The first edition of Sofia Paper Art Fest lays the foundation for its future goals - the search for new ideas in the visual arts with a concern for the health of the planet and a direction towards possible avenues for ecological creativity. The festival presents the endless possibilities of paper as a material for creating art, a source of inspiration, and the use of different techniques in working with paper, demonstrated in workshops and lectures.

To give the audience an idea of the enormous potential of paper, the programme includes an exhibition and discussion on green architecture, theatre productions using mainly paper in their scenography and works of different formats situated in exhibition spaces throughout the capital.

The first edition of the festival includes the Biennial for Paper Art an international, a large-scale exhibition of two- and three-dimensional works featuring over 100 artists from 36 countries and 6 continents. The Amateras Foundation's ambition is to make the Biennial a traditional forum for exhibiting the trends from the world of paper art.

The festival partners with the National Academy of Arts, where in addition to an exhibition of works from the Student Paper Art Project, lectures, demonstrations and a forum including concerts are organised.

The festival period overlaps with the European Night of Museums. There, in addition to the exhibitions, the public is invited to experience the Paper Street in front of the Sofia City Art Gallery, a celebration dedicated to paper, including a programme of demonstrations, workshops, theatre, a musical paper show and paper hairstyles.

For the third consecutive year, the Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art took place, an exhibition bearing the name of the foundation and giving birth to the idea of a festival. The event took place at the Art Alley Gallery between 4 May and 4 June. 69 artists from 30 countries were selected in the competition!

Jury:
Gail Stiffe, Australia
Thalia Vracopoulos, USA
Todor Todorov, Bulgaria

Awards:

Amateras Grand Prix: Woo Bock Lee;
Prize for Innovation: Valerie Buess;
Prize for Emerging Artist: Sun Young Kang;
Prize for Bulgarian Artist: Danail Kondikov;
Certificate for Versatility of all 3 Artworks: Lilo Schaer;
Certificate for Honorable Mention: Eliana Anghinah, Ismet Tatar, Yoshio Hasegawa, Jan Fairbairn-Edwards;
Certificate for Youngest Participant: Maya Asahara, Angelo Bakchev.

The selected artist in the 2011 competition are:
Argentina: Patricia Alvarez;
Australia: Cleo Wilkinson;
Austria: Elmar Peintner;
Brazil: Eliana Anghinah, Paolo Robert;
Bulgaria: Simeon Panayotov, Danail Kondikov, Krasimira Doncheva, Sonia Kovacheva, Zdravka Kostadinova, Lora Atanasova, Daniela Tzvetkova, Angelo Bakshev, Dimitar Hinkov, Teodor Lulchev, Valentin Balev, Simon Todorov;
Canada: Odette Théberge, Jean-Pierre Marchand;
Cyprus: Ismet Tatar;
Croatia: Salomon Arpad;
Denmark: Violise Lunn;
Finland: Anna Majia Bergman;
France: Jan Fabrian-Edwards;
Germany: Mattias Milker, Valérie Buess, Irene Rammensee, Helene Tschacher, Eva Wilcke, Elisabeth Happekausen;
Italy: Renata Casolini, Maya Asahara, Claudia Petra Pircher;
Ireland: Cally O’Loughlin;
Japan: Yoshio Hasegawa, Atsumi Murata, Chikako Sato, Fukiko Nakobayashi;
The Netherlands: Riny Smits, Shefqet Avdush Emini, Marian Smit;
South Korea: Woo Bock, Kumnam Baik, Sun Young Kang, Kwon Hye Jeong;
Latvia: Dace Luchia Kalpisa;
Lithuania: Elvyra Katalina, Loreta Valuziene;
Malaysia: Hock Aun The;
Scotland: Charmian Pollock;
Slovenia: Sabina Siler Hudoklin;
South Africa: Bianca Bothma;
Spain: Mari Carmen Ruiz;
Sweden: Kristine Hall, Margareta Mannervik;
Switzerland: Heinz Allemann, Vera Staub, Monique Lutolf, Lilo Schaer, Elisabeth Jobin-Sanglard;
Taiwan: Hyun-Jin Kim;
Turkey: Devran Mursaloglu;
UK: Susie Foster, Mark Beecroft;
USA: Deborah Whistler, Sandee Johnson, Kathy Guess, Elise Wiener, Jane Allan Ingram.

