One city in Bulgaria has no monument dedicated to women until one artist decided to place seven temporary colorful busts of the artist herself in pedestals to create the awareness of women empowerment. Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, has only monuments given to men in war, politics, and art.
The installation, called "Monumental Women" by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, in partnership with Fine Acts and Tribal Worldwide Sofia has artist Irina Tomova-Erka carved her face on the molds in an outcry that only males are allowed to have their story immortalized in monuments. Therefore, Monumental Women seeks to change and raises questions regarding the said issue in gender representation.
Mashable reported Campaign Director at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee Svetla Baeva as saying that the "lack of monuments celebrating women in the public space contributes to the stereotype that there are no women who have made worthwhile contributions to society." The busts, in the face of the artist, are considered as a symbol in of all women in Sofia.
All seven statues were placed across the cities early on March 22 with a sign that says, "The first monument of a woman in Sofia." The impact of the busts has people divided over the said movement. While other people were grateful to learn of the fact that there were no women icons in the city, others criticized that Sofia should prioritize building monuments of its national heroes instead of women.
Nevertheless, the team behind the Monumental Women has called upon city officials to erect a female statue from its history by the start of 2018. In fact, Bulgaria never lacked women leaders in its society. For example, Binka Zhelyazkova was first Bulgarian woman to direct a feature film, while Victoria Angelova Vinarova was the first female architect in the country.
Other notable artists of Bulgaria include Ekaterina Savova-Nenova and Keraca Visulčev, among many others.
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