About the space
KO-OP was established in December 2018 by Elka Sotirova. The organization is based in Sofia and presents young and established Bulgarian and foreign artists working mainly in the field of photography, illustration, graphic arts, as well as other practices in contemporary visual arts. As an organization with a community of artists and a dedicated audience with an interest in these disciplines, we continually work to develop and maintain our relationships by creating a space for presentation, exploration and dialogue.
KO-OP is the organizer of FIG., an illustration and printmaking festival that is the natural extension of the organization's work to promote and develop these genres and to situate them in the context of contemporary art in the local scene. Besides an exhibition and an educational programme, KO-OP maintains a bookshop with independent publications and art books by Bulgarian and foreign authors, as well as a publishing of such publications. Some distinctive exhibitions include "The Sweet and Sour Hour" solo exhibition by Mikhail Novakov; "The Future Will Come," a solo exhibition by Mitch Brezunek; and a presentation of collectible edition of tarot cards published by Sarieva Gallery; "First Line", a solo exhibition and presentation of an art book by Andrea Popjordanova; "NO ARTIST CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE?", a group exhibition organized together with EEP Berlin; "Viriditas", a solo exhibition by Gergana Petrova; "Shot Down in Midflight", a solo exhibition by Theodor Genov; "Pathways to Bliss", a solo exhibition by Alina Papazova.
In 2022, KO-OP is launching a series of four open calls, Like the State, the Toilet is Never Neutral, for site-specific installations in one of the gallery's toilets.