In episode 13 we are joined by Vasil Vladimirov, curator and program coordinator of KOOP gallery. He is the founder and director of FIG. - a festival for illustration and graphics in Sofia, whose fourth edition is between 7 and 16 June 2024. At the same time, Vasil also works as a freelancer, which includes positions as guest curator of festivals such as the Month of Photography in Bratislava and International Meetings of Photography in Plovdiv, guest curator of the "Process Anatomy" program at Structura Gallery, participation in the Swimming Pool Art Space's Center for Social Vision with a focus on the cultural heritage of the communist era, and more. His practice as a curator is on the border between art, politics and history.

At the beginning of 2024 Vasil Vladimirov was selected as the curator of the Bulgarian participation in the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. He worked together with the creators of the project "The Neighbours. Forms of Trauma (1945-1989)" - Krasimira Butseva, Lilia Topouzova and Julian Chehirian. The multimedia installation deals with the memory and trauma of socialism on a collective level, raising questions of truth and reconciliation, and the importance of seeking them in order to move forward. Since its opening, "The Neighbours" has garnered well-deserved international acclaim.

In the episode, Vasil tells us about his return back to Bulgaria after completing a BA in Modern History and Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London and an MA in Political Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science; about the first steps of KOOP as a shared space and gallery for contemporary art in Sofia; and finally - about the multimedia installation "The Neighbours. Forms of Trauma" (1945-1989) by Krasimira Butseva, Liliya Topouzova and Julian Chehirian, which Vasil curated and which represents Bulgaria at the Venice Art Biennale 2024.

-------------------------

Producers and hosts: Adriana Andreeva and Boiana Gyaurova, Komplekt

Audio editing: Launchee Space - studio for audio and video podcasts and hybrid space for events and live streaming in the heart of Sofia.

Music: Kaloyan Dimitrov

Visual design: Poststudio

Supported by: the National Culture Fund under the "Critique" program.

Subscribe to our podcast on your preferred audio platform and follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/studiokomplekt and here: https://www.facebook.com/studiokomplekt

If you like us, share the podcast with your friends.