REVIEW 2025 – WITH VASIL VLADIMIROV
- viktoriadraganova
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
The Journal of Social Vision’s end-of-year survey gathers the perspectives of colleagues, curators, and critics on the most important events and topics in art in 2025. Participants were invited to highlight standout exhibitions, projects, and figures; identify key international influences; note significant critical publications and media; and reflect on the disappointments that generated tensions within the cultural landscape.
Here, we publish the answers by Vasil Vladimirov, a freelance curator and founder of the art space KO-OP and FIG. – Festival of Illustration and Graphics. In 2026, Vasil was part of the international curatorial course for the Gwangju Biennale and curated (together with Martina Yordanova) the solo exhibition Irradiation by Anton Vidokle at the National Gallery – Palace.
Notable events during the year in Bulgaria
The past year in Bulgaria was marked by intense uncertainty and transformation, reflecting the broader political, economic and social upheavals in the world. Against the backdrop of drastically cut cultural budgets in the EU and in our country, some institutions closed, others tried to adapt, and the scene gradually lost the sense of glut, characteristic of previous years. Instead, we entered a period of fatigue, exhaustion and restructuring. It was in this environment that debuts and festivals stood out brightly, bringing freshness, energy and a willingness to experiment with formats beyond the traditional framework of the gallery or museum.
Among the most interesting for me was Boyan Montero's debut on the Bulgarian scene through the exhibition Das Gift at the Goethe-Institut (19.06.-29.07.2025) . He delicately explored the ambivalence of childhood, heritage and trauma, and the inclusion of a large-scale installation in the corridor further undermined the traditional model of exhibition display, questioning the staticity and sacralization of the work.
Another important moment was the development of Nevelin Ivanov. Although not a debutant, he is in the early stages of his career and continues to build his highly contextual practice. In "You Will Not See..." (26.03.2025) at UniCredit Studio, he refused access to his drawings from the Art Academy, only to present them months later at +359 Gallery , where the audience was given the "right" to destroy them. This consistency and gesture of personal and artistic transformation distinguish him in a highly hyper-fragmented environment.
Among the debuts, Kyril Buhowski's exhibition at the DOZA Gallery stood out ("BALKAN STORIES, curator: Georgi P. Pavlov, 5-15.11.2025). And of the more established authors, the exhibition "Circulation" by Andris Eglītis at the +359 Gallery (curator: Snejana Krasteva, 16.10.-16.12.2025) was particularly impressive - a work that worked impressively with the vertical architecture of the tower, enhancing the feeling of gravity, instability and transformation, but also of harmony between nature and what is built by man.
Among the festivals, BUNA (03-07.09.2025) stood out – although I was not present in person, the scale and quality of the works were obvious. Among the highlights was the Balkan Award-winning project for contemporary art by Rayna Teneva “Mahlzeit” , as well as the ambitious Bulgarian-French exhibition “Odyssea: Le chant des sirènes” (curators : Sacha Guedj Cohen, Camille Velouet, Boyana Dzhikova) organized in collaboration with PUNTA gallery .
Another key moment was the Nine Elephants Festival (10-20.07.2025), which prioritized social engagement, community work, public interventions, and practices beyond the white cube.
Ultimately, it was the events that shook institutional models and expanded notions of exhibition format that proved to be the most significant during the year.
2. Nevelin Ivanov, "I will stop being an artist if it starts snowing indoors", Gallery +359 ; Photo: Bojana Dimitrova
Notable international events
Among those I was able to visit, I was influenced by Klára Hosnedlová's "embrace" at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, as well as some moments from the Seoul Mediacity Biennale, which focused on the occult and the magical as drivers of the artistic process and questioned the established canon in art regarding the birth of modernism.
This year saw the opening of a number of major biennials in São Paulo, Istanbul, Berlin and elsewhere, but what stood out was the inaugural Bukhara Biennial . This again reflected the excitement of the new over the established. Under the motto “Recipes for Broken Hearts”, curated by Diana Campbell, the biennial put contemporary art in dialogue with tradition. With numerous commissions for new works in public spaces and the activation of historic sites and landmarks, it reflected the biennial’s ambition to go beyond just putting on exhibitions, to be more of a larger plan for urban and cultural renewal.
Other events of interest to me were the 36th Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts, curated by Chuz Martinez, and Survival Kit 16, curated by Slavs and Tatars. Another exhibition that interests me greatly is "Global Fascisms" at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin. An exhibition that comes at an opportune time in a country that actively suppresses any dissent regarding the genocide in Palestine.
Silvan Omerzu, "Table for a Poet", 2025, 36th Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts - "The Oracle: On Fantasy and Freedom"; Photo: Jaka Babnik.
A book, criticism, and media platform of particular importance in 2025.
The publication of the book "Unsilencing: History and Legacy of the Bulgarian Gulag" by Lilia Topouzova was a key event. Also, the initiatives of "Temporary Publishing" to make contemporary art theory accessible in Bulgarian.
The biggest disappointment of the year
“Disappointment” is a strong word. But for that title, I nominate the administration of the Cultural Recovery and Resilience Plan. To this day, that acronym sounds like a strange Orwellian doublespeak, because this program did exactly the opposite of the goals and priorities that were set for it.
Important topics for 2025
I cannot pinpoint any clear themes that have united artists, institutions, curators and the wider cultural scene. For me, the leading issues are related to the rise of far-right politics, the normalization of global fascist tendencies and the deepening polarization in politics and societies. The dominant sense of directionlessness and hopelessness is particularly worrying. Despite the glimmers of hope brought about by the recent protests in Bulgaria and the resignation of the government, the overall picture remains marked by a lack of direction and vision for the future.
What will drive us in 2026?
I believe that the above-mentioned trends will continue to “lead” us. In the art scene, I expect not so much thematic unifications as a strengthening of initiatives that question conventional models of exhibition display and production. This is a direct reflection of the processes of deinstitutionalization, caused more by the failure of institutions than a purposeful process. I hope that this transition will open up space for more freedom and more radical forms of expression.
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