Introduction to contemporary art

An annual educational platform initiated in 2011

“Introduction to contemporary art” is an educational platform initiated in 2011 by Open Arts Foundation and Sariev Contemporary and developed together with curators and art historians (Svetlana Kuyumdzieva, Vessela Nozharova, Vera Mlechevska). All events are run at different structural stages – a specific educational course, open lectures, artists talks, etc. The necessity to generate the context of Bulgarian contemporary art motivated the concept for “Introduction to contemporary art”.

The program takes place in Sofia in venues such as Sofia City Art Gallery, Sklada /+/, Vivacom Art Hall, Cultural Centre of Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’ and the National Academy of Art, "Academy" Gallery. In 2015, a lecture series was organized for the first time in Plovdiv.

2011
Art Course
Speakers: Svetlana Kuyumdzieva, Vessela Nozharova, Vera Mlechevska

2012
Sunday Lectures
Speakers: Vera Mlechevska and Vessela Nozharova
Artist Talks
Participants: Stefan Nikolaev, Ergin Çavuşoğlu, Nedko Solakov / Moderator: Vessela Nozharova

2013
Artists talk about art
Participants: Luchezar Boyadjiev, Krassimir Terziev, Petar Tsanev, Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov, Pravdoliub Ivanov and Boryana Rossa

2014
Medium or Concept
'Medium or Concept' includes lectures by Diana Popova, Rene Beekman, Svetlana Kuyumdjieva and Georgi Voinov

2015 
Educational course Plovdiv
Vessela Nozharova, lecturer

2015
Curators' Talks
‘Curators’ Talks’ includes lectures by Chris Sharp (Mexico City), Maria Vassileva (Sofia), René Block (Berlin), Edith Jeřábková and Zuzana Blochová (Prague)

2016 
Educational Course Plovdiv
Vessela Nozharova, lecturer

2016
Walk & Talk with Luchezar Boyadjiev
Four lectures and guided tours with Luchezar Boyadjiev at various locations in Sofia (public spaces, museums, galleries)

2016
Life beyond the end of art
Four lectures by Boyan Manchev, Todor Todorov, Stanimir Panayotov, Svetla Kazalarska 

2017
Everything you ever wanted to know about women in art *but you can’t find in the textbooks” 
Four lectures by Irina Genova, Maria Vassileva, Miglena Nikolchina, Rada Boukova

2017
100 years art of action
Four lectures by Ani Vaseva, Albena Mihaylova, Snezhanka Mihaylova, Isabella Maidment                                                                                                       

2018
Book "Introduction to Bulgarian Contemporary Art"
by Vessela Nozharova, based on the cycle of lectures delivered by her within frames of "Introduction to contemporary art"

2018
Open Art Files: Topics, People, Spaces, Files in Bulgarian Contemporary Art
Database of Bulgarian contemporary art, curatorial visits, presentations and exhibitions

Watch videos from "Introduction to Contemporary Art" here