has amassed a striking Philately
collection, part of the Humour of the Peoples art
collection, that houses 17 670 postage
stamps and first-day covers. The current exhibition reveals
but a tiny piece of this wealth - copies of 170 philately values.
It is dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the opening of the
Bulgarian Post Office and the issuing of the first Bulgarian
stamps known by the name of centimes.
The philately exhibition World Carnivals in Postage Stamps transports the viewer to carnival squares throughout Europe, Asia, America and Japan; to rital mask festivals in Africa, as well as to the Red Indians in America. The collection attracts one with almost unknown images of masquerades and unique masks from all corners of the world.
Postage stamps and first-day covers issued to celebrate eight
editions of the International Biennial of Humour and Satire
in the Arts have a specially reserved place in the exhibition.
Among the stamp designers are artists Stefan Kanchev, Ivan Bogdanov
and Stoyan Dukov who have masterly used works by the eminent
Bulgarian artists Iliya Beshkov, Boris Angelushev, Stoyan Venev
and Georgi Chapkanov to covery the spirit of this world-wide
known forum of art in the field of humour and satire.
LONG LIVE THE CARNIVAL!
(permanent exhibition, Room 8)
Addressed to the public at large, the exhibition opened doors entirely redesigned and displayed in a recently refurbished exhibition space to celebrate the opening of the new carnival season on 11 November, 2006. Long Live the Carnival! is the outcome of the collection
and research efforts of the House of Humour and Satire in the
field of masquerade festiveness; it is also a token of recognition
to the donors who have kindly provided material on the subject
matter. Thanks to the House's contacts with carnival cities
from the world over, visitors to the museum can familiarize
themselves with representative carnivals in Austria, Belgium,
Bulgaria, Germany, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Japan, etc.
On show are authentic carnival costumes, masks, accessories
and publicity material. The succinct commentary in Bulgarian
and English makes
it possible for visitors to go round the exhibition without
a guide. By illustrating carnival moments of Gabrovo, Shoumen,
Yambol, Pernik, Rakovski and Rouse, Bulgarian masquerade tradition
is assigned a particular place in the display.
Presented in details is the Gabrovo masquerade from
the beginning of the 20th century until the present day. Because
of its carnival, Gabrovo has joined the big family of the Foundation
of the European and Mediterranean Carnival Cities. Long
Live the Carnival is the perfect backgound for opening
the carnival season in Bulgaria on 11 November, at 11 h 11'
every year. A number of photographs underscore the part the
House of Humour and Satire plays in drawing children and young
people to the local carnival traditions (to serve the purpose,
educational programmes run throughout the year).
The exhibition room is equipped with a video screen that allows
the showing of documentaries and educational films about the
carnivals in the world. The exhibition is open to adding new
exhibits, and the most valuable new donations find their place
in it immediately.
THE MASK - THE FACE OF THE FESTIVAL
African Masks and Sculpture
(permanent exhibition, Room 7A)
The House of Humour and Satire owns a unique collection of African masks, ritual items and accessories. It has been complemented in the course of decades by means of purchases and donations made by collectors and connoisseurs of African art. The exhibition features the merry rites and celebrations of the African peoples.
The festivals of the African peoples are distinguished for their originality. The variety of symbols, hot-tempered folklore and potent tradition lend them a particular sumptuousness and inimitability reminiscent of primordial celebrations where no borderline existed between the serious and the comic.
On show are masks for protection and initiation, as well as 'peaceful' dance masks, sculpted figures and ethnographic objects. Visitors can see masks from Zambia, Burkina Faso (the Bobo), Congo (the Basonge and the Bapende), Tanzania (the Makonde), Nigeria (the Joruba), figures from Nigeria and Ghana (the Ashanti), musical instruments from Nigeria and Zambia, etc.
Ancient pieces of African wisdom play an important part in the exhibition, and make a fitting illustration of the different ritual objects.
"THE SIN" - BULGARIAN NATIONAL REVIVAL PERIOD MURALS
(permanent exhibition, Room 8)
The exhibition shows a selected collection of 48 copies of frescos and
fresco fragments that can be found in various churches and monasteries
all over Bulgaria. One of the major topics ,"Final Judgement", gave
freedom to a number of high-minded National Revival painters to ridicule
and castigate everyday human vices and faults. The original frescos
date back to the beginning of the 18th century.
reveal the inner mind and mentality of the mountain-dweller faced by
the challenges of a life of hardships and deprivations. This hard life
developed a more economical and economically determined attitude to
everyday matters. Perhaps, being thrifty is not an entirely negative
trait, but the conceivable dimensions of thriftiness did unleash local
jokers' imagination.
97 internationally renowned graphic artists and sculptors from
26 countries show smiling faces from everyday life or comic
situations that entirely tally with the motto of the day: Do
an act of kindness. Help one person smile. 
The exhibition features all selected works from the 6th edition of PHODAR Biennial
- 2009: 289 black-and-white and colour photographs by 59 established and budding photographers from 13 countries. The suject-matter of Biennial 2009 It Wasn't Agreed to Meet has also been developed in the complementary collections of works by photographers from Italy, France, Poland, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Life itself "breathes" from the pictures on show: festivals and misfortunes, brightly-coloured and dull everyday life, simple human faces, commonplace cityscapes, usual thrills and worries. 
stage
stamps and first-day covers. The current exhibition reveals
but a tiny piece of this wealth - copies of 170 philately values.
It is dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the opening of the
Bulgarian Post Office and the issuing of the first Bulgarian
stamps known by the name of centimes. 
sh makes
it possible for visitors to go round the exhibition without
a guide. By illustrating carnival moments of Gabrovo, Shoumen,
Yambol, Pernik, Rakovski and Rouse, Bulgarian masquerade tradition
is assigned a particular place in the display. 
the beginning of the 20th century until the present day. Because
of its carnival, Gabrovo has joined the big family of the Foundation
of the European and Mediterranean Carnival Cities. Long
Live the Carnival is the perfect backgound for opening
the carnival season in Bulgaria on 11 November, at 11 h 11'
every year. A number of photographs underscore the part the
House of Humour and Satire plays in drawing children and young
people to the local carnival traditions (to serve the purpose,
educational programmes run throughout the year). 
The festivals of the African peoples are distinguished for their originality. The variety of symbols, hot-tempered folklore and potent tradition lend them a particular sumptuousness and inimitability reminiscent of primordial celebrations where no borderline existed between the serious and the comic.
