In its sixth edition, the festival focuses on several main priorities: transformations of space, transformations of thoughts and ideas, Sofia abroad - a travelling exhibition programme, a visiting project of IAPMA and a forum for young talents. This year, the festival's motto acts as a unifying line in the variety of exhibitions organised in five locations. The organisers' ambition is to once again showcase a programme full of positivity and optimism, innovation and creativity from young and established artists. Sofia Paper Art Fest has a main panel in Bulgaria, where for the first time the event will partner other cultural events and will present art carrying the spirit of tolerance and common human values.

In 2016, the intercultural dialogue, the presentation of professional networks and associations in Sofia, and the promotion of the festival's collection in Latin America continue the festival's policy.

The presentation of intriguing exhibitions in different locations, exciting theatrical performances, some of them with awards from world-renowned forums, dozens of young people participating in the accompanying events and professionals from Bulgaria and abroad giving lectures, performances, demonstrations and workshops, became an annual practice.

One very important event in the programme is the discussion on the transformation of the space in the National Palace of Culture. Priority is given to examining similar, past-laden places that can be given meaning and functional renewal through the creative approach of art.

Invariably present in the programme is the focus on Japanese art, most vividly represented in the Mazda Gallery, adding a specific aesthetic flavour to the overall vision of Sofia Paper Art Fest.

Paper is simply a litmus of the imagination through which ideas, visions and searches often experience a second or third life and fill the space with their vitality. The five locations stand out individually with very vivid expositions, embracing the theme of transformation – spiritual and material – in their own way.

This year's programme features works by over 200 artists from 31 countries in all sections of the visual arts and over 100 theatre-makers.

For the eighth consecutive year, Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art took place, an exhibition bearing the name of the foundation and giving birth to the idea of the festival. The event was held at the Art Alley Gallery between 3 May and 21 May. 79 artists from 24 countries were selected in the competition!

Jury:
Dobrinka Dancheva, Bulgaria
Laura Behar, Israel
Todor Todorov, Bulgaria

Awards:
Amateras Grand Prix: Noriko Amano;
Prize for Innovation: Hitomi Ueoka;
Prize for Emerging Artist: Nada Nedelkova;
Prize for Bulgarian Artist: Adriana Boyadjieva;
Certificate for Art on Paper: Alejandra Koreck;
Certificate for Versatility of all 3 Artworks: Traudel Stahl;
Certificate for Honorable Mention: Josefina Temin, Kakuko Ishii, Josefin Tabbert, Ihiro Matsuo;
Annual Membership in IAPMA (sponsored by IAPMA): Milena Radeva;
Annual Student Membership in IAPMA (sponsored by IAPMA): Stanislava Ivanova;
Certificate for Youngest Participants: Gala Dimitrova, Simona Vladimirova, Denis Rusev.

The selected artists in the 2016 competition are:
Austria: Elmar Peintner
Argentina: Eva Toker, Alejandra Koreck; Monika Lessuna; Paola Isola, Rosario Arostegui;
Belgium: Jeannine De Raeymaecker;
Bulgaria: Adriana Boyadjieva, Anelia Alexandrova, Atanas Michaltchev, Denis Rusev, Gala Dimitrova, Iliana Minkova, Ilia Boyarov, Krasimira Drenska, Laura Dimitrova, Maria Dryanovska, Martina Karaivanova, Manya Vaptsarova, Mila Stoeva, Milena Radeva, Nada Nedelkova-Orlova, Simona Vladimirova, Stanislava Anchova, Stanislava Ivanova, Tzveta Petrova, Veselka Nikolova, Veska Abad, Yuliana Krasteva, Zlatka Andreeva;
Canada: Jean Pierre Marchand;
Colombia: Maritza Granados-Manjarris;
Finland: Niina Koo, Tammi Minnamarina;
France: Marcelle Behnamou, Parme Baratier;
Greece: Eleni Kampa;
Germany: Bara Lehmann-Schulz, Irene Rammensee, Josephine Tabbert, Marie Schirrmacher-Meitz, Michael Otto, Traudel Stahl;
Israel: Hana Altaratz, Laura Behar – Guest Artist, Racheli Joseph, Ruth Cox;
Japan: Atsumi Murata, Ayako Tajima, Chikako Sato, Ichiro Matsuo, Hitomi Ueoka, Kakuko Ishii, Mitsuru Kuroka, Noriko Amano, Toru Kurita, Yoshio Hasegawa;
Hungary: Varga Tamas;
Korea: Hyejeong Kwon, Kumnam Baik;
Latvia: Dace Luchia Kidd;
Mexico: Ioulia Akhmadeeva, Josefina Temin;
Netherland: Aliza Thomas;
Norway: Hanne Frey Huso, Kirsti Grotmol;
Slovenia: Metka Pepelnak;
Switzerland: Beatrix Kilchenmann, Elisabeth Jobin Sanglard, Francine Schloeth , Gerda Ritzmann, Kathrin Dardel, Lilo Schaer;
Sweden: Kristina Hall;
Turkey: Ruken Aslan;
UK: Jane Walker, Jenny Smith;
US: Kathy Guest, Sue Zajag.

