The 3rd Edition of the Buna Forum for Contemporary Visual Art Opens in Varna

From September 3 to 8, 2025, Varna will once again be transformed into a vibrant hub for contemporary art as it hosts the 3rd Buna Forum for Contemporary Visual Art—Bulgaria’s largest independent platform for cutting-edge visual art 

Festival Highlights

• Over 170 participants from 30 countries will present an expansive program including exhibitions, urban interventions, performances, interactive and digital installations, lectures, discussions, and music

• Theme: “Discovery and Otherness in the Era 5.0″—exploring identity, human relationships, and the impact of emerging technologies such as AI and transhumanism

• The concept and curatorial framework were developed by Caroline Arhuero (France), while Boryana Petkova (Bulgaria/France) leads the performance module 

French Focus & Featured Events

• This year’s forum embraces a strong French focus. The French Institute in Sofia and the French Embassy in Bulgaria play key roles, including a dedicated exhibition by Galerie PUNTA and Spiaggia Libera (France) featuring 25 French artists celebrating mythical sea creatures

• A panel titled “Born or Based: Identity, Belonging, and the Politics of Art” features contributors such as Kendall Geers, Melanie Vey, and Caroline Arhuero herself

Balkan Representation & New Award

• A special focus this year is on Balkan contemporary art, spotlighting regional artists through the newly established Balkan Prize for Contemporary Art by the Singer-Zahariev Foundation—aiming to unite and elevate visibility across the region –On September 4, the panel “The Balkans Now: New Narratives from Europe’s Oldest Corner” will feature prominent figures like Zdenka Badovinac (Slovenia), Slavica Yaneshlieva (North Macedonia), Yara Bubnova, and Nemanja Nikolic (Serbia)Festival awards will also be presented in categories such as artist, performance, collective/curatorial project, and special jury prize. Esteemed jury members include Ana Frangovska, Zdenka Badovinac, Vladiya Mihailova, Kalin Serapionov, and Alexander Valchev. The awards ceremony is scheduled for September 7, at 8:00 PM in the courtyard of the Varna Archaeological Museum.

Cutting-Edge Performance & Technology

• The performance module features feminist and boundary-pushing works by artists such as Gloria August, Ana Kotar Škarjak (Slovenia/Germany), Boryana Petkova & Iskra Prodanova, Korpus Nula Ltd. (Radostina Grahovska & Lora Minkova), Antonia Pashova, Stefano Ramano (Albania/Italy), and Kubra Bademi (Afghanistan/France)

• A strong presence of new media art includes video, augmented reality, holograms, AI, interactive and streaming works—exploring how art evolves with technology while affirming that the human element remains central