Spirit and Matter
Sofia Paper Art Fest 2025

For the fifteenth consecutive year Sofia Paper Art Fest will present the best of the world of paper art. The official opening will once again take place at the National Palace of Culture with the most emblematic section of the festival – “Amateras – annual paper art exhibition/competition ”. This year’s motto of the festival “Spirit and Matter” sends a message to society in a complex historical period for Europe and Bulgaria. The ideas of global synchronicity, humanity and universal values between world and Bulgarian paper art are the main focus.

The presentation of the exhibitions at NDK is the result of long-term cooperation between Amateras Foundation and NDK, which began in 2016 within the framework of the “Salon of Arts”. This year the National Palace of Culture renews the organization of the “Salon of Arts” as a large-scale cultural forum, in which the festival occupies an important place. On this occasion, the curator of the festival, Daniela Todorova, has prepared a retrospective presentation of an impressive installation, specially created for the space of the West foyer at NDK in 2018. This work symbolically embodies this year’s motto and in the autumn will also be part of traveling exhibitions in Japan and China.

The exhibition from the Amateras competition in the West foyer presents the large-scale works and the nominated authors. The works are adapted to the characteristics of the space and are selected by an expert jury. The award fund includes two new awards – Awagami Award and an Award for a young Bulgarian artiat – UniCredit Bulbank.

The second exhibition, located in the Marble foyer, presents works from the competition, some of which are also nominated. An international jury will determine the winners. The awards will be presented by an international jury and representatives of the supporting organizations – Ministry of Culture, Sofia Municipality, NPC and UniCredit Bulbank. The two exhibitions include 71 authors from 21 countries with 131 works. The winners of the Grand Prix Amateras, the Award for Bulgarian Artist and the Award for Young Bulgarian Artists will be presented with solo exhibitions in SPAF 2026.

The works in the two exhibitions in the West foyer and Marble foyer affirm the necessary care of contemporary people for the security and ecological balance of our planet in a turbulent and restless world. The authors are focused on installation forms, objects and sculptures through a rich variety of techniques and messages. This year new authors from Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Portugal, Poland, France, Sweden and USA are participating. Part of the foreign artists are members of long-term partner organizations of Amateras Foundation such as IAPMA (The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists), the professional association NEXUS, Japan, the National Chinese Artists Association and others. A strong impression is made by the growing Bulgarian participation, and many of the participants in the competition are winners of awards and certificates from previous editions of the festival such as: Leticia Burgos from Argentina, Tsveta Petrova, Krasimira Drenska, Anna Boyadjieva, Petar Lazarov, Peter Boyadjieff, Zdravka Kostadinova, Laura Dimitrova, Martina Karaivanova, Veska Abad from Bulgaria, Atsumi Murata and Noriko Amano from Japan, Laura Behar from Israel, Maria Matyja-Rozpara from Poland, Metka Pepelnak from Slovenia and many others.

“Amateras – annual paper art exhibition/competition” opens at the National Palace of Culture on June 3 at 18:00 and can be seen until June 13, 2025 every day between 11:00 and 18:00.

Sofia Paper Art Fest is a strategic event in the Cultural Calendar of Sofia Municipality and is a three-time recipient of the European Label for Innovation granted by the European Commission.


PROGRAM

March 15 – April 30
“Amateras Collection – traveling exhibition with presentations, screenings, and films, Galeria da Gravura Brasileira, São Paulo, Brazil;
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March 25 – April 11
“The Totem. Sign and Invention”, solo exhibition by Todor Todorov, Sredets Gallery, Ministry of Culture;

June 3 – 15
“Amateras – Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art 2025”, NPC, West Foyer;

June 6 – July 6
“Paper Cosmos – Chinese Contemporary Paper Art”, guest exhibition from the long term exchange project “Near and Far”, Triangle Tower of Serdica, Regional History Museum – Sofia;

June 7 – 14
“New Horizons”, Bulgaria – China, residency project with exhibition, workshop, and presentations, Community Center “Georgi Partsalev”, town of Levski;

July 15 – 22
“Pavlikeni and the World”, Bulgaria – Turkey, exhibition and workshop, residency project, Community Center “Bratstvo 1884”, town of Pavlikeni;

August – September
“Wind Forest”, guest exhibition, Green Educational Center, Shabla;

August 20 – 28
“Bulgaria. Japan I”, group exhibition, Bulgarian Pavilion, Expo Osaka 2025, Japan;

August 26 – September 7
“Bulgaria. Japan II”, guest exhibition, Chausuyama Gallery, Osaka, Japan;

September 1 – October 1
“Bulgaria. Japan III”, group exhibition, Kagamida Yashiki Cultural Center, Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan;

September 4 – October 4
“Bulgaria. Japan IV”, group exhibition, Bulgarian Residence at the Embassy in Tokyo;

September 7 – October 8
“Near and Far”, residency project in Huangshan with exhibition and accompanying program in Museum of Contemporary Art, Wuhu, China;

September 23 – October 14
Private collection of Wakita Museum, Karuizawa, Japan – guest exhibition, Serdica Triangle Tower, Regional History Museum – Sofia;

September 25 – October 8
“Bulgaria – Turkey”, exchange exhibition of contemporary Turkish art, Mission Gallery;

September 30 – October 21
“Japanese Spirit”, exhibition with workshops, Mazda Gallery;

October 10 – November 30
“Wind Forest”, traveling digital exhibition and outdoor sculpture, Art Gallery – Stara Zagora;

October 30 – December 7
“Wind Forest”, solo exhibition by Todor Todorov, Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art (SAMCA);

November 18 – December 5
“Lono”, Yoana Angelova-Todorova, debut project – ceramics and photography, UniCredit Studio.


EVENTS AND EXCHANGES HELD OUTSIDE BULGARIA

March – April
Traveling exhibition “Amateras Collection”, São Paulo, Brazil;

August – October
International exhibitions “Bulgaria. Japan I – IV”, Japan;

September – October
“Near and Far”, residency project and exhibition, Wuhu, China.


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

March 28
“The Totem. Sign and Invention”, presentation and lecture by Todor Todorov, Sredets Gallery;

May 10
Japan Bowl VII – competition for youth in Japanese language and culture;

May 17
“Origami. Philosophy and Tradition”, demonstration, Hemus Hotel;

June 6
“Paper Cosmos”, presentation by Xiao Huang, Serdica Triangle Tower;

June 11
“Chinese Paper Techniques”, workshop, Community Center “Georgi Partsalev”, town of Levski;

July 19
“Traditional Turkish Printing Technique”, workshop, town of Pavlikeni;

August – September
Lecture series “Innovations in the Urban Environment”, Green Educational Center – Shabla;

August 27
“Bulgaria. Innovations and Traditions”, presentation, Osaka, Japan;

September 1 and 4
“Bulgaria. Japan”, presentations, Fukuoka and Tokyo;

September 12
Academic forum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Wuhu, China;

September 19
Presentation of the Wakita Collection and lecture on urban environment, Sofia;

September 30
Demonstration of Japanese incense ceremony, Mazda Gallery;

October 7 – 8
Lectures and screenings, Art Gallery – Stara Zagora;

November 4
“Innovations for the Urban Environment”, lecture and monograph presentation, SAMCA.

In 2025 the festival is realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Programme “Visual Arts”, the Cultural Calendar of Sofia Municipality for 2025, Star Motors Bulgaria.