The first “Balkan Contemporary Art Prize”, a major new initiative of the Singer-Zahariev Foundation, was awarded on 7 September 2025 within the framework of the international contemporary art forum BUNA in Varna, Bulgaria. The Balkan Contemporary Art Prize aims to foster greater visibility for regional talent and encourage cross-cultural dialogue, marking a significant step forward for the Balkan art scene as it seeks to establish itself on the global stage.
The prize – set this year at €3,000 – was awarded by a five-member international jury chaired by Zdenka Badovinac, former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb and the Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana. Other members of the jury were: Dr Ana Frangovska, art critic and curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje, Macedonia; Vladiya Mihaylova, art critic, curator and programmer of the Toplocentrala Cube art space in Sofia; Kalin Serapionov, artist and director of the Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia; and Alexander Valchev, artist.
The inaugural Balkan Contemporary Art Award went to Rayna Teneva – a Vienna-based Bulgarian artist – for her emotional two-channel video “Mahlzeit”, presented in the pop-up space New Ventura in Varna. Teneva’s video installation examines, with honesty and tenderness, stories of migration, distance, and the emotional scars of those left behind – a poignant work that resonates deeply within the Balkan context.
A Special Jury Award was given to Stefano Romano (Italy/Albania) for the interdisciplinary performance “Fourth Movements”. This intimate piece, experienced by one viewer at a time, invites the participant to listen to a single orchestral instrument performing its part of the European Union anthem. The fragmented rendition sparks dialogue among the audience and raises questions about European identity and community.
Other artists recognised at BUNA included: French-Afghan artist Kubra Khademi, whose performance “I Will Greet the Sun Again”; Lukas Rem (Germany), awarded for the large-scale video installation “Embryonic Elements of Freedom”; Nemanja Nikolić (Serbia) for the multimedia project “The Conspiracy”; Ana Kotar Škorjak (Slovenia) for the performance “Who Cares for the Caregiver?”; and Sara Hristova for the project LOCUS SOLUS 2.0 in the Ventura pop-up space.
The annual BUNA Art Forum is devoted to the development of the local and regional contemporary artistic scene, the promotion of contemporary art in the Balkan region, and the facilitation of international collaborations and professional development of contemporary artists. By highlighting both emerging and established voices, the event underscores the diversity and vitality of the region’s cultural landscape.
The next Balkan Contemporary Art Prize is planned for September 2026.
Photos by Mihaela Aroyo and Denislav Stoychev
