The (former) East

At an exhibition opening earlier this week I found myself amidst a conversation concerning the
new wave of contemporary Bulgarian art which to the people I was talking to did not exist. The
exhibition was presenting a young Bulgarian artist based in the Netherlands whose work was based on
Western culture and as the other visitors pointed out, this show would be great in a different context - it
would pass in countries like France, The Netherlands, The UK and other "former" West states. But in the
context of our post-Soviet environment it seemed to me as just another attempt to eliminate any
connection between the Bulgarian artist or intellectual and the actual reality of the country. One of the
answers to this problem might be that the local artists are unintrested in Bulgarian culture but it is much
more complicated than such a simple answer. As Igor Zabel writes in his book Contemporary Art Theory "
the eastern artist has , in his effort to produce modern art, remained a kind of incompletely realized
western artist, and thus a second class artist" or sometimes a slightly different different situation where
the eastern artist is seen as a "representative of a different and exotic culture". The Eastern artist, in
their attempt to please the idealized West, has become either an incompletely developed Westerner or
has turned their "easterness" in an exotic fiasco. In the post-Cold War period, the Eastern artist is no
longer expected to be a universal artist, the eastern artist is expected to be a Polish, a Bulgarian, a
Russian but never "just" an artist.

DRIFTING EAST

CHALGA

Chalga is the Bulgarian version of the Balkan folk music known as Turbo-folk in Serbia, Laiko in
Greece, Manele in Romania or Tallava in Albania. Etymologically the word “chalga” means popular
entertainment music, once played in Bulgarian towns during the Bulgarian Revival under Ottoman rule
by ethnically mixed instrumental bands, the so-called “chalgii”.

The popular culture of chalga appeared during the "transition" period which "hit" Bulgarian and
other post-Soviet countries. While in ex-Yugoslavia this transition period was experienced through wars
between Serbs and Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks, Serbs and Alabnians, Bulgaria's war was an economic
one. A survey done by sociologist K. Kolev shows that during the transition period “65% of all people
have not bought shoes or clothes in the past two years. 54% have not traveled between settlements.
20% have not bought even soap” . Amidst this national crisis I was born to a bulgarian intellectual father
and a jewish-bulgarian intellectual mother, both strongly oppossed to chalga culture and both invested
in "protecting high culture". According to Open Society foundation, around the time of my birth the
situation in Bulgaria was that “76% of the people have lost their social status, both objectively and
subjectively, which leads to social degradation… The people’s vault of values is emptied of meaning as
well as is their psychological capacity of correctly responding and dealing with problems and the elite do
not need the population, which has fallen into a state of complete exclusion and inertia." . During this
turmoil chalga music is gaining more and more support as the "hero" of the time, an art medium which
makes the Bulgarians forget the massive political issues going on. Shops are empty, protests for
democracy are ongoing, mafia is steadily entering politics and people are brutalized. There is an ongoing
danger in Bulgaria, especially in the 90s, in these wretched conditions and the brutalization of people,
and the relationship between “life” and “art” gives only chalga as a result.

Chalga is rejected by the intellectual communities, and "high" and "counterculture", but if
journalism in itself is a "high" culture, then isn't chalga a paradoxical high culture in itself?

Reoccuring topics in Chalga music

Mercedes or BMW

Image 1: Nelina - Bial Mercedes / Нелина - Бял Мерцедес / ENG: White Mercedes
Image 2: Nelina - Bial Mercedes / Нелина - Бял Мерцедес / ENG: White Mercedes
Image 3: Rositsa Peycheva - Dai mi Tate Malko Parichki / Росица Пейчева - Дай ми тате малко
парички / ENG: Daddy, give me some money 1995
Image 4: Rositsa Peycheva - Dai mi Tate Malko Parichki / Росица Пейчева - Дай ми тате малко
парички / ENG: Daddy, give me some money 1995
Image 5: Simpatiagi - Za milioni niama zakoni /Симпатяги - За милиони няма закони / ENG : For
people who have millions there are no rules 1998
Image 6: Tzvetelina - Sto mercedesa /Цветелина - Сто мерцедеса / ENG: One hundred Mercedes cars,
1997
Image 7: Tzvetelina - Sto mercedesa /Цветелина - Сто мерцедеса / ENG: One hundred Mercedes cars,
1997

