FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion gathers artists, curators, theorists and gallerists from the Western Balkans art scene to dialogue on the future vision of art in the region. 

Participants in the summit are Lana Čmajčanin – an artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jelena Petrovic – Serbian theorist, Jovanka Popova – Macedonian curator, Olson Lamaj – Albanian artist, founder of MIZA Gallery in Tirana, and Katharina Schendl and Isabella Anna-Maria Ritter – gallerists of the Lambda Lambda Lambda gallery in Pristina. 

Moderator of the conference will be Luchezar Boyadjiev.

Presenting in the discussions will also be Viktor Yankov – Deputy Director for International Relations of Plovdiv 2019 – European Capital of Culture and Vesselina Sarieva – Director of Open Arts Foundation and Thomas Stoelzl – Deputy Chief of Mission of the Austrian Embassy in Sofia.

The summit at Goethe-Institut Bulgaria takes place during the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia.

The panel discussion is open to the general public, with the aim of direct dialogue between guests and representatives of the Bulgarian cultural scene.

We will talk about the latest history of art from the Balkans, about the meaning of the Western Balkans, and whether it reflects (or does not reflect) on contemporary art in the countries concerned. An answer will be sought to the question of ways of integrating art from these countries into the context of the European scene.

Program:

14:00 – Presentation of the participants

14:30 – Viktor Yankov presents Plovdiv 2019 – European Capital of Culture and Balkan Content in its program.

15:00 – Vesselina Sarieva and Thomas Stoelzl – The FLUCA project as a model for the presentation of art in public environment and possible cooperations with artists and institutions from the Balkan scene. 

15:30 – Luchezar Boyadjiev – introduction to the discussion

15:45 – Beginning of panel discussion 

17:30 – Break 

18:00 – 19:00 – Conversation with the audience

EU – Western Balkans Art Summit is organized by FLUCA – Austrian Cultural Pavilion – project of the Austrian Embassy in Sofia and Open Arts Foundation supported by the Austrian Federal Chancellery, Plovdiv 2019, Sofia Municipality, Plovdiv Municipality and in partnership with Goethe-Institut Bulgaria.

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