The ninth edition of the Sofia Paper Art Fest started on April 16th. The unique international project has been taking place in several galleries in the Bulgarian capital city. On May 2 the exhibition was put on display in the National Palace of Culture presenting works part of the Amateras competition as well as an exhibition by Martina Karaivanova, the winner of the grand prize in 2018.

"Paper art is a brand new section in contemporary visual art,” Daniela Todorova, chairman of the Amateras Foundation, founder and main organizer of the festival says. “Before I became fascinated by paper and its numerous incarnations, I was involved in glassworks, doing monumental projects and having solo exhibitions with graphics and painting... In 2006 I went to a creative camp in Finland. During an exhibition I was so inspired by some paper installations that after I returned to Bulgaria I created my first paper art exhibition. I started being interested in what was happening in the world in this sphere of art. This is how the idea of ​​the competition emerged. It started in 2009 as a small exhibition, before it was named Amateras (the name of the Japanese sun goddess). The artists who participated back then and their enthusiasm, love, passion and ideas inspired us to continue. That is how the contest gave birth to the Sofia Paper Art Festival. We present 1000 artists from over 40 countries. We are grateful to the National Palace of Culture, which has opened doors for us for a third year. This also caused a change in the format. Now for the first time in the contest guests can see installations, sculptures... They look wonderful in this big space with lots of natural light that paper ‘loves’. Paper work is an ancient art that originated in China, reached Japan, before spreading to America and establishing itself as a section of contemporary art about 50 years ago in the United States. At first glance, the material is weak and fragile, but it is an illusion. The museums are full of paper artwork dating back hundreds of years. The paper has its own life, special sensitivity and soul because most papers are made of plants, wood, etc. I did not suppose this would be my creative passion for almost 15 years. It is exciting to see the creativity of so many colleagues. Everyone has something to say and enrich you with their world and ideas. There are conceptual installations in the exhibition that address very contemporary social issues. It is no coincidence that this year's motto is ‘Global World’. The event has been part of the Cultural Calendar of the capital for 10 years and we have organized more than 200 exhibitions, scientific conferences, workshops, presenting a great number of ​​artists and works, revealing a beautiful and intriguing world.”

“I have been following the activities of the Amateras Foundation since its foundation,” Martina Karaivanova says. “For just a few years, the festival has grown into a highly sustainable, interesting and large-scale international project that is extremely needed today, amid plenty of visual arts and concepts. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to show my paintings in this magnificent space. I would like to point out that the black color that dominates but this is not related to negativism, but is rather the equivalent of endlessness, of something quiet, calm, warm, cozy and consciously sought. That's why the motto of the exhibition is ‘After Midnight, before Sunrise’ - a special moment of the day when silence is full and is felt deeply. The square as a shape I mainly use is durable and successfully ‘locks’ the metamorphoses of the day, the fabrics I create.”

The main lecture and workshop this year (May 4) will be led by Abd Masoud, President of the Vienna Calligraphy Center - an international organization of world calligraphy traditions. He himself presents several of his works based on Arabic calligraphy:

English: Alexander Markov