The presence of Mercedes and BMW has been an omnipresent part of Bulgarian, and to some
extent Balkan, culture since the 90s. After the end of the communist era people were finally able to buy
"western" brands. Owning "western" objects belonging to the world of capitalism before '89 was seen
as an extreme luxury , objects to which only a priviliged few had access to and the free market shift
decriminalized the ownership of such objects. The western brands are the symbol of absolute privlige
and an expression of a high class status. Chalga singers dedicated songs to car brands, and if they didn't
explicitly name them after a brand, they implied visually their social status by featuring Mercedes and
BMW in their clips. Thus creating a visual hegemony and an aspiration of social values for the masses of
the transition period. In contemporary pop culture in Bulgaria one can say that the definition of success
is owning a Mercedes. Usually owning a Mercedes means that the owner is someone who lives abroad -
in Western Europe - and is therefore rich ( the national myth is that all Western Europeans are rich). It is
very common that most of the people who live up to the Bulgarian dream of owning a Mercedes are
working for less than the minimum wage in countries such as the UK, Germany or Switzerland , working
over hours and living in horrible conditions. They save money during their stay in Europe in order to buy
the shiniest and newest Mercedes or BMW so that when they come back home they can show all their
neighbours how powerful and rich they are. In its essence the Mercedes is a symbol not only of a
mindset developed during the 90s but can also be seen as a symbol of the social position of the Eastern
European diaspora in Western Europe.

In the video clip of Nelina - Bial Mercedes / Нелина - Бял Мерцедес / ENG: White Mercedes we
see the narrator, the singer Nelina, dancing in the typical 90s aesthetics setting of bad video montage
and shaky low production camera footage. " A white mercedes is following me around in life and is
constantly walking next to me, a white mercedes has taken my attention but love is not sold for money, I
have foreign currency that I can sell but I do not sell my love for money , my mom sent me to the change
bureau so that I can buy one green dollar but in the change bereau they are out of dollars ... " . The
White Mercedes in this song is seen as the "other", the "rich" man who can have anything he desires.
The Mercedes owner waves a one dollar bill at Nelina only to assert his dominance. As viewers we are
confronted with different images depicting the comfort of this symbol in its making (as seen in Image 1)
and we are put in front of this difficult choice that Nelina is facing. She has to make a choice - submit to
the dream of the "west" , of having money , of being Western and putting aside her "easterness" but by
doing so affirming even more her position as an Eastern European woman in the context of male -
female relationship , or rejecting the idea of having money, as post-socialist philosophy . In this song we
can see not only the inner battle of a woman struggling whether to marry a man for money, but we see
the more complex relationship of former East and former West ideologies. The "West" represents the
bourgeouis, who 50 years prior to this song were murdered or robbed in all post-Soviet countries,
through the symbol of Mercedes and rejecting the symbol of Mercedes represents the traditional
socialist thinking which is "higher" and "devoted to the nation". But in Image 2. we see Nelina merging
with the Mercedes and this can only mean that no matter what choice she makes it is evident that the
symbol of Mercedes is an inevitable part of her identity.

In Rositsa Peycheva - Dai mi Tate Malko Parichki / Росица Пейчева - Дай ми тате малко
парички / ENG: Daddy, give me some money 1995, Image 4. , we can see a merge between Balkan
culture with the newly arrived Western culture. The five musicians playing traditional to the chalgii
music instruments are fading into a highway traversed by a BMW. But in this context the musicians are
not the ones seeking dominance through owning luxurious items. The musicians themselves are part of
this property. The highest goal for the Balkan gasterbaiter (slang word for bulgarians who work as
construction workers in Europe) is to be able to come back to their home country with an expensive car
and throw a massive party in their home village. But this parties are not what a party looks like in
Western Europe. These parties consist of inviting at least everyone in the village, decorating the village
and inviting the most expensive orchestra, usually a Roma orchestra. The musicians play only if the
audiences sticks money on their foreheads. If the money stops, the music stops. It is very common for
Balkan party- goers to spend between 50euros and 4000 euros per song. Therefore Image 2. is a
representation of the highest form of being the most successful, specifically gasterbaiter, Eastern
European.

