site.btaIllustration and Graphics Festival Opens in Sofia with Focus on How Images Shape Reality

The sixth edition of the Festival for Illustration and Graphics (FIG) will take place in Sofia from June 5 to June 14, featuring an international programme of exhibitions, workshops, lectures and film screenings focused on how visual images construct reality and influence perception. 

This year’s theme, "Constructed Realities: Graphics on the Edge of the Credible", explores the role of images in shaping power structures, collective memory and social attitudes, including propaganda, protest visuals and AI-generated imagery. 

The festival opens with a group exhibition featuring 17 international artists, curated by Amelie M. Klein, and hosted across two locations in Sofia. It is followed by two solo exhibitions, including projects by Jana Abrasheva and Cypriot artist Pavlos Ioannides. 

The programme also includes workshops on material practices, urban visual language and meme culture, as well as a lecture series on visual communication and politics. The festival concludes with a film evening at the Goethe-Institut Bulgaria, showcasing experimental works on image instability, memory and historical truth.