In her first solo show at Gallery Block C, Radina Kordova delves into Bulgarian folklore and cultural memory by confronting lived experiences. She has built a drinking fountain in which she performs a roughly 15-minute piece that reimagines and embodies the Bulgarian folklore spirit, Samodiva. Traditionally, in Bulgaria, drinking fountains, known as cheshmi, are seen as places where people can gather, chat, gossip, and take a refreshing sip of water. Animals also drink from them, and water is still collected to replenish the household supplies.
The Samodiva, described in pre-Christian Slavic mythology as an ethereal female spirit, is associated with water, forests, wind, and untamed feminine energy. The Samodivas are both revered and feared; they are seen as beautiful and seductive, but also dangerous and unsettling. They can be seen as guardians of the cheshmi, singing, seducing, and punishing near it, turning it into a place of conflict between the domesticated female role and the wild feminine spirit.
images and video by Heleen Haijtema
crochet wearable by Luz Mercedes
The drinking fountains are therefore not only seen as water sources but also as liminal spaces, places of transition where the realm of spirits (the supernatural) merges with the human world. The term liminal refers to a space of transition or in-between, where opposites seem to blur. It can also be understood as a threshold or transitory zone, from which Radina draws a parallel with modern-day women's representation. Her perspective on womanhood is shaped by growing up in contemporary Bulgaria, where the country’s view on women is deeply buried in its patriarchal history. From the time of myths and folklore tales, through Ottoman Empire rule, Christianity, Soviet influence, and modern day, women have been predominantly represented as timid, obedient, objects of desire and conquest. Through her performance, Radina wants to challenge how these values have shaped female identity in Eastern Europe by recalling and reclaiming vulgar language, societal expectations, and inherited family ethics.
Excerpts from exhibition text written by David Stroband & Radina Kordova
images from performance by Marinus Augustijn
... Play nice. Don't lie, don't cry, and don't have too much fun, or you will be punished. Бъди облик на подражание. Be an example, make no mistakes, be tidy. Do not raise your voice, or you will scare them. Не яж като прасе. Do not speak with your mouth full; speak only when asked. Don't give your opinions, don't ask questions, and don't disobey. И без това няма да разбереш. No man wants a tongue like yours. Keep your elbows off the table, keep your voice shut. Не викай. Speak softly, calmly. Shhhh. Don't draw attention to yourself. Say your prayers before bed, follow the rules, и Господ няма да те накаже. Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. Ред и дисциплина. Не се излагай. Why have you come dressed like you work on the streets? Be desirable, but not a whore. Курва. Проститутка. You are worth nothing, quit crying, and find something better to do. Не струваш за нищо. За нищо не ставаш. Your knees are crooked; Криви колена. walk in a straight line. Walk in a straight line. In a straight line. In a straight line. How are you going to find a man with this ass. Твоето място е до мъжа, не пред него. Never walk in front of men. Бъди кроткa и чистa, като вода. Don’t act like a man, they do it better anyway. Know your place. This is not how you should behave or look. Cover yourself; are you a whore? Срам си. Don't dress like this or like that, or like this, or like that, like a slut. Women have good nails, impeccable hair, with гладка, кристална кожа. What kind of woman are you if you don't act like one? Do not burp, do not fart, do not poop, do not breathe, just bleed, bleed, bleed, bleed, bleed, bleed. Време не остана. Your time is running out. Where is your baby? Put a baby in your belly, you need a baby, to be a woman. You need a man to have a baby to be a woman...
Script excerpt by Radina Kordova
poster by Hansje van Halem
