The Singer-Zahariev Foundation was founded in 2020. The first project of the Foundation was an Open Call for a site-specific work by Bulgarian artists living in Bulgaria and abroad. The call was launched in the middle of the Covid crisis and was welcomed by the artist community as a means of support during this tough period. The winner of the competition was Krasimira Butseva with her project “The Curtain That Separates Us: History is in the Present”. Krasimira’s practice focuses on documented histories research. In 2024 she was selected as part of an artist collective to present Bulgaria’s official contribution at the Venice Biennale 2024 with her project “Neighbours”. We are very proud of Krasimira and her work. 

SZ Foundation Grant Program

In 2022 the S-Z Foundation started an artist grant programme to support Bulgaria-linked artists with gap funding for their ongoing projects. 

To date, the Foundation has already supported 54 individual projects through the Program. Among them many individual projects like the residency of the Ukrainian performance artist Daria Pugacheva in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; a  residency with Bulgarian and German artists in a rural location, an exhibition of emerging Bulgarian artist Marta Djourina’s exhibition in Wolfsburg, Germany; a student project with the Art Academy of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria;  the immersive dance performance “The last Sunset” in Gabrovo, the performance by Bulgarian-Italian duo Voin de Voin and Valentina Sciarra at a collateral event during the Venice Biennale 2024.

In addition to individual projects, the S-Z Foundation has supported institutional programmes and regular events such as the international art show Sofia Art Week; the educational program “School4Artists” of the Institute of Contemporary Art: ICA-Sofia; “Open Art Files” – the comprehensive art documentation platform for Bulgarian Contemporary art.

In 2025 the Foundation supported the visual programme of the Cultural Space “Bobbina” in Sofia, which aims to empower young and emerging artists in visual arts, experimental music and performance by providing a supportive cultural space. Bobbina fosters interdisciplinary projects, collaboration and dialogue among different artistic micro-communities in Sofia and beyond.

Galleries Start-Up
Тhe Foundation has provided funding to two Sofia-based art galleries to facilitate the initial phase of their activities. 

BUNA Contemporary Art Forum
Тhe Foundation has supported all three editions of the BUNA Contemporary Art Forum  in Varna, Bulgaria – the largest contemporary visual arts forum in Bulgaria. The Singer-Zahariev Foundation has teamed up with BUNA as an effective platform for showcasing Balkan contemporary art within the context of a wider art event with large participation of international artists and art professionals and significant public participation. The 2025 edition of BUNA featured 125 artists from 25 countries. The forum included 48 events, public talks and presentations which attracted a total audience of 6300 visitors and over 600,000 social media visits.