site.btaInternational Competition Launched for Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre in Gabrovo

A two-stage international competition for the development of an architectural concept for the future Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre for Contemporary Art in Gabrovo was officially launched on Wednesday evening at DOM Concept Space in Sofia. The procedure was presented by Gabrovo Mayor Tanya Hristova and Margarita Dorovska, curator of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre.

According to Hristova, the idea for establishing the centre has a long history dating back to the years following the political changes of 1989. She recalled that Christo personally gave his consent for a centre bearing his name to be created in his hometown.

Hristova said the future institution would help not only Gabrovo and Bulgaria, but also the development of culture and sustainable policies find their place on the European and global stage, "because this is the only way we can freely and meaningfully realize our dreams".

The competition concerns the reconstruction and conversion of the former textile technical school building in Gabrovo into a contemporary art centre. The procedure will be carried out in two stages. The first stage is anonymous and open to conceptual proposals, with a submission deadline by June 20, Dorovska explained.

She added that the results of the first stage will be announced on August 10, with five projects receiving awards of EUR 20,000 each. During the second stage, the shortlisted teams will develop preliminary designs by October 23. The winner of the competition will receive a contract worth up to EUR 1 million for the design and architectural supervision of the project, including interior and permanent exhibition design. The estimated value of the construction works, furnishing, and equipment amounts to up to EUR 11,261,103 excluding VAT. The final deadline for completion of the project is November 7, 2028.

The international jury includes architectural researcher and former long-time director of the Swiss Architecture Museum Andreas Ruby, architect and researcher Aneta Vasileva, architect Bostjan Vuga, curator and educator Vasif Kortun, architect Erich Schoenenberger, Gabrovo Municipality Chief Architect Lyuciya Dekova, and architect Martin Hristov. Architect Hristo Stankushev will serve as reserve member of the jury, Dorovska said.

According to her, the future centre will combine permanent and temporary exhibitions, educational programmes, artist residencies, workshops, a library, a media lab, co-working spaces, as well as public areas and gardens. The institution is also expected to build its own collection and develop programmes for contemporary art, research, and public engagement.

The project team said the initiative is conceived not merely as an architectural reconstruction, but as the creation of a new cultural identity for Gabrovo and the wider region.

"Several different things will happen in this centre, and they could easily contradict one another if they are not properly arranged in relation to each other. There must be quiet spaces, there must be noisy spaces, there must be places for solitude, and there must also be spaces with very limited access. In other words, this is about creating different experiences, behaviours, and ways of inhabiting the building. The architectural solution must make all of this possible," Dorovska said.

The presentation sparked numerous questions from architects attending the event.

The idea for creating the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Centre for Contemporary Art in Gabrovo, the hometown of Christo, has been evolving for more than 30 years. In 2013, Christo and his brothers Stefan and Anani Yavachev donated 50 signed posters of projects by Christo and Jeanne-Claude to the municipality, granting permission for a contemporary art centre bearing their names to be established.

In 2021, the Municipal Council decided that the former textile technical school would be transformed into a cultural space featuring exhibition halls, studios, residency spaces, and event areas. In 2023, the building temporarily opened for a three-day public programme attended by more than 1,500 visitors. In 2025, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria officially established the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Regional Centre for Contemporary Art, headquartered in Gabrovo.