For the first time in 15 years, Bulgaria will be represented at the Venice Biennial for Architecture. Bulgaria’s national participation in the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennial is held under the patronage of Vice President Iliana Yotova.
The project “Education is moving from darkness to light” by young and talented POV Architects was selected after a national competition organized by the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian Chamber of Architects and the Union of Architects.
The demographic crisis, depopulation and abandoned schools are put in the focus of the Bulgarian project. Curators aim to provoke serious debate, publicize the topic and provide a platform for conversation and exchange of information and ideas through the pavilion.
To illustrate the process of abandoned areas and population reduction, curators Boris Tikvarski, Bozhidara Valkova, Maria Gyaurova, Mike Frich and Kostadin Kokalanov teamed up with Belgian photographer Alexander Dumarey, who in recent years has spent a lot of time travelling around the country and documenting through his lens the process of decline and, more specifically, the abandoned schools.
The exhibition is divided into three main areas – “entrance”, “classroom”, and “interview/debate area”, inviting visitors to gradually delve into the complex and alarming problem of the shrinking regions.
Scenography is more than just a backdrop; it is a platform for reflection that prompts visitors to engage in dialogue about our challenges. Taking responsibility and learning lessons is one of the main challenges set by the authors of the exposition.
Curators collaborate with institutions and municipalities to collect original artefacts and review their ideas. For this purpose, old children’s facilities and school furniture were selected, which will be transferred to the host hall of the Bulgarian pavilion in Venice.
“Education is the movement from darkness to light” promises to represent the country authentically and memorably. The concept corresponds to the exhibition rule: the more impactful and understandable the exposure, the more striking it is.
The 2023 Biennial Architecture curator Leslie Loco commented: “Architects have the unique opportunity to present ambitious and creative ideas that help us imagine a fairer and optimistic common future”.
Leslie Loco founded the African Futures Institute, established in Accra, Ghana, in 2020. as a postgraduate school of architecture and public events platform. In 2015, she founded the University of Architecture in Johannesburg. She has taught on several continents and won awards for her contribution to architectural education.
The official opening of the Bulgarian Pavilion in Venice will take place on May 18, 2023. Established in 1895, La Biennale di Venezia is today recognized as one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world, with events in the fields of art, architecture, cinema, dance, music and theatre.
The Venice Architecture Biennial 2023 will last until November 26 this year.