Abstract
Over the last 15 years, Bulgarian artists have taken over and transformed public spaces in Sofia. This thesis focuses on how they have reached out to the population by engaging with the history and layout of the city, at times remapping and reshaping the urban fabric itself. There is emphasis on the importance of collectives, and interactions with municipal, cultural, and international organizations. The work and the artists both engage with the history of Sofia in the context of foreign political pressure during three time periods: the years after the liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, Socialist times (1944 - 1990), and after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The distinction between center and periphery of the city becomes clear when tracing the government’s choices in the establishment of public spaces. The Europeanization of Bulgaria (interrupted by the 44 years of Socialism) has played a major role in the decision making behind the allocation of funds. \r Many contemporary artists have gravitated towards Parks as historically charged public sites that have been used to make political statements - both through the creation of the green spaces themselves and through the monuments inside them. Artists are also creating works that are concerned with or are on the Transit Network, a dynamic part of the city marked by government authority and the restriction of movement. Many artworks discussed in this paper directly reference local history, and push towards the periphery of Sofia in response to the government’s focus on the center and efforts to erase its Socialist past as quickly as possible. Even more recent has been the popularization of Virtual Space as a means to extend and supplement public space. Through this new medium and venue, artists have been more equipped than ever to cross boundaries and re-imagine the map of Sofia.