The exhibition is organized to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the Bulgarian Association of University Women.

The exhibition itself represents a mosaic of the works of both women artists and architects. Twenty five artists, among them Vera Nedkova, Zoya Paprikova, Vera Loukova, Donka Konstantinova, Olga Bradistilova, Todorka Bourova, Vaska Balareva, Nevena Kozhouharova, Elena Karamihailova, Elisaveta Konsoulova Vazova, Binka Zlatareva and others together with five architects – Victoria Angelova-Vinarova, Paraskeva Gancheva, Mara Zaharieva, Maria Sapareva, Germana Foke – Genova are presented with works, photographs and documents. Most of the artistic works as well as the architectural projects were created between the 1920s and 1930s. You can see 35 paintings, graphics, drawings, sculptures, more than 20 drawings, 50 photographs of buildings andpost cards, more than 35 documents and documentary pictures.

Being aware of how impossible it is to cover all periods, the authors of the exhibition Irina Genova nad Ljubunka Stoilova have decided on a temporal range which is not influenced by the closing of the once existing Association of the Women Artists. The exhibition is even richer with the works of Lika Yanko, Slavka Deneva, Lilyana Rousseva, which belong to the later period of the 1960s and 1970s and reflect another cultural situation.

The abundance of self-portraits and photographs express the curators’ interest in the personalities of the women artists and architects and marks their presence in a symbolic way.
The contemporary visual environment and sensibility define the artistic attitude. The curators have been especially insistent on showing contemporary art as well. They have invited Adelina Popnedeleva, Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova, Sofia Hadzhipapa as well as an artistic couple – Nina Kovacheva and Valentin Stefanov.
Nowadays with the globalization in the centre of the debate we share different (inter)national artistic environments and this is fully applicable to the exhibited women artists. The artists and architects from the early decades of the twentieth century, however, were also educated and expressed themselves in a variety of European cultural centres.

As for the title – why exactly Presences/Absences? During the preparation of the exhibition it turned out that women artists and architects are present in our minds as creators of the Modern art in Bulgaria but they are mostly absent from institutions in charge of preserving historical memories. Works which were reproduced and commented repeatedly when they first appeared and others which were included in the early history of the Modern art of Bulgaria, are difficult and often impossible to trace and find. The research on the accomplishments of the women architects is also impeded. The current exposition is part of the common effort to acknowledge their cultural presence.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue whose compilers and authors are Irina Genova (on artists) and Ljubinka Stoilova (on architects).

The project is financed by the Cultural Department of Sofia municipality.

Sponsors:
Bulgarian Association of University Women (www.bauw.hit.bg), successor of the Association of Bulgarian Women withHigher Education, which was established in 1924 and has been member of the International Federation of University Women since 1925
Sofia Art Gallery
National Art Gallery

With the participation of:
Sliven Art Gallery
Plovdiv Art Gallery
Stara Zagora Art Gallery
The Union of Bulgarian Artists
Private collections
Pro Helvetia Swiss Cultural Programme
Austrian Embassy Sofia

Neither a White Cube, nor a Black Box. History in Present Tense Exhibition of the Institute of Contemporary Art Sofia

07 November 2006 - 03 December 2006

The Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia was established in 1995. It is a private, non-profit NGO, an association of curators, artists and cultural theoreticians. It is dedicated to the study, understanding, promotion and practice of the visual arts of the late twentieth and early twenty first century. Its aim is to re-establish and promote the further open dialogue between cultures and art scenes. The history of ICA - Sofia is rooted in the professional partnership between friends who after 1989 shared a common vision about the transformed dynamics and aspects of art.

The goals of ICA-Sofia are focused on the development of the contemporary art scene in Bulgaria in relation to the world at large. The specific objectives refer to the further extension and strengthening of the relations with the international art world through a two directional and reciprocal exchange of artists, curators and critics, projects, etc. Which will not only "take" your/our home out into the world, but also bring "the world" back home.

The spectrum of ICA - Sofia activities consists of international and localexhibitions, publications, conferences, seminars, educational programs, lectures etc.

The current exhibition is the first considerable joint display of the artists members of ICA – Sofia: Luchezar Boyadjiev, Mariela Gemisheva, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Ivan Moudov (together with Sibin Vassilev), Kiril Prashkov, Kalin Serapionov, Nedko Solakov. Curators are Iara Boubnova and Maria Vassileva.The exhibition is going to show some early works (mostly unknown to the Bulgarian public and presenting the authors in a more global context) as well as works created for this particular event.

The exhibition aims at acquainting the Bulgarian public not only with individual authors and concrete works but also with the overall concept behind the work of the institute.