Exhibitions:
• Biennial for Paper Art I, Sofia City Art Gallery (3 May – 29 May);
• Art on Paper, Museum of Natural History (3 May – 20 May);
• Biennial for Paper Art III, Arena di Serdica Hotel (3 May – 30 June);
• Biennial for Paper Art III, National Gallery (5 May – 5 June);
• Students’ Paper Art Project, Academia Gallery and the backyard of National Academy of Arts (12 May – 30 June);
• Contemporary Japanese Art, Mazda Gallery (10 May – 30 June);
• Solo exhibition of Simeon Panayotov, Velmar Foundation (12 May – 12 June);
• Biennial for Paper Art IV, the Mission Gallery (14 May – 30 June);
• Biennial for Paper Art V, National Gallery for Foreign Art (14 May – 4 June);
• Green Architecture, Altera Art Centre (26 May – 30 June).

Accompanying events:
• “Autobiography”, theatre performances at 199 Theatre;
• “Transformations”, student performance by the Theatrical Academy in Plovdiv with the mentorship of Stefan Popov, National Gallery;
• “Paper Hairstyles”, National Gallery;
• Students’ Music Show, Sofia City Art Gallery;
• “Art Forum” discussion in partnership with Art in America Magazine, Museum for Natural History;
• Presentation by the world-renowned architect Shigeru Ban, Altera Art Centre;
• “The Ecological Tendencies in the Design, Architecture and the Arts”, forum, Altera Gallery;
• “5 Night – 5 Concerts”, open forum with live music in the backyard of the National Academy of Arts;
• “The Paper and the Artist within Myself”, a series of workshops, Art Alley Gallery and Altera Gallery;
• Workshop and lecture by Susan Stockwell, National Gallery;
• The Paper Street, in front of the Sofia City Art Gallery;
• European Night of Museums (14 May).

Amateras Foundation thanks to all participants who played a role in the Sofia Paper Art Fest 2011!

