Paper Innovations

This was one of the Foundation’s travelling projects. The idea was born after the first edition of Sofia Paper Art Fest and the creation of the Amateras collection. After its first visit to Italy, Innovations in Paper attracted organizers from various prestigious fora, galleries and museums who sent invitations for partnership and exchange. The initial aim of the project was to present the international scope of the fest and its cultural policy. Innovations in Paper is oriented mainly towards contemporary art. Works from the Amateras collection are frequently present in the individual events.

In 2017 Bulgaria was preparing to take over the rotational Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January – June 2018. Amateras Foundation was an active participant in the accompanying cultural programme, clearly aware it had the task to present Bulgaria’s positive outlook, rich cultural heritage and potential.

Ancient Messages, Elemental Sculpture and Innovations in Paper were the projects with which the Foundation applied under the Culture Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was approved to participate with all three. Preparations for this international mission and organizational challenge also called for the participation of history, modernity, spirituality, tradition and innovations. Combining all these in a single project proved a difficult task and, besides a collection of works (installations and sculpture), we included lectures, screenings and presentations about Bulgaria.

The three nominated projects met the ambition for comprehensive coverage of the centennial Bulgarian culture and art, each of them with its specific focus managing to attract a varied audience in the different countries. Attracting the respective interest in its presentations across the world the project became a major part of the Foundation’s cultural strategy for the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council in 2018. In conjunction with the State Cultural Institute this strategy organized three travelling formats: to South America – Argentina and Brazil; to Asia – China and Japan; and to Europe – Kosovo and Finland.

Curator: Daniela Todorova

The events in Innovations in Paper were organized under the auspices of:
H.E. Plamen Bonchev, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Georgia and Finland
H.E. Martin Ivanov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Finland
H.E. Valery Yotov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Brazil
H.E. Borislav Kostov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Japan
H.E. Lubomir Todorov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Japan
H.E. Masato Watanabe, Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria
H.E. Alberto Trueba, Ambassador of Argentina to Bulgaria
H.E. Ana Maria Sampaio Fernandes, Ambassador of Brazil to Bulgaria
Renato Russeff, Honorary Consul of Bulgaria to Brazil

In the nine years of its existence, some thirty events were organized under the project in cities and spaces in Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Israel, Italy, Cypruds, China, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, France, the Czech Republic and Japan:

2019

• Exhibition and lecture “Paper Innovations”, City Cultural Centre, Munakata, Japan (November 3rd – 16th).
• Lectures “Paper Innovations”, Visual Arts Department, University of Mendoza, Argentina (April 9th).
• Exhibition and lecture “Paper Innovations”, Fengxian Biennial, Fashion and Design Department, Fengxian University, Shanghai, China (November 8th – 9th).

2018

• Exhibition “Paper Innovations” organized by the educational art course in Kyoiku University, Caso Centre for Contemporary Art, Osaka, Japan (March 6th – 11th).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, National Gallery, Pristina, Kosovo (April 24th – May 12th).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations” on the occasion of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of EU, Gallery of The Helsinki City Library, Helsinki, Finland (April 5th – 25th).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, Wakita Museum, Karuizawa, Japan (June 7th – August 29th).

2017

• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Paris, France (November 6th – 21st).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations” – installations, objects, sculptures, video – within the exchange project Bulgaria – Brazil, Museum of Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, Sao Paolo, Brazil (October 2nd – November 30th).
• Lecture “Paper Innovations” and lecture about the Bulgarian cultural heritage, University of Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, Sao Paolo, Brazil (October 7th).

2016

• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Prague, Czech Republic (June 9th – July 1st).
• Workshop “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, European Night of the Museums, Prague, Czech Republic (July 11th).
• Lecture “Paper Innovations” within the exhibition of the Association of the Cypriot Artists Working with Paper, 30th Anniversary of IAPMA, Nicosia, Cyprus (October 20th – 25th).

2015

• Presentation “Paper Innovations”, Be’er Sheva Biennial, Negev Museum, Israel (May 29th – June 4th).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Berlin, Germany (October 9th – 21st).
• Workshop “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian School, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Berlin, Germany (October 11th).
• Presentation “Paper Innovations”, German Centre for Debate at the Union of the Berlin Artists, Berlin, Germany (October 12th).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, installations and sculptures, National Museum, History Museum Karvasla, Tbilisi, Georgia (November 20 – December 2nd).

2014

• Lecture “Paper Innovations”, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland (April 2nd – 3rd).
• Lecture and presentation “Paper Innovations”, IAPMA Congress, Fabriano Museum, Fabriano, Italy (June 8th).
• Lecture and presentation with screening “Paper Innovations”, Chaine De Papier Biennial for Paper Art, Le Vigan, France (June 13th).

2013

• Presentation “Paper Innovations” within the exhibition “Paper – Tradition and Experiment”, Association of the Lithuanian Artists, Vilnius, Lithuania (October 1st – 22nd).
• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Warsaw, Poland (June 6th – 25th).
• Presentation “Paper Innovations”, Bulgarian Cultural Institute, Warsaw, Poland (October 6th).

2012

• Exhibition “Paper Innovations”, Nelimarkka Museum, Alajarvi, Finland (August 28th – September 24th).
• Plein air and workshop “Paper Innovations”, Nelimarkka Museum, Alajarvi, Finland (August 18th – 28th).

2010

• Exhibiton “Paper Innovations”, Cartasia Biennial, Lucca, Italy (June 19th – July 18th).

Amateras Foundation expresses its gratitude to all the participants in this project:

Australia: Winsome Jobling;
Argentina: Alejandra Koreck, Eva Toker;
Belgium: Jeannine De Raeymaecker;
Brazil: Eliana Anghinah;
Bulgaria: Todor Todorov, Daniela Todorova, Laura Dimitrova, Kristina Yakimova, Valentin Balev, Tsveta Petrova, Simeon Panayotov, Krasimira Drenska, Irma Vodeva, Veselka Nikolova, Zdravka Kostadinova, Maria Angelova, Stefan popov, Miroslava Marinova, Violeta Apostolova, Adelina Rakovska, Atanas Mihaltchev;
UK: Jan Fairbairn-Edwards, Josephine Coy, Alison Dean;
Denmark: Alexander Thieme;
Finland: Marianne Kaustinen, Liisa Malkamo, Laina Koskela;
France: Marcelle Benhamou, Jean Michelle Letier;
Germany: Irene Hoppenberg, Bara Lehmann-Schulz, Irene Rammensee, Helene Tschacher;
Israel: Haya Weisshaus, Laura Behar;
Cyprus: Ismet Tatar;
China: Qin Chong;
Mexico: Josefin Temin;
Peru: Roxana Ramos;
USA: Karen Hardly, Priscilla Robinson, Bill Pengburn, Renne Magnati, Meda & Veda Rives, Sandy Johnson;
Scotland: Charmian Pollock, Fiona Hutchison;
Switzerland: Heinz Allemann, Kathrin Biffi, Kathrin Dardel, Lilo Shaer;
Sweden: Margareta Mannervik;
South Korea: Jiyoung Moon, Kumnam Baik, Kwon Hye Jeong;
Japan: Atsumi Murata, Kihachiro Nishiura, Yoshio Nasegawa, Kakuko Ishii, Noriko Amano, Mitsuru Kuroki, Toru Kurita, Ichiro Matsuo and others.