Sofia Paper Art Fest 2021

The eleventh edition of the festival presents a diverse program of cascading events throughout the year. The unusually long period is in conformity with the strategy of maximum publicity containing two panels – a spring and an autumn one.

Covid-19 and the social distance suggested new conditions and challenges for the development of cultural events, which is why the festival program has a hybrid content – physical and digital. It includes exhibitions, online discussions, workshops in urban environments with digital reflections, webinars, online lectures, competitions for teenagers, and film screenings. Sofia Paper Art Fest continues to enjoy international popularity as one of the most prestigious forums associated with the magic of paper.

The festival opens with the solo exhibition "Emotions" by Jeannine de Raeymaecker (Belgium), winner of the Prize for Innovation of Amateras Annual Exhibition/Competition for Paper Art 2019. Her paper works are exhibited in the magnificent space of the San Stefano Gallery. Despite its exquisiteness, the exhibition questions the consumerism and the environmental issues of contemporary society through the use of recycled paper from products.

Remaining true to homage to beautiful and ecological art, SPAF enters into a serious debate with other communities, urban culture, and art in public spaces. A discussion on the topic takes place on 14.04.2021. The autumn panel includes traveling digital formats and an expansion of the virtual projects and lectures, also adapted in foreign languages.

The events are spread across six locations, with Sofia Paper Art Fest having the pleasure of being a guest of Rayko Alexiev Gallery at the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the Sredets Gallery at the Ministry of Culture, and the Contrast Gallery for the first time. Permanent partners who have hosted large-scale exhibitions in recent years are the National Palace of Culture, the "Triangular Tower of Serdica" at the Regional History Museum – Sofia, and the San Stefano Gallery.