site.bta20th Water Tower Art Fest Held in Sofia until June 15

The 20th Water Tower Art Fest was unveiled at Sofia's One Gallery on Sunday with an international exhibition featuring artists from ten European countries. Through June 15, visitors will be able to view installations, video works, performances, and interdisciplinary projects united by themes such as freedom and control, collective memory, institutional critique, the relationship between humans and nature, and new forms of social interaction, said the gallery’s team.

The festival, which has established itself over the past two decades as one of the most recognizable platforms for contemporary art in Bulgaria, marks its anniversary with a programme of exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, and discussions in various venues across the capital, the team notes. The festival takes place at One Gallery, Figura Art Space, SAMSI, the Toplocentrala Regional Centre for Contemporary Arts, and the Water Tower in Lozenets.

The opening event features works by independent artists from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Finland, Romania, and Bulgaria. Among the participants are German artist Gaby Bila-Gunther (Lady Gaby) with an interactive performance Inbetween and the video installation No Sugarcoating, Dutch artist Charlotte Eta Mumm with a series of watercolors and spatial objects, as well as Laurent Fallon with an installation dedicated to the political economy of art. Also participating in the exhibition are Corinne Fhima, Darina Alster, Juha van Ingen, Lisa Hinterreithner, Viviana Druga, Maddalena Mauri, and Simon Pfeifer. A special place in the programme is reserved for the Feministas Futuristicas collective  with video installations and performances with a social topic.

Also on the June 7 programme is a collaborative live audiovisual performance by Anna Bacheva and Trendafila Trendafilova, exploring the interplay between sound, image, and space.

On June 10, One Gallery will also host a public presentation and conversation with British producer, visual artist, and cultural manager Mia Harris. She has professional experience with institutions and events such as the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury Festival, and Boomtown Fair.

The topic of the meeting focuses on revitalizing neglected urban spaces through artist residencies and building sustainable connections between artists, institutions, and local communities. During the conversation, Harris will share her experience as a senior producer at the V&A Museum and present best practices for developing cultural projects tied to specific locations and community groups.

According to the organizers, the discussion is directly linked to the mission of Water Tower Art Fest to breathe new life into forgotten or unused spaces through art, cultural exchange, and the active participation of local communities.

Founded in 2006 at the Water Tower in the capital’s Lozenets borough, Water Tower Art Fest has evolved into an international platform for contemporary art, artist residencies, and interdisciplinary projects.