Luchezar Boyadjiev and Nadezhda Lyahova explore religion and transcendence in 1990s Bulgarian conceptual art

In 1996 and 1997, Luchezar Boyadjiev's installation titled 'Updated Gospel-short (cover) version' was showcased at the Ata-Ray gallery, having previously been displayed in St. Petersburg. The piece includes computer graphics depicting three women observing steam rising from a sewer lid, accompanied by the phrase 'resurrection while three girls watch and wonder.' Boyadjiev also created 'Pulpit-Cross' and 'Eye-Cross' in 1994, which delve into themes of religious sentiment. Nadezhda Lyahova's 'Variants' was presented at Ata-Ray in April 1997, using cutlery as altar components. Both artists were featured in discussions at the 'Ars ex Natio: Made in Bulgaria' conference in Plovdiv in June 1997. Boyadjiev's work 'Exempli causa-vice versa' was published in Kultura Weekly on April 11, 1997, while Lyahova's watercolor 'Food' appeared in the May 1997 'Bulgarian Art Book' catalog. Critic Yaroslava Boubnova reviewed Lyahova's exhibition on April 4, 1997, and Angel Angelov's essay from the conference was later published in ARTMargins Online on April 21, 2002.