Vasil Vladimirov is a curator based in Sofia, Bulgaria. His work engages with themes such as memory, archives, and historical narratives, as well as exhibition formats that emphasise process, collaboration, and participation.
He holds a BA in Modern History and Politics from Royal Holloway, University of London (2011–2014), and an MSc in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science (2014–2015). His academic background in history and sociology has informed his interest in the ways art contributes to the construction of collective memory and the interpretation of historical and social processes.
Fabricated Realities: Graphics at the Edge of Belief
Curated by Ameli M. Klein, 2026.
Installation
Details
- Photographer: Mihail Novakov
- Description: FIG. 6 – Festival for Illustration and Graphics
Since 2019, Vladimirov has served as director of KO-OP Art Space, one of Sofia’s leading independent contemporary art spaces. In 2021, he founded FIG. Festival, an international festival for illustration and graphic arts that has become part of Sofia Municipality’s Cultural Calendar. In 2022, he was appointed Guest Curator at Structura Gallery, where he developed Process Anatomy, a curatorial programme exploring artistic processes, experimentation, and research methodologies in contemporary art.
Krasimira Butseva, Julian Chehirian, and Lilia Topouzova
The Neighbours, 2024.
Installation
Details
- Photographer: Krasimira Butseva
- Description: Bulgarian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Art Biennale, curated by Vasil Vladimirov
In 2024, Vladimirov curated The Neighbours: Forms of Trauma, Bulgaria’s participation in the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, featuring Krasimira Butseva, Julian Chehirian, and Lilia Topouzova. The project received significant international recognition and was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the Heritage Toronto Public History Awards.
Anton Vidokle
Irradiation, 2025.
Installation
Details
- Photographer: Mihail Novakov
- Description: National Gallery, Bulgaria, curated by Vasil Vladimirov and Martina Yordanova
Among his recent projects is Irradiation (2025), an exhibition by Anton Vidokle co-curated with Martina Yordanova at the National Gallery – The Palace in Sofia. The exhibition brings together 6 films by the artist, making it the most extensive presentation of Vidokle's work in relation to the philosophy of Cosmism to date.
Other curatorial projects include If I Don’t Know What Will Happen Tomorrow, It Could Be Wonderful at the National Gallery – Kvadrat 500 (2026); I Will Stop Being An Artist If It Starts Snowing Indoors at +359 Gallery (2025); Unexpected Care (2023), commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia; The Shimmer of a Possibility (2023); and To Touch at the Edge (2022), both presented at KO-OP Art Space.
Alongside his curatorial work, Vladimirov regularly participates in international lectures, panels, and research programmes dedicated to memory, archives, and the relationship between art and society. He is also the editor and author of numerous publications and exhibition catalogues, including the catalogue accompanying Bulgaria’s pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale and ETC. Magazine.
“I often challenge conventional notions of the artwork, the exhibition, and the artist’s role in addressing contemporary complexities… Underlying this is a commitment to non-conventional models of exhibition- making and research-driven practices that foreground participation, dialogue, and community engagement. I am interested in what art can do that other disciplines cannot: create spaces where imagination, contradiction, and vulnerability are allowed to coexist, and where silenced histories or fragile forms of care are made visible. In a world marked by ecological, political, and social crisis, art is not a solution but a tool for rethinking how we live together. For me, curating means cultivating conditions for encounter, reflection, and collective agency.”