East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP) supports the
development of contemporary performing arts (dance and theatre)
in 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Urbanites Sofia

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Description
Information about institution: 

Urbanites Sofia is a platform for contemporary creativity and culture, as well as an art collective. The main purpose is to discover new talent and promote the work of young artists through our social media platform and the organisation of our events, where the work of different artists is exhibited and displayed to a wider audience. We have a group of creatives we usually work with for events and exhibitions, but we still include new artists each time to keep it fresh and exciting. We also present works by different new artists in our social media platforms each week. 

Short history: 

Asya and Ivana, two young art graduates from Sofia, Bulgaria, started the organisation in November 2017. They are passionate about social media, marketing, art, society and sharing. Motivated by their dream to connect artists and help the artistic community in Bulgaria, they started ''Urbanites''. They were mainly inspired by Sofia youth culture and its unique social climate. The urban dictionary definition of ''urbanites'' is:

''Urbanites are both a subculture and a contemporary lifestyle. They have 6 key characteristics: Time-poor, city-proud, media-literate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally-aware. ''

The girls have organised 3 large-scale group exhibitions in the centre of Sofia since they founded Urbanites, attended by over 300 people each time. Each exhibition was focused on promoting the work of a group of young Bulgarian creatives, (mainly visual artists but also musicians) and in the last year more than 20 different artists have taken part and gained recognition following Urbanites events. Above all, Urbanites Sofia is a social platform, created by young people for young people. The organisation is always open to new ideas and love it when people approach them with different project proposals, always thirsty for new art. This is why their events are important – they create an opportunity for people to meet, get a perspective on what is currently being created by young people and hopefully help create future collaborations. They have also developed a good social media following and help artists gain recognition through their web platforms, too. 

The most important projects: 

A group exhibition in the cultural centre Generator Sofia on the 31st of March 2018, where Urbanites worked with the record label Sofia Beats, and also presented the work of 12 visual artists under 25. The event was attended by over 350 people and was a success. 

A two day pop-up art show, November 2018 at Bold Showroom in Sofia. Prints, objects and installations by three young artists were presented (Joro Peev, Alexandra Georgieva and Teodor Genov), as well as live performances by successful Bulgarian musical artists. These artists had never taken part in exhibitions, and following this event by Urbanites, they were selected to take part in the important exhibition ART START 2019. It takes place every January and is organised by curators Vesela Nozharova and Stefka Tsaneva - organised once a year, showcasing a few of the best young Bulgarian talents. 

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