SWIMMING POOL is a non-profit art project space and organization in Sofia, founded in 2015. Its focus lies on artist and curatorial research, collaborative approaches, art education and art politics. It is located on a central rooftop with an empty pool built in the 1930’s.
We organize exhibitions, performances, screenings, events and discussions to support Bulgarian art locally and abroad, while opening up the local context to international artists, curators and writers. Our program involves collaborations with similar independent organizations as well as with larger public institutions, at home and across Europe, such as Art in General / New York, David Dale Gallery / Glasgow, Jindřich Chalupecký Society / Prague, Е.М.М.А / Madrid, Alma Mater Gallery at the Sofia University and National Library in Sofia. During the last years, we also started to experiment with more structural approaches so as to tap into the potential of non-institutionalized ways of learning. Part of this have been exchanges and residencies with international art schools, such as the National Art Academy / Sofia, Kunsthochschule Mainz, Piet Zwart Institute / Rotterdam, “Master of Voice” at Sandberg Institute / Amsterdam and the Pure Fiction Class at the Staedelschule / Frankfurt. Since 2018, we run a yearly curatorial school where we gather with art practitioners to discuss purpose and future of small-scale organizations, such as independent project spaces, collectives and long-term curatorial projects. Another long-term project run by the space is Sofia Art Map, a non-commercial initiative to support the diversity and collaborations of Sofia’s independent art scene.
Swimming Pool was founded by curator, writer and educator Viktoria Draganova who organizes its artistic program.
In 2020 Swimming Pool is supported by National Cultural Fund.
Team members
2016 – Gergana Todorova (associate curator)
2017 – Kalina Gotzeva, Tsvetomira Borisova and Radina Ivanova (interns)
2018 – Jacqueline Karakoleva, Lubov Cheresh, Christian Levchev, Hristo Kaloyanov and Viviane Patrouilleau (interns)
2019 – Tsvetina Taneva (intern), Ida Tauskova (assistant) and Krisztián Török (assistant Curatorial School)
2020/2021 – Galena Sardamova (assistant).
SWIMMING POOL is run by the Blue Cube Foundation.
This web page has been designed by Tobias Donat.
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We are thankful to all the people who supported our program through the years, including
