The MusTempo exhibition is a specially designed concept as a contribution of the Graffit Gallery to the traditional Con.tempo Festival for Contemporary Art (10.05.-14.05.2012), organized by the the Raya Georgieva Foundation in Varna for the fourth year. It is a non-commercial platform for promotion and presentation of young Bulgarian artists under the age of 35.
MusTempo presents the Contemporary Art and Photography Collection of the Sofia City Art Gallery, which has no analogue in the Bulgarian museum practice. Founded in 2004, it currently includes 300 artworks from the mid-80s of the 20th century until today. The fund tracks the latest trends in art, which came around and after 1989.
The collection is primarily a result of the efforts towards the integration of the contemporary art into a classical museum institution. It is a follow-on of a general policy of the gallery: to show Bulgarian and international exhibitions of contemporary art; to create an archive of Bulgarian contemporary art; to organize presentations of artists, conferences and debates, dedicated to contemporary art; to support the Places to Meet Museum Program for Young Artists and the BAZA Contemporary Art Award (in collaboration with ICA-Sofia).
Initially, the Contemporary Art and Photography Collection relies entirely on artists’ donations. Since 2007, Sofia Municipality annually allocates funds to replenish the fund, allowing it to take longer-term decisions regarding its content.
The establishment, the maintenance and the development of a collection is not an isolated phenomenon but part of overall motivated efforts. The collection would not be possible, or at least would not be so visible without the established platform for contemporary art in the Sofia City Art Gallery. Its contribution, beside the storage of the gathered artworks, is significant – the institution responsibly stands behind the contemporary art as initial part of the Bulgarian culture.
The MusTempo exhibition is conceptually gathered for the Graffit Gallery. It features works by: Adelina Popnedeleva, Alla Georgieva, Ani Vaseva, Bora Petkova, Boris Misirkov & Georgi Bogdanov, Boryana Rossa, Daniela Kostova, Ivan Moudov, Kalin Serapionov, Katia Damianova, Kiril Prashkov, Kosta Tonev, Krassimir Terziev, Luchezar Boyadjiev, Mariela Gemisheva, Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova, Nedko Solakov, Nina Kovacheva & Valentin Stefanoff, Orlin Nedelchev, Peter Mintchev, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Rada Boukova, Rassim, Samuil Stoyanov, Stefania Batoeva, Vassil Simitchiev, Ventsislav Zankov, Vikenti Komitski.
Curated by Maria Vasileva, PhD