Iara Bubnova, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art-Sofia

Iara Boubnova
is curator and art critic, graduated the Moscow State University in 1983. Since 1984 she lives and works in Sofia, Bulgaria. As an independent curator, she has curated over 25 individual and group shows in Bulgaria and abroad. Among her last projects is the "Locally Interested" group exhibition and cycle of lectures by Douglas Gordon, Peter Kogler, Oleg Kulik, Pipilotti Rist, Nedko Solakov, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Uri Tzaig in Sofia. Other more important are: "Station Sofia" (along with Luchezar Boyadjiev) in "Translocation," Vienna (both in 1999); "Bulgariaavangarde. Contending Forces II", Munich (1998); "The Prying Game" (along with the first-year students of the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College), USA; "Menshenbilder. Foto- and Videokunst aus Bulgarien", Berlin; "ARS EX NATIO. Made in BG", Plovdiv, Bulgaria and "Erato's Version" (both along with Maria Vassileva) - all in 1997; "Bulgarian Glimpse Show", Moscow (1996); "In Search for the Self Reflection", Plovdiv (1994); "Object Bulgarian Style", Sofia (1993). She curated and organized Bulgarian participation at the 48 Biennale di Venecia (1999); at the 3rdBiennial in Cetinje, Montenegro, Yugoslavia (1997); the 4th St. Petersburg Biennial (1996); at the 4th Istanbul Biennial (1995); at the 22nd Sao Paulo Biennial (1994). Iara Boubnova is an assistant professor at the New Bulgarian University, Visual Arts and Communication Department. In 1999 she participated in Getty Summer Institute for Art History and Cultural Studies in Rochester University, USA and in 1997 she was a visiting lecturer in Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, USA. In 1995 and 1994 she had fellowships to study Management of Art Institutions in Vienna and London. Iara Boubnova was a Getty Foundation Fellow for 1995. Since 1985 she has been a curator for East-European Art and since 1997 - a Chair of the Museum Board at the National Gallery for Foreign Art in Sofia. Iara Boubnova has more then 200 publications about contemporary art in Bulgarian and foreign periodicals, as well as in catalogues and is a founding member and Director of the Institute of Contemporary art - Sofia.