Without Borders
Sofia Paper Art Fest 2024

For the fourteenth consecutive year Sofia Paper Art Fest will present the best of the paper art world. This year the motto of the festival is “Without Borders”.
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Between March 25 and November 10, 15 exhibitions will present the sections: Paper Art Biennial; Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art; Art in Urban Environment; Paper Art Academy; Solo Exhibitions; Exchange, Traveling, and Virtual Exhibitions.

The first event of the program is an introduction of this year‘s edition – the exhibition “Lace of Centuries” by the Ukrainian artist Daria Alyoshkina. The accompanying program showcases the tendency of infusing traditional techniques into contemporary art. The event is released under the project “The Culture of Solidarity – EUNIC Ukraine Fund" with the financial support of the European Cultural Foundation.

The official opening of the festival is on May 31 at the National Palace of Culture with two main sections: the Paper Art Biennial and the Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art.

A selection of foreign and Bulgarian artists in the Biennial will be presented in the West Foyer. The selected Bulgarian artists will show large-scale installations in the exhibition “Might II”.

The 15th edition of the Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art will take place in the Marble Foyer with the awarding of the winners by representatives of the jury and partners.

The festival’s program is divided into two panels: summer and autumn.

The first summer panel of the program will feature two other Biennial exhibitions – “Art Book” at Serdica Gallery and “Without Borders II” at Finesse Gallery. The program includes residency projects with Bulgarian and foreign artists and a series of traveling exhibitions.

In the autumn, the program will focus on the Biennial and the art in urban environment, as well as on exhibitions dedicated to the major anniversaries that link Bulgaria and Japan. The exhibitions include group and individual projects, workshops and presentations that are part of the Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria.

The accompanying events continue with presentation of the Amateras Collection, a result of the long-standing organisation of the Sofia Paper Art Fest. Presentations and screenings are an essential part of the artists’ presentation as these events attract new audiences. The various workshops give children, professionals and visual arts enthusiasts the opportunity to learn in-depth about certain technologies and possible interpretations through paper.

Organiser: Amateras Foundation

Co-organisers of the festival: National Palace of Culture, Regional History Museum – Sofia

Galleries: The Mission, Mazda, Sredets, Serdica, Finesse, Art Gallery – Stara Zagora

Exhibition space: State Cultural Institute Berlin, RCCA Toplocentrala, Community Centre “Bratstvo 1884”, town of Pavlikeni, Community Centre “Georgi Partsalev”, town of Levski, and others.


PROGRAM

March 25 – April 25
“Lace of Centuries”, solo exhibition of Daria Alyoshkina, Ukraine, guest exhibition at Paper Art Biennial 2024, Triangular Tower of Serdica, Regional History Museum – Sofia. P]The exhibition Is part of the project “The Culture of Solidarity – EUNIC Ukraine Fund” and Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria.

March 26
Accompanying program of the exhibition “Lace of Centuries”:
“Vytynanka” – workshop for traditional Ukrainian technique of papercutting and presentation by Daria Alyoshkina and of the exhibition “Ukrainian DNA”, presented in the Ukrainian pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2023.

May 31
Official opening of Sofia Paper Art Fest 2024 “Without Borders” and Paper Art Biennial 2024.

May 31 – June 11
Two exhibitions at the National Palace of Culture, West Foyer:
“Might II”, competition for large-scale sculptures by Bulgarian artists;
“Without Borders I”, selection of foreign artists.

May 31 – June 11
Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art ’24, National Palace of Culture, Marble Foyer.

June 4 – 27
“Art Book”, international selection, collector’s section, part of Paper Art Biennial ’24, Serdica Gallery, Women’s Market.

June 6 – 25
“Without Borders II”, paper art from abroad, part of Paper Art Biennial ’24, Finesse Gallery.

July 6 – August 6
“Pavlikeni and the World”, exhibition and workshop with artists from Cyprus, long-term residency project, Community Centre “Bratstvo 1884”, town of Pavlikeni.

July 25 – August 25  
“New Horizons”, exhibition and workshop by artists from Republic of Korea, long-term residency project, Community Centre “Georgi Partsalev”, town of Levski.

September 1 – November 30
“Digital – Amateras Collection”, digital exhibition, presenting major artists from the collection.

September 2 – 15
“Spirals”, solo exhibition of Nobuko Ueda (Japan), part of the Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria, the Mission Gallery.

September 4 – October 3
“Silent Dialogue”, NEXUS Association, exhibition of contemporary Japanese art with workshops, part of Paper Art Biennial ’24 and the Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria, Triangular Tower of Serdica, RHM – Sofia.

September 6 – 28
“Japanese Spirit”, exhibition of contemporary Japanese art with workshops, part of the Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria, Mazda Gallery.

September 17 – October 30
“Outdoors”, exhibition with outdoor sculptures, RCCA Toplocentrala.

October 10 – November 10
“Japanese Impressions”, contemporary Japanese art from Amateras Collection, Art Gallery – Stara Zagora.

October 14 – 25
“Cosmos of the Monochromes”, solo exhibition of Kenji Sato (Japan), part of the Days of Japanese Culture in Bulgaria, Sredets Gallery of the Ministry of Culture.


ACCOMPANYING EVENTS
(discussions, lectures, screenings, online presentations, and workshops)

March 26
“Vytynanka”, workshop and presentation of the traditional Ukrainian technique of papercutting by Daria Alyoshkina.

April 17
“And That Which People Are Thinking”, presentation of the book by the Ukrainian writer Vasyl Gabor, Ergo Publishing House, 2023, by the translator Pavlina Martinova-Ivanova, the publisher Martin Hristov, and interview with the writer, Triangular Tower of Serdica, Regional History Museum – Sofia.

May 18
Japan Bowl XI, competition for adolescents with focus on Japanese language and culture.

May – June
Presentations and interviews with the artists from the exhibition “Might II”.

July 7
“Without Borders”, workshop, town of Pavlikeni.

July – November
“Digital”, presentations with discussion of the projects from the competition for RCCA Toplocentrala.

July – November
“Dynamics in Visual Arts”, presentation of a book.

September 3
Workshops for traditional Japanese techniques, Triangular Tower of Serdica, Regional History Museum – Sofia, and The Mission Gallery.

September 6
“Philosophy and calligraphy”, demonstration at Mazda Gallery.

September 17
“Outdoors”, presentations of the projects at RCCA Toplocentrala.

November 1
“Digital”, online presentation of Amateras Collection.


The project is part of the Calendar of Cultural Events of Sofia Municipality for 2024 and is realised with the financial support of the project “The Culture of Solidarity – EUNIC Ukraine Fund” with financial partner European Cultural Foundation, “Visual Arts” Program of the Ministry of Culture, “Creation” Program of the National Culture Fund, “Culture” Program of Sofia Municipality, as well as with the support of private organizations form Bulgaria and abroad.