“Dear guests, dear friends,
It is an honor for me to open the current exhibition of my dear friend Zyuhtyu Kalit, which he has titled GENOCIDE.
It is petrified music, a stone requiem for the victims of genocide, which, in all its apocalyptic crimes anywhere in the world, seeks the violent and mass destruction of people, regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity.
"Genocidal rhetoric sanctifies murder and has no, and can have no, moral justification. Yet Zyuhtyu’s conscience and sense of morality do not allow him to remain silent. He has inherited from his Tatar ancestors a proud and restless spirit, a yearning for freedom, and an immense sense of justice. Spiritual strength comes to him from the wisdom of the great teachers and leaders of humanity, before whom he bows.
Therefore, when he wishes to resist violence, he, the skilled and agile marksman, the victor in tournaments, humbly lays down his bow and arrow on the ground and, logically, turns to sculpture, his most powerful weapon. The battle with stone is fierce, a life-and-death struggle, yet it has a predetermined outcome: Zyuhtyu’s creative madness, hardened character, and immense talent always succeed in taming the stone. Through this act of constructive destruction, images of women and children, fathers and ancestors emerge from its hard core, which we see before us today.
They are the stone tears in Zyuhtyu’s diary, which he has been writing for decades on granite, flint, and other of nature’s most enduring materials. The sculptures recall ancient depictions of people who came from the stars. The faces of the victims are peaceful, innocent, marked by their blood in their vulnerability. They are a living nerve, an expression, and a provocation to which we cannot remain indifferent. Even if we were to turn into pillars of salt, like the biblical Lot, we would turn against violence.
The silent army of genocide victims rises as an unchanging and steadfast guardian in our consciousness, to keep our memory alive, without which we are dead. Even if the world forgets, we will separate from it and find refuge in Zyuhtyu’s authentic parallel world, where there is love, compassion, empathy, honor, and human dignity.
Thus, life, which is above all, comes alive, and immortality is born. Here, all we can do is BOW DEEPLY! I wish Zyuhtyu health, may God hear his prayers for peace, and may he reach the comforts that only the fullness of true faith can provide. Good luck, my friend! The struggle continues!”
Words spoken by Plamen Monev’s wife, Kamelia, on 1 October 2025 at the opening of the exhibition of sculptor Zyuhtyu Kalit, which she titled “STONE TEARS IN ZYUHTYU KALIT’S DIARY”
