Sofia Art Fair With The Mission To Promote The Exceptional Talent Of Young Bulgarian Contemporary Artists
One of the key missions of the inaugural Sofia Art Fair is to recognize and promote the exceptional talent of young Bulgarian contemporary artists. Projects of this nature have been and continue to be implemented by various organizations and specialists in our country, and these efforts have a profound impact on the career development of the awarded visual artists.
In January, Sofia Art Fair initiated an open call for contemporary artists under the age of 30, aiming to support them to become more visible in a major international exhibition.
The participation of the selected young talents is completely free of charge, and it is materialized in a parallel curatorial project with their works, located on an area of 200m2 in close proximity to the main exhibition space. The curators are Radoslav Mehandzhiyski and Teodora Konstantinova, in collaboration with the other members of the jury: Johan Gustavsson, Nina Gscheider and Martina Yordanova.
During the open call, the jury received nearly 100 applications, among which it selected 8 participants, diverse in terms of artistic media, thematic and aesthetic pursuits. These are Alexander Lazarkov (Sandman), Ana Kostova, Georgi Yanchev, Ina Valentinova, Kalin Mihov, Lilian Shtereva, Samuil Velev, Yavor Kostadinov. Among them there are those who have just graduated from high school and the National Academy of Arts, there are also more recognizable names with some experience. The majority are based in Bulgaria, others are living and working abroad. The exhibition will be formed through works of diverse nature: paintings, sculptural objects and installations in different sizes and materials, video performance and other mixed media pieces. Each of the selected artists impressed the jury with creative individuality, conscious experimentation with their means of expression and, of course, the necessary taste and inner freedom while developing thematic lines of interest.
Sofia Art Fair is a complex event that unites aspirations and responsibilities naturally related to the reality of contemporary art in Bulgaria. The exhibition aims to make this artistic category visible to a much wider audience than usual. Of course, part of our mission is to actively stimulate the commercial market environment, attracting the attention of organizations and corporations that would sustainably support arts and culture – the same way as it is being done in well developed ecosystems. Education is also essential. Sofia Art Fair will offer a rich parallel program and an opportunity for the visitors to learn about contemporary practices in the visual arts in a friendly stimulating environment, capable of understanding the profile and needs of its audience.
Through its scale and rich network of partnerships in Bulgaria and abroad, Sofia Art Fair becomes an infrastructure that allows participants and visitors to establish and grow relationships between representatives of key sectors and informal groups – business and entrepreneurship, technology, culture, diplomatic community, prominent figures from all creative fields, specialists with a focus on art, collectors and patrons, institutional delegates.
Sofia Art Fair is not just an event, but a process with a long-term vision. The first edition is just the beginning, laying the foundation for the real growth of the project. The ‘youth’ of the initiative is in sync with the desire of young Bulgarian contemporary artists to be in the focus of larger audiences and groups of visitors. We hope that the future editions will make the recognition of new talents into a tradition for the fair and that more and more Bulgarian artists will discover prospects for successful professional realization in our country and internationally, starting their journey precisely from the Sofia Art Fair – where everyone has the opportunity to be noticed!