Open Call
Competition for visual art installation
The Collective Foundation announces a competition for visual art installations related to the conservation of Sofia’s rivers, their past, and their possible future as spaces for the intersection of nature and culture.
Rivers of the city is a long-term initiative by the Collective Foundation aimed at re-establishing the connection between cities and their rivers. It began in 2020 with the Rivers of Sofia Festival, which demonstrated how cultural events and temporary architectural interventions can transform riverbanks into accessible and open spaces for people. Since then, the initiative has spread to more cities across the country — including Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Stara Zagora, Troyan, and others—creating an ecosystem of like-minded individuals at local, national, and European levels who join efforts for cleaner rivers for all.
The sixth edition of the Rivers of Sofia Festival will take place over three days, on 29-31 August. Perlovska River in Sofia’s South Park will be transformed with temporary stages for events, urban furniture, lighting, and wooden bridges to make the riverbanks more accessible to people. The focus of the intervention will be on visual arts and their role in combining aesthetic impact with an ecological message. Through interactive installations and cultural events, the festival aims to engage a wide audience, including families with children, youth, and elderly citizens, addressing themes of river conservation in urban environments.
Urban rivers may soon remain the only untouched nature around us. They are a link to the past — most of our settlements were established near rivers. They are also a link to the future — in the context of global warming, rivers play a key role as natural coolers in the densely built urban fabric. But currently, urban rivers are neglected and forgotten. They often remain inaccessible. In many places, they are channeled into stone or concrete beds, which destroy the natural ecology of the river with the aim of quickly removing water from urbanized areas. Rivers are often perceived as spatial barriers in the city or as polluted channels, rather than as places for connecting people with nature.
Reclaiming rivers and returning them to the people should be a main priority for the future of our cities. Rivers once gave life to European cities, and they have the power to do so again. If we pay them enough attention, they can provide us with new spaces for recreation and culture in a green and healthy environment.
It is essential to consider how we take care of rivers – and how rivers could take care of us in these times of climate change.
The competition is implemented as part of the project “Rivers of Sofia 2025 – Time Machine,” under the “Festivals” program 2024 of the National Culture Fund.
This open call is aimed at visual artists who will create a site-specific installation for this year’s Rivers of Sofia festival. We welcome artworks in a variety of media and their combinations, such as sculpture, light installations, or others.
Artworks should address current issues related to the problems and/or potential of rivers in urban environments, particularly focusing on the Perlovska River, and present an innovative perspective. Artists have the freedom to explore the concept of beauty (or its absence) in and around rivers. They can highlight aspects of the diverse flora and fauna along the riverbanks and underwater. They can imagine how water cleanliness, biodiversity, and public access to rivers could be improved. What would a transformed, wild river of the future look like? These topics can serve as starting points for the artworks, but candidates are not required to limit themselves to them.
The artworks will be positioned as part of the Rivers of Sofia festival in a pre-designed zone around Perlovska River in Sofia’s South Park, and must be adapted to the context of the park environment.
Artists are free to select a specific location within the festival’s scope or in adjacent spaces along the Perlovska River. The choice of location must be aligned with the functional elements planned for the event and should not obstruct free movement of visitors in the busiest areas. Installations can also be placed directly in the river. The design should allow for quick dismantling and removal from the riverbed in case of rain or raising water levels.
The artworks and their installation methods must be gentle on the park environment and existing infrastructure, leaving no visible traces or damage after their removal. The use of eco-friendly, repurposed, and recycled materials is preferred.
We encourage artists to consider an accompanying programme that engages festival visitors with the art installation and the theme of rivers. The programme may include artist talks, presentations, curated tours, creative workshops, performances and other formats aimed at engaging a diverse audience with the artwork’s message.
Additional materials, including a festival map and images of potential locations for the artworks, can be found here.
The competition will support the execution of 5 project proposals. The artworks will be exhibited and presented by the artists during the Rivers of Sofia Festival, which will take place on 29-31 August in Sofia’s South Park.
Each of the five selected projects will receive financial support in the amount of:
These amounts cover both the artists’ fees and all costs related to the execution of the artwork – including materials, production, installation, and removal.
Artists can receive payment through one of the following two methods:
The payment will be processed after the contract is signed or the invoice is received.
Upload your work with the following details in the submission page:
Open call announcement – 15 March
Deadline for applications – 13 May
Announcement of pre-selected participants – 20 May
Interviews with pre-selected participants – 21-31 May
Announcement of the winners – 4 June
Workshops and consultations with experts for finalising artworks – June
Individual meetings with mentors for young artists – June
Physical execution of selected artworks: July-August
Installation of artworks on-site – 22-28 August
Rivers of Sofia festival: 29-31 August
De-installation – 1 September
The Collective Foundation
The Collective Foundation
Studio Komplekt
Studio Komplekt
Cultural expert
We did not limit the number of entries in order to allow you to unleash your imagination.
Yes! We believe that by dreaming together, we can come up with bolder ideas.
It is not mandatory to include text; we chose not to make it a condition and rather to give you the freedom to compose your posters as you see fit. If you believe that your application needs a title, you can add it. However, please note that we reserve the right to add text later if necessary.
Yes; we want to give you the maximum freedom to express your dreams and vision! You decide how to make your work stand out, whether with or without a message.
We did not set a standard orientation because, in collaboration with Visa, an image could be used both vertically and horizontally. Based on the collected images, we will create a consistent vision for the exhibition based on the submitted works. Regarding file sizes, once we select the winning works, we will contact the participants directly to discuss file sizes and print size for the exhibition.
