Group exhibition of Greek artists in dialogue between Sofia and Thessaloniki

Artists: Daphne Vlasidou, Costas Xanthis, Konstantina Fakou, Alexandra Papavasileiou, Georgia Sozou, Maria Anna Saouridou, Efstathia Savvidou, Kalliopi Fessara, Anneta Timotheou, Sofia Kiousi

Curatorial team: Efstathia Savvidou, Gerry Minkova

On September 11, 2026, the exhibition BORDERS / ΣΥΝΟΡΑ a project by The Artist at Play (TAAP), will open in Sofia. Organized in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Bulgarien and the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki, the exhibition brings together ten Greek and ten Bulgarian artists in an exchange between the two neighboring art scenes.

The opening will begin at 18:00 at Goethe-Institut Bulgarien (1 Budapeshta St.) and continue at 19:00 at Doza Gallery (52 Tsar Samuil St.).

The idea behind  BORDERS / ΣΥΝΟΡΑ starts from the observation that in the Balkans we often look “outward,” toward bigger scenes and more prestigious galleries, while the opportunities for encounter and exchange between our own art communities remain underdeveloped. The project turns its attention to those connections, bringing together Bulgaria and Greece as two geographically close scenes that are still insufficiently connected. Working in different contexts, the two artistic communities carry different kinds of experience, which makes this encounter particularly interesting, and against the backdrop of the removal of border controls between the two countries in early 2025, the question of division takes on new meaning: what remains of the border once its most literal form is gone?

The project connects ten Greek and ten Bulgarian artists in a two-way exchange, and in doing so BORDERS / ΣΥΝΟΡΑ creates the conditions for an encounter between the two scenes. In both Sofia and Thessaloniki, the exhibitions unfold across two spaces, and audiences are invited to travel the distance between them. In this way, the border shifts from being a subject to becoming an action, it must be crossed.

The exhibition moves in two main directions. Some works approach the border through childhood and memory, where the child’s gaze becomes a tool for examining heavier themes, and familiar personal objects take on new meaning. Another line in the exhibition turns to nature as a space that knows no political borders, where rivers, roots, and matter pass beyond the lines drawn by people.

The exhibition in Sofia can be visited until 30 September 2026.

Accompanying programme in Sofia

Connecting the two scenes, and the mutual enrichment that comes from it, is a central part of the project. BORDERS / ΣΥΝΟΡΑ therefore also invites the public into this encounter through a programme of accompanying events in Sofia:

• 12 September, 10:30 – Goethe-Institut Bulgarien – Art Portfolio Workshop with Melanie Roumiguière
• 14 September, 18:30 – Goethe-Institut Bulgarien – “Opportunities for Young Artists in Greece” with Efstathia Savvidou, Costas Xanthis, and Daphne Vlasidou
• 19 September, 11:00 – Doza Gallery – “Interactive Game for Children: Discover Contemporary Art, a Treasure Hunt” (registration required)
• 25 September, 18:00 – Curator’s tour, starting at Doza Gallery and continuing at Goethe-Institut Bulgarien

BORDERS / ΣΥΝΟΡΑ continues with an exhibition in Thessaloniki in October 2026, at Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki and To Pickap gallery, presenting the works of ten Bulgarian artists: Bilyana Tokmakchieva, Hanna Michelle Ivanov, Kiril Buhovski, Kalin Mihov, Lyuba Maznova, Ina Dobreva, Filip Boyadzhiev, Sveta Atanasova, Georgi Pavlov, and Samuil Velev.

About the organiser

The Artist at Play is a dynamic community of young and emerging artists based in Sofia, Bulgaria, dedicated to fostering collaboration, creativity, and mutual support. Our mission is to provide a platform where creators can connect, collaborate, and inspire one another. Over the past two years, our community has grown to more than 150 artists working across a range of fields, including visual arts, experimental music, performance, and dance.

BORDERS / ΣΥΝΟΡΑ is a project by The Artist at Play, developed in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Bulgarien and the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki, with additional support from the Singer-Zahariev Foundation. Realised with the financial support of the National Culture Fund of Bulgaria.

Media contact

Nana Melkonyants, Public Relations

nana.mlknnts@gmail.com | +359 888 30 65 70