Two years ago the Swedish photographer Albin Biblom showed 'The Diaries of Jacob Mandeville' in the Nature Museum. For 'Mechkar' he travelled to Bulgaria, where we went in search of the last dancing bears in the Balkans, documenting an age-old tradition that is on the point of disappearing. The animals are presently being seized and housed in zoos, but at the same time the dancing bears often are the only source of income for Bulgarian gypsies. With Mechkar, a bear trainer, Biblom illuminates the fragile balance between human and animal rights in this poorest part of Europe.

On the occasion of this exhibition the booklet Mechkar is published.

See also:Nature Museum Groningen