Organizer Information

Devet Slona (Nine Elephants) is a leading Bulgarian platform and festival dedicated to Visual Arts, Interdisciplinary Arts, and experimental approaches to urban space. Founded to explore the intersections between contemporary art, society, and the city, Devet Slona emphasizes collaborative, participatory, and socially-engaged practices. The organization works closely with local municipalities, community groups, cultural institutions, and independent practitioners to foster projects that interrogate urban life, collective memory, and ecological and social systems. By combining exhibitions, workshops, performances, and public interventions, Devet Slona creates a dynamic environment for dialogue, experimentation, and engagement between artists, researchers, and the wider public. The platform is particularly committed to inclusivity, co-creation, and open-ended processes that respond to the city as a living, evolving entity.

Title & Description

Nine Elephants Vol. 3 – Fantastic Routes (Sofia, 2026) The third edition of Nine Elephants invites artists, curators, researchers, urban practitioners, and interdisciplinary collectives to submit proposals that explore the complex narratives of urban life, social engagement, and ecological presence. The festival seeks projects that critically engage with the city as a shared space, investigating themes such as collective memory, urban ecology, public space activation, emotional landscapes, and everyday life. Proposals can take a range of formats, including performative interventions, audio-visual installations, multimedia research projects, speculative urban designs, and socially-engaged participatory processes. Projects should be designed to interact with Sofia’s streets, parks, neighborhoods, cultural institutions, or informal urban spaces, creating meaningful experiences for local communities and festival audiences.

Nine Elephants Vol. 3 emphasizes experimentation, collaboration, and socially responsive art practices. Selected participants will have the opportunity to develop their ideas in a supportive environment, with access to mentorship, logistical guidance, and festival production resources. This open call is an invitation to rethink urban dynamics and explore imaginative, reflective, and critical ways to engage with the public sphere through Visual Arts, Interdisciplinary Arts, and Public Art.

Categories

Visual Arts, Interdisciplinary Arts, Public Art, Curatorial, Multimedia, Urban Studies, Performance, Exhibition

Eligibility

  • Open to individuals, collectives, and organizations working in experimental or socially-engaged artistic practices
  • Proposals accepted in Bulgarian or English
  • Artists, curators, researchers, and urban practitioners of all career stages are welcome
  • No prior experience with urban interventions is required; emerging practitioners are encouraged to apply
  • Applicants must demonstrate interest in public engagement and collaborative creation

Program Benefits & Awards

  • Curatorial guidance and support from Devet Slona festival team
  • Integration into a high-visibility international urban arts festival
  • Opportunities to network