“The Paper” Exhibition from the collection of the Dobrich Art Gallery
2 July – 30 August 2026
Opening: 2 July 2026, 6 pm
The exhibition “The Paper” presents a selection from one of the most устойчиви and recognizable artistic initiatives in Bulgaria—the international project of the same name by the Dobrich Art Gallery, launched in 1995.
Over the course of three decades, the project has developed the idea of paper not merely as a carrier of an image, but as an autonomous artistic material and a field for experimentation. As a result, a collection unique in the country has been created, tracing the development of contemporary paper art through works by Bulgarian and international artists.
The beginning was marked by a series of exhibitions and artistic meetings, and as early as 1996 the first “The Paper” plein air workshop was organized, initiated by Vladimir Ovcharov and Evelina Handzhieva. The initiative quickly established itself as an annual international forum, bringing together artists from different generations and countries, united by their interest in experimenting with the material.
A significant role in the development and establishment of the project was played by artist and long-time director of the gallery Nedko Nedkov, who consistently worked toward expanding the understanding of paper as an autonomous visual language.
The more than 50 works by over 30 artists presented in the exhibition reveal a wide range of artistic approaches and techniques. They outline three main directions in working with paper:
— collage as a field for experimentation and layering of images;
— paper as a traditional support for drawing, printmaking, and painting;
— three-dimensional objects, in which the material becomes volume, structure, and form.
A special place is given to works created from handmade paper, where the very process of making becomes part of the artistic outcome. In these works, the boundaries between printmaking, sculpture, and installation blur, and the material itself dictates the form.
The exhibition is part of the long-term development of the “The Paper” project and follows its юбилейно edition in 2025, marking 30 years since the initiative’s beginning. It presents not only results, but also a process—a story of encounters, exchange, and shared creative explorations.
As a whole, the exhibition at the Ruse Art Gallery offers a perspective on paper as a living artistic medium—fragile and resilient at once, capable of preserving the gesture, time, and memory of contemporary art.
