site.btaCurator of Bulgarian Project for Venice Art Biennale 2026: Without Risk, a Project Cannot Touch Audiences

Martina Yordanova is the curator of the Bulgarian project for Venica Art Biennale 2026 - the Federation of Minor Practices. In an interview with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), she said she was "extremely concerned" when she first thought about the idea behind the project: "There were certain risks, but I think that a project that does not carry a certain amount of risk cannot touch the audience," Yordanova added.

According to her, the project addresses the problems which society faces nowadays - universal problems of humanity, and not characteristic only of Bulgaria. "Through the prism of the Bulgarian context, we talk about these global problems, and here each of the four films presented in the exhibition space has many references to our country and our Bulgarian reality. Beyond that, however, they address issues that every visitor to the pavilion can relate to," said Yordanova.

She pointed out that the female team behind the project also leads to the speculative idea of what the world would be like if it were ruled by women. "I'm not even sure that 'ruled' is the right word when we talk about a female world. Because women approach existence in a completely different way, and it is more about care, attitude, attention, listening, and sensitivity," Yordanova explained.

The audience as an active participant

In her practice, Martina Yordanova consistently explores the relationships between curator, artist, artwork, audience, and space. "For me, audience involvement is extremely important," she said. This involvement can take place in various ways - through visual images, texts, interactive elements, or events.

The curator said that in Federation of Minor Practices, this principle is developed through a gamified computer environment created on the basis of the artistic practices of the four participating artists. The video game is a conceptual continuation of the films and the themes they address. "Through it, visitors will be invited to actively participate in building the political imagination of the project - to think about the world we live in and the world we would like to live in," she added.

The Venice Biennale: an honor and a responsibility

"Participating in the Venice Biennale as a curator is a huge honor and responsibility for me," said Yordanova. In her words, it is no coincidence that the Venice Biennale is referred to as the "Olympic Games of culture" and in the visual sector, in the world of art.

"So this is really a huge achievement not only for me, but also for the artists and the entire project team," the curator explained. She noted that participating in the prestigious forum gives her more than it takes away. She described working on the project as a real pleasure because the team has worked well together from the very beginning. And for years she has wanted to work with them - Veneta Androva, Gery Georgieva, Maria Nalbantova, and Rayna Teneva.

"I have been following the work of these artists for a long time. I am familiar with their work over the years. And somehow my inspiration came from several different sources. On the one hand, the political situation and life in Bulgaria, but also in the world. I am a very politically engaged person and I read a lot and keep myself informed about what is happening in the world. So I have always been looking for the right "formula" for what we have not yet tried in a purely managerial sense of the word. What is it that our society has not yet experienced? And why do we constantly fail to this day? There is something that we have not yet tried, we have not been brave enough to make happen in life. And it seems that we always rely on some kind of wrong constructs, some kind of wrong dimensions. So this is something that always excites me," she said.

She was also inspired by Koyo Kouoh, the artistic director of the Venice Biennale, whom she has been following for a long time. In addition, these artists have fascinated her for years. "And I recognized this moment, the competition for the Venice Biennale, as an opportunity to invite them to really work together. Because this is, of course, a challenge for them too. So I decided that this was the moment," Yordanova added.

The most likely date for the opening of the Bulgarian pavilion is May 7, immediately before the official opening of the Biennale on May 9. According to the curator, this will allow the project to begin its public life in the first days of the international forum.

The Venice Biennale of Arts will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026. Its theme is In Minor Keys.  Bulgaria will be represented at the Venice Biennale of Art with the project Federation of Minor Practices, curated by Martina Yordanova, with the participation of artists Veneta Androva, Gery Georgieva, Maria Nalbantova, and Rayna Teneva. The Bulgarian pavilion is conceived as a fictional research laboratory that explores possible forms of post-sovereign political imagination based on care and collectivity. The project includes four films that explore themes such as digital identity, disinformation, the relationship between labor and violence, and environmental care through different artistic approaches. The exhibition is structured as an interactive environment with elements of a computer game that activates the content of the films through audience participation. The Bulgarian pavilion is located in the Sala Tiziano, where Bulgarian projects were shown at the 18th and 19th editions of the Architecture Biennale (2023 and 2025), as well as at the 60th edition of the Venice Art Biennale in 2024.