The International Biennale of Glass, established as one of the largest art events in our country, under the slogan “TOGETHER”, in its fourth edition in 2023, will present artists from 48 countries. The selected works will be located in Kvadrat 500, Sredets Gallery of the Ministry of Culture and UniArt Gallery of New Bulgarian University.
Kvadrat 500 will host the main exhibition, as in the previous edition of the biennale in 2021. The gallery will display works by some of the most important masters of glass, such as the Czech duo Stanislav Libenský (1921-2002) and Jaroslava Brychtová (1924-2020) – teachers and friends of the art director of the biennale Konstantin Valchev; as well as their compatriot Václav Cigler. A compelling highlight will be the participation of a selection of distinguished Dutch artists, facilitated by the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sofia, and curated by Mr. Han de Kluijver, a member of the international jury.
Furthermore, the biennale proudly welcomes once again representatives from the renowned Italian (Murano) glass art hotspot, thanks to the invaluable support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Sofia. The globally acclaimed master Lucio Bubacco, known for his extravagant rococo-inspired sculptures, and the skilled jeweler Caterina Zucchi will grace the biennale with their artistry, following a memorable joint participation of theirs in the previous edition.
Adding to the richness of the exposition, the Czech glass manufacturer Bomma will showcase the winning authors of their annual Glass Cutting World Cup (GCWC), held in Světlá nad Sázavou, Czech Republic.
As part of the exhibition in Kvadrat 500, there will traditionally also be a lecture program with international guest participants and close associates of the biennale on 6 and 7 October.
Sredets Gallery will host from 17 October to 3 November a touring exhibition of Hungarian glass masters called Glassification.hu and organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations of Hungary. The exhibition at the UniArt Gallery, entitled “The Beginning”, from 31 October to 30 November will present works by students and teachers from the Department of Glass at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Anadolu University and the Glass Atelier at New Bulgarian University, creating a basis for future collaboration between the two institutions.
Glass art lovers who do not have the opportunity to visit the live exhibitions and lectures will be able to follow the highlights in the virtual space, thanks to the IBG Connect virtual platform, provided by Lounjee – a digital window into the biennale ensuring global access to the event.
The full program of the International Biennale of Glass can be seen here.
