Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia рresents:
Unexpected Care
Group exhibition featuring moving image artworks in public space
April 28 – May 31, Sofia, Bulgaria
Working hours: 17:00 - 00:00
Tsarigradsko Shose blvd. – Eagle’s Bridge, Tsarevets Underpass
Segment 1: April 28 – May 7
Segment 2: May 10 – May 19
Segment 3: May 22 – May 31
Unexpected Care is a group exhibition organised by the Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia. It will take place in April 2023 on the underpass of Eagle’s Bridge, a primary public location in the city centre of Sofia. For the duration of one month, the exhibition will feature 9 video artworks from local and international artists. Each work will be presented continuously for ten days in one of three identical abandoned stores which are next to one another.
━ Curatorial Statement ━
The unexpected has always held a certain allure, an invitation to explore beyond the familiar and into the unknown. In this exhibition, the unexpected is not only a theme but a fundamental component of its structure. It challenges us to reconsider our understanding of care, to explore the ways in which it can manifest in unexpected forms and expressions.
The format and location of the exhibition are themselves an act of care, granting new meaning and function to the abandoned stores that illuminate the underpass. The dark, transient space becomes a canvas for radical experimentation, a space where the limitations of conventional art display are cast aside and replaced with new possibilities for community engagement.
In the first segment, the artworks themselves are a testament to the transformative power of care, inviting us to question the very foundations of artistic production and representation. We are confronted with a powerful critique of the prevailing power structures that govern our society, challenging us to consider who makes art, who benefits from it, and whether it includes the communities it seeks to represent. The artists move beyond mere critique to become active agents of change, intentionally and meaningfully including people from specific communities in the artistic process. By doing so, they embody an act of care, empathy, and compassion, transforming the very nature of art and its role in our society.
In the second segment, the artists expose the inherent absurdity and contradiction of certain social and economic processes, helping us to understand our subordination and to challenge the inevitability of these systems. Finally, in the third and final segment, alternative modes of storytelling are employed to convey the deep care and empathy that are often missing from depictions of violence and trauma.
The exhibition serves as a potent reminder of the radical potential of art, its ability to challenge us, to inspire us, and to transform the world around us. Through its innovative format and powerful content, it offers a vision of care that is at once visionary and practical, calling on us to engage with the urgent issues of our time and to embrace the unexpected in all its forms.
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The project is organised by the Institute of Contemporary Art - Sofia and is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.
The Institute of Contemporary Art - Sofia thanks for the support provided by the assistance of "Egida-Sofia" Ltd and the Sofia Municipality’s Inspectorate