In Image 5: Simpatiagi - Za milioni niama zakoni /Симпатяги - За милиони няма закони /

ENG : For people who have millions there are no rules 1998 we see two thugs asserting their power by
standing next to their Mercedes. Here the role of the Mercedes is a little bit different. While it still
represents dominance, it is a different branch of the Mercedes dream. This dream is designated for the
most daring - the ones who are ready to take the once in a lifetime oppurtunity of becoming a criminal.
While it is a job that hides some risks, the thugs of the 90s (as we see in the watermark of Image 5) ruled
the country and potentially are in charge up to this day. The biggest barrier to becoming a Mercedes
owning thug was the risk of getting shot or getting arrested in the case for those who were not so high in
the hierarchal structure. The image represents essential trademarks of the Bulgarian thugs - golden
chains, dark sunglasses and black clothes. And ofcourse, what is a thug without a Mercedes?

In Image 6: Tzvetelina - Sto mercedesa /Цветелина - Сто мерцедеса / ENG: One hundred
Mercedes cars, 1997 we see a young beautiful woman surrounded by a rain of Mercedes. The rain of
Mercedes could be seen as a substitute of the cliché rain of money. After all , anyone can have money,
but not everyone has enough to buy a Mercedes. Interestingly enough, the lyrics of the song are
exploring a love story and the value of the love is represented through the amount of Mercedes cars the
lady owns. " 100 Mercedes, I will drive them for 100 years and a 100 men will want to marry me". In this
song the Mercedes is no longer just a symbol of money. The Mercedes represents everything - it is the
lover, it is the lenght of a life, it is the social position.
WOMEN FOR MALE PLEASURE

Milko Kalaydzhiev - Kade si batko / Милко Калайджиев - Къде си Батко / ENG: Where are you big
brother? , 2000
Milko Kalaydzhiev - Hei Malkata/ Милко Калайджиев - Хей Малката/ ENG: Hey, little girl , 2001

Milko Kalaydzhiev - Hei Malkata/ Милко Калайджиев - Хей Малката/ ENG: Hey, little girl , 2001

Petra- Pachki / Петра - Пачки / ENG : Cash

Rusi Rusev - Na Burgaskata Gara Pak / Руси Русев - На Бургаската гара пак/ ENG : At the train station
in Burgas , 1996

In chalga music , the female singer or actress is always depicted as a sexy woman whose only
concern in life is how to please the men around her. The man is strong and is either a thug or tries to be
one. The narrative demonstrates the power play position of the rich Balkan man and the quiet beautiful
woman. She is entertaining, forgiving and sensitive. He is strong, powerful and wears gold. He has as
many women as possible. The more women he has around him, the richer he appears to be.

In its essence it is a social game whose winner is the richest. This might be regarded as PTSD
from the deprivation of capitalism before '89. After '89 the people who were robbed of the experience
of "being unequal" could finally show that they are better than their peers. And what other way to prove
your superiority but with demonstrating how rich you are, even if you are not. In reality, most people in
the 90s were poor but that made chalga even more attractive. It represented a sort of a dream world, a
so to say collective consciousness. This person, who listens to chalga, is not a chalga celebrity such as
Milko Kalaydzhiev or Kamelia , who are projections of his or her dreams. This person articulates through
the language of chalga imagery but they remain his or hers best self. Chalga dictates the norms and rules
of the pop culture.

And the rules are designed for men. Chalga can be seen as one the roots of sexism in
contemporary Eastern Europe.

IMMIGRATION / EUROPE
Kali - Shengen / Кали - Шенген, 2000
Kali - Shengen / Кали - Шенген, 2000

Lia - Mitnichariu/ Лия - Митничарю / ENG: Borderpolice, 2001

Lia - Mitnichariu/ Лия - Митничарю / ENG: Borderpolice, 2001
Mariana Kalcheva - Bulgarina v Evropa/ Марияна Калчева- Българина в Европа / ENG: The Bulgarian
in Europe

Mariana Kalcheva - Bulgarina v Evropa/ Марияна Калчева- Българина в Европа / ENG: The Bulgarian
in Europe [sign on picture : EUROPE ]
Rusi Rusev - Evropa 2007 / Руси Русев - Европа 2007 [ 2007 is the year that Bulgaria becomes part of
the EU ] , [sign on picture : Europe - Train ]
Milko Kalaydzhiev - Evropeets / Милко Калайджиев - Европеец / ENG : european, 2002 [text on picture:
European - made in Bulgaria ]

The most traumatic topic for Bulgarians today is immigration. From a population of roughly
9million in 1989 to roughly 7 million in 2019, Bulgaria faces one of the biggest population declines that
are not cause by a war. Most Bulgarians aspire to live abroad as they know that this is the only way to
self-realisation. The immigration process has become even easier after 2007 (the year Bulgaria became
part of the European Union) as visas were no longer required to live in the EU. Chalga music, as the
trustworthy journalist it has proven to be, has taken this topic at heart and has a wide range of music
clips tackling this issue.

