We went to see The Heartbeat of Russia, a Russian state-sponsored contemporary art exhibition of performance art, needlepoint, illustration, photography and other art forms. It was held at the Russian Cultural Centre, a vast and under-used space that was once an important place of art in Sofia; it houses a Sputnik satellite that hangs from the ceiling in the lobby.

The event was by invite only and hardly anyone showed up. The exhibition space looked eerily like a junior high school gymnasium on dance night, with a few people leaning against walls and some in the centre of the room standing in a desultory fashion. The exhibition did not even begin to fill the space and it lacked any cohesive curatorial intent.

After The Heartbeat of Russia, we went the opening of the Second Queer Forum exhibition at the Corner Gallery, a contemporary art space that resides in the corner of a museum. The Queer exhibition far surpassed The Heartbeat of Russia on every level, except for the size of the space.