In “In Harmony with Nature”, SPAF 2011, 102 artists from 22 countries participated:
Argentina: Raquel Rabinovich, Patricia Alvarez;
Australia: Gail Stiffe, Cleo Wilkinson;
Austria: Elmar Peintner;
Belgium: Lucille Bertrand;
Brazil: Eliana Anghinah, Paolo Robert;
Bulgaria: Anna Boyadjieva, Аnna Karalambeva, Angelo Bakshev, Atanas Andasarov , Boriana Stefanova, Danail Kondikov, Daniela Todorova, Daniela Tzvetkova, Dimitar Ovcharov, Dimitar Hinkov, Iva Krachmarska, Krasimira Doncheva, Lili Koleva, Lora Atanasova, Rumen Rachkov, Simeon Panayotov, Simon Todorov, Snejana Simeonova, Sonia Kovacheva, Stefan Popov, Theodor Lulchev, Todor Todorov, Vasko Burdarov, Zdravka Kostadinova, Zornitza Piskuliiska;
Canada: Odette Théberge, Jean-Pierre Marchand;
China: Qin Chong, Xin Song;
Croatia: Salomon Arpad;
Cyprus: Ismet Tatar;
Czech Republic: Michael Kukla;
Denmark: Alexander Thieme, Violise Lunn;
Estonia: Jaanika Peerna;
Finland: Aino Kajaniemi, Liisa Malkamo, Marja Junnikkala, Merja Winqvist, Jaakko Ronkko, Eeva-Liisa Isomaa;
France: Jan Fabrian-Edwards;
Germany: Barbara Lutjen, Eva Wilcke, Elisabeth Happekausen, Frieder Schnock, Hedwig Brouckaert, Helene Tschacher, Irene Rammensee, Johann Söhl, Marietta Hoferer, Mattias Milker, Renata Stih, Ute Breitenberger, Valérie Buess;
‍Greece: Angeliki Korkou, Aris Stoidis, Katerina Mertzani, Maria Karametou, Sarantis Gagas, Tina Karageorgi;
Italy: Angiola Churchill, Claudia Petra Pircher, Maya Asahara, Renata Casolini, Vito Capone;
Ireland: Cally O’Loughlin;
Japan: Atsumi Murata, Chikako Sato, Fukiko Nakobaiashi, Hiroaki Asahara, Kakuko Ishii, Kumoi Yajima, Rie Hachiyanagi, Yoshio Hasegawa;
The Netherlands: Marian Smit, Riny Smits, Shefget Emini, Isabelle Smeets;
South Korea: ByungHun Park, Chun Kwang Young, Ga hae Park, Han Ho, Ho Yoon Shin, Hong Seok Kang, Hui-Keun Yoon, Ilene Sunshine, Intae Kim, Jin Taek Yoo, Jinwon Chang, Kim Il Geun, Kim Soonim, Kumnam Baik, Kwon Hye Jeong, Mae Lee, Paul Kim, Ran Hwang, Seung Wook Sim, Sobin Park, Sun Young Kang, Ya Chu Kang, Yang Jae Young, Seung Woo Hwang
Latvia: Dace Luchia Kalpisa;
Lithuania: Andrius Erminas, Elvyra Katalina, Loreta Valuziene;
Malaysia: Hock Aun Teh;
Norway: Ellen Ringstad, Vibeke Fuglsang-Damgaard
Slovenia: Sabina Siler Hudoklin;
South Africa: Bianca Bothma, George Hafis;
Spain: Mari Carmen Ruiz;
Sweden: Kristine Hall, Margareta Mannervik, Woo Bock Lee;
Switzerland: Elisabeth Jobin-Sanglard, Heinz Allemann, Lilo Schaer, Marie Christine Katz, Monique Lutolf, Vera Staub;
Taiwan: Shiau Jonjen, Hyun -Jin Kim;
Turkey: Devran Mursaloglu;
UK: Ann Goddart, Charmian Pollok, Fiona Hutchison, Jessica Piddock & Isabella McEvoy, Jian-Jun & Barbara UK, Josephine Coy, Mark Beecroft, Richard Sweeney, Susan Stockwell, Susie Foster
USA : Annette Rusin, Audrey Stone, Bill Pangburn, Catherine Nash, Deborah Whistler, Ellen Ziegler, Francene Levinson, Helen Frederick, Helen Hiebert, Jane Ingram Allen, Joan Giordano, Kathy Guest, Lin Yan, Lori Goodman, Marjorie A. Alexander, Mary Ting, Meda & Veda Rives, Renee Magnanti, Sali Taylor, Sandee Johnson, Susan Schwalb, Wennie Huang.

Amateras Foundation is sincerely grateful to all institutions, sponsors, spaces and media partners who supported Sofia Paper Art Fest 2011!

Institutions:
Ministry of Culture, Bulgaria
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria
Ministry of Environment and Water, Bulgaria
Sofia Municipality
Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria
Embassy of USA in Bulgaria
Embassy of Finland in Bulgaria
Embassy of Norway in Bulgaria
Embassy of Lithuania in Bulgaria
Embassy of South Africa in Bulgaria
State Institute for Culture, Bulgaria
British Council

Museums and galleries:
National Gallery, The Palace, Sofia
National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia
Sofia City Art Gallery
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
Art Alley Gallery
Mazda Gallery
Altera Art Center

Educational institutions:
National Academy of Arts, Sofia

Theatres:
199 Theatre

Private companies:
Mazda
Antalis
Superprint
Bulcor
Rakurs Printing House
Katarzyna
Arena di Serdica
Monti
Gmund
Osteria di Sofia
Sopharma
Stagemasters
Cinemafia
Velmar
365
Beauty Studio
Number ONE
RODO
Arte Hotel
Grand Hotel Sofia

Media partners:
BGnes
BTV
JazzFM Lounge
Metro
Sofia Live
Eva
Osem Magazine
A Week in Sofia Mag
Sofia Street Style
View Sofia