In Kali - Shengen / Кали - Шенген, 2000 , we see a fictif Shengen border which is guarded by
two border police men . They are playful but at the same time are strict and do not allow the Bulgarians
to enter Shengen. Even though the song was created for parties, it has a strong political message. " Will I
manage to get in Shengen? Can I be a European member?" is part of the refrain. Alongside the video ,
the Shengen song represents one of the biggest political questions at the time. The Eastern European
who is wondering whether they are good enough for the Europeans, whether they are savage or
civilised, and their worth is measured by their status in the EU. Some of the characters in the video are
represented by "european looking" Bulgarians, whilst others dressed in the traditional Bulgarian clothes
represent what needs to be elimanted from Bulgarian culture in order to be seen as worthy. The
characters trying to pass the border are performing different tricks for the border police and based their
entry is based on the entretainment value of their performance. The Eastern European is seen as "the
Other" , the one who is invited only if they play by the rules and marginalized if she/he demonstrated
their culture too much. The invitation is conditional.

In Lia - Mitnichariu/ Лия - Митничарю / ENG: Borderpolice, 2001 we see a beautiful young lady
stuck at a border point. She is begging the policemen to enter their country whilst offering them
different type of bribes. She drives an expensive car, which means that she has been working abroad and
now wants to go back home. The border police does not allow people with expensive cars to pass the
border without taking a bribe, even today. The lyrics of the song " give him 200 deutsche marks, he is
human after all and he needs money to buy cigarettes" are giving a sort of innocence to the act of
corruption. Lia is normalizing the corruption culture but she is also giving a voice to the Bulgarians who
live abroad and experience this border police reality. Rather than describing a fictional situation, Lia is
addressing an actual issue . She is not treating it in a political manner - fight corruption - but is rather
implying the consequences of it through narrating the experience. The Bulgarian doesn't want to be
involved in changing the country, they know it is not possible. The Bulgarian wants to get rid of the
bureacratical situation as fast as possible and knows the cost of it. The individual wants to give the
money required and go home to see their family as fast as possible because they have only a few days off
from work in the West. In a few days they will have to drive another 1000 km to go back to Western
Europe and continue working. The border police is just one of the many obstacles on the journey. The
Bulgarian knows that if he refuses to pay the bribe there will be greater consequences, even if he has not
done anything illegal. Mitnichariu is a song which I listen to every time I am faced with Balkan border
police, it gives assurance that I am not the only one experiencing this injustice and it gives me hope that
these thug policemen are eventually going to let me through the border.

The border is a mythical location. It is a place where anything it can happen. For the
border police it is a sort of cash machine. Refering to my own experience during the summer of 2020 I
was asked for my car insurance at the border between Montenegro and Croatia. I gave them my
international insurance which explicitly covers Montenegro. The borderpolice said it is not possible to
pass through unless I buy their insurance and claimed that mine was invalid. After arguing for twenty
minutes, one of the border police gave me 3 choice : buy their insurance, get arrested or go back to
Croatia. When I bought their insurance at the price of 15 euros and hurried to enter Montenegro, I saw
that document they gave me said One Week Insurance for Belarus. An elaborate scheme for taking bribes
through a company in another country. Technically, this insurance was worthless, unless I went to
Belarus in the upcoming days. This is just one of the many examples of the cash machine which Balkan
borders can be. In the video clip of Lia we can see an exploration of this topic through her personal
experience, which even though personal can be relatable for any Eastern Europeans who has had to pass
through the Balkans by car.

MONEY
Simpatiagi - Za milioni niama zakoni /Симпатяги - За милиони няма закони / ENG : For people who
have millions there are no rules 1998
Simpatiagi - Za milioni niama zakoni /Симпатяги - За милиони няма закони / ENG : For people who
have millions there are no rules 1998

Petra- Pachki / Петра - Пачки / ENG : Cash

Tedi - Lasmagi - djasmagi - get up!/Теди и ф-я Зорница - Ласмаги-джасмаги-get up!/ ENG: translation
not possible
Nelina - Bial Mercedes / Нелина - Бял Мерцедес / ENG: White Mercedes [photo depicts a change
bereau ]

text

QUEERNESS???