Exhibitions:
• “Transformations in Paper (29 April – 17 May), National Palace of Culture, Semi-floor West;
• “Spiritual Messages. Traveling project by Daniela Todorova” (11 May – 21 May), Vivacom Art Hall;
• “White. White. White” (12 May – 12 June), Sofia City Art Gallery;
• “Japanese Transformations in Paper” (16 May – 13 June), Mazda Gallery.

Theatre:
• “The Tempest”, “The Story of a Seagull and the Gang of Tomcats”, “The Legend of the Wandering King”, “The Sold Laughter”, Sofia Puppet Theatre;
• “Ronja, the Robber's Daughter”, Sofia Puppet Theatre;
• “The Collector”, 199 Theatre;
• “Zamza Family”, Sfumato Theatre-Laboratory.
‍• “Silyan the Stock”, Margarita Drumeva, Vivacom Art Hall
• “Slapstick”, one-woman show by Iveta Georgieva, National Palace of Culture.

Performance:
• “Indian RAAGA”, music and dance, Bilyana mole and Mario Mueller, Vivacom Art hall

Workshop:
• „The Papyrus“, Laura Behar, National Academy of Arts

Presentations and lectures:
• IAPMA, Mission and Inspiration, Laura Behar, national Palace of Culture;
• The Orpheus Song in the Bulgarians’ Memory, Galina Gerasimova, Vivacom Art hall;
• Influence of the Japanese Arts on the Contemporary Paper Art, Daniela Todorova, Mazda Gallery;
• Japanese Avant-garde Theatre of the Movement between 1950 and 1960, after the WWII, BUTOH Theatre, Kan Katsura, Sofia City Art Gallery;
• The Light Cloth of the Soul, Galina Gerasimova, Sofia City Art Gallery.

Discussion:
• “Transformations In Paper” – National Palace of Culture

Accompanying events:
• Salon for Arts (11 May)
• Night of the Museums (21 May)
• The Paper Street – National Palace of Culture
• The Squares within US – Vladimir Dobrev

Amateras Foundation thanks to all participants who played a role in the Sofia Paper Art Fest 2016!

