PARTICIPATION OF SCHOLARS FROM THE INSTITUTE OF ART STUDIES – BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AT A MEETING OF THE EUROPEAN ALLIANCE OF ACADEMIES IN BERLIN

From December 15 to 16, 2022, a meeting of the European Alliance of Academies, founded in 2020 on the initiative of the Academy of Arts in Berlin (Akademie der Künste), within the framework of the German Presidency of the European Union, took place in Berlin. More than 70 art academies, politicians in the field of culture, as well as smaller cultural institutions and non-governmental organizations are members of the organization. The Institute of Art Studies – BAS has been a member of the Alliance since 2021.

The theme of the forum was “The Freedom of Art in Times of War and Crisis”.

Prof. Dr. Joanna Spassova-Dikova, director of the Institute, was invited as an official guest, who took part in the discussions and the elaboration of the newly adopted Agenda of the Alliance.

One of the initiatives undertaken by the Alliance in 2022 was the construction of the digital platform LOOM. Interweaving of the Arts in Europe. The idea is to use the platform to collaborate between institutions and artists, providing possible answers to current social and cultural issues. The new digital space is for the cause of freedom in the arts – a space in which artistic positions are juxtaposed with current political challenges.

Prof. Joana Spassova-Dikova said about the platform: “This is an interdisciplinary project that, in a time of crisis, gives the opportunity for a new focus on the performative living arts, which suffered the most from the pandemia, moments of crises and wars”.

One of the first participants in the platform was chief assistant, Ph.D., architect Dimitrina Popova from the Institute for Art Studies, BAS. She was chosen among dozens of candidates for the “Ignorance is strength” virtual residency, which took place in 2021. Popova presented her “Five Houses” project.

Along with the rich public program, the activities of the Alliance were discussed, related to the future of the organization and its place on the European art scene, the possibilities for collaborations between the various member institutions and what new paths it should take in this dynamically changing environment.