In “Transformations in Paper”, SPAF 2016, 171 artists from 23 countries participated:
Australia: Gale Steve
Austria: Elmar Peintner, Renate Habiner, Suzanne Sender;
Argentina: Eva Toker, Alejandra Koreck; Monika Lessuna; Paola Isola, Rosario Arostegui;
Belgium: Jeannine De Raeymaecker;
Bulgaria: Anna Avramova, Anton Tsanev, Ani Yotova, Ani Dobaradjieva, Andon Neykov, Adelina Rakovska, Boris Daltchev, Adriana Boyadjieva, Anelia Alexandrova, Atanas Michaltchev, Blagovesta Kenova, Daniela Todorova, Dilyana Beikova, Elizaveta Angelova, Ina Damyanova, Yoana Ivanova, Jaklina Jekova, Joana Kusheva, Denis Rusev, Gala Dimitrova, Galin Ganchev, Gergana Trukanova, Iliana Minkova, Ilia Boyarov, Karina Talpova, Kaloyan Georgiev, Kostadin Kokalanov, Krasimira Drenska, Laura Dimitrova, Maria Stoyanova, Maya Nikolova, Maria Dryanovska, Martina Karaivanova, Manya Vaptsarova, Mila Stoeva, Mihaela Dobreva, Mihail Artamontsev, Mihaela Tsvetanova, Miroslav Jivkov, Melinda Stoeva, Nevena Georgieva, Polina Sotirova, Pola Marinova, Rafaela Rafaelova, Rozina Makaveeva, Rositsa Grancharova, Stilyana Djongova, Filip Ivanov, Milena Radeva, Nada Nedelkova-Orlova, Simona Vladimirova, Stanislava Anchova, Stanislava Ivanova, Tzveta Petrova, Valentin Balev, Veselka Nikolova, Veska Abad, Viktoria Dobreva, Yuliana Krasteva, Zlatka Andreeva;
Canada: Jean Pierre Marchand;
Chile: Maria Carolina Larea;
Colombia: Maritza Granados-Manjarris;
Cyprus: Inci Kansu;
Finland: Niina Koo, Tammi Minnamarina;
France: Marcelle Behnamou, Parme Baratier;
Denmark: Alexander Thieme, Jytte Rasmussen;
Greece: Eleni Kampa, Aris Stoidis;
Germany: Sabine Seilor, Sybille Berger-Yenish, Anna Bludau-Hari, Alexandra Deutsch, Bara Lehmann-Schulz, Irene Rammensee, Ines Fritschi, Suzanne Holzinger, Eva Maria Jurras, Rennate Martinsdorf-Henritschi, Rennate Habinger, Dagmar Reiche, Helene Tschacher, Hans Christian Wiring, Suzanne Sender,
Josephine Tabbert, Marie Schirrmacher-Meitz, Michael Otto, Traudel Stahl;
Iceland: Ragnhildur Stefánsdóttir;
Israel: Hana Altaratz, Laura Behar – Guest Artist, Racheli Joseph, Ruth Cox;
Italy: Helvecia Cremaci;
Japan: Ayako Abe Miller, Atsumi Murata, Jeoong Moon, Junko Suzuki, Ayako Tajima, Chikako Sato, Ichiro Matsuo, Hitomi Ueoka, Kakuko Ishii, Kiyoshi Yunohara, Koko Shimomura, Mami Idei, Miyuki Tanyama, Mitsuru Kuroka, Mitsue Ito, Miki Nakamura, Noriko Amano, Toru Kurita, Sumiko Tasaka, Chikako Sato, Yoshinobu Suzuka, Yoshio Ikezaki, Yuko Nishimura, Yanagi Kazunobu, Yoshio Hasegawa;
Hungary: Varga Tamas;
Korea: Hyejeong Kwon, Kumnam Baik;
Latvia: Dace Luchia Kidd;
Mexico: Ioulia Akhmadeeva, Josefina Temin;
The Netherlands: Aliza Thomas, Inna Fekken, Els Van Baarle, Ferry Stivermann;
Norway: Hanne Frey Huso, Kirsti Grotmol;
Poland: Magda Sobon, Miroslawa Truchta-Nowicka;
Slovenia: Metka Pepelnak;
Sweden: Erling Gustafsson, Margareta Mannervik;
Switzerland: Beatrix Kilchenmann, Elisabeth Jobin Sanglard, Christian Gutt, Marie-Claire Mayer, Marie-Lusie Suss, Francine Schloeth , Gerda Ritzmann, Kathrin Dardel, Lilo Schaer;
Sweden: Kristina Hall;
Turkey: Ruken Aslan;
UK: Robert Burton, Anita Bell, Pat Houdson, Richard Sweeny, Josephine Coy, Jane Walker, Jenny Smith;
US: Angiola Churchill, Julie McLaughlin, Leslie Haas, Elisabeth Mackey, Elena Osterwalder, Michele Samur, Priscilla Robinson, Helen Heabeard, Kathy Guest, Sue Zajag.

Over 170 artists participated in the Paper Art Academy, Exchange and Guest Exhibitions, Art in Urban Environment, Theatre and Film, Green Architecture and Accompanying Events sections.

Amateras Foundation is sincerely grateful to all institutions, sponsors, spaces and media partners who supported Sofia Paper Art Fest 2016!

Institutions:
Ministry of Culture, Bulgaria
National Culture Fund, Bulgaria
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria
Sofia Municipality
Embassy of Bulgaria in Georgia
Embassy of Japan in Bulgaria
State Institute for Culture, Bulgaria
Bulgarian Festivals Association
European Festivals Association – EFFE
French Institute, Bulgaria
Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Prague

Museums and galleries:
Historical Museum Carvasla, Tbilisi, Georgia
National Palace of Culture, Sofia
Sofia City Art Gallery
Vivacom Art Hall
Art Alley Gallery
Mazda Gallery

Associations:
IAPMA – US
NEXUS – Japan
XXI Salon for Arts
Shans chrez Umenia
Ikebana Soga

Theatres:
199 Theatre
Sofia Puppet Theatre
Sofia Theatre
Sfumato Theatre

Educational institutions:
National Academy of Art, Sofia

Private companies:
Mazda
Number ONE
Arte Hotel
Dimiter Blagoev Printing House
Vivatel

Media partners:
Bulgarian National Radio
Jazz FM
Darik Radio
Metroreklama
Osem Magazine
Programata
Eva Magazine
Sofia Live
Actualno.com
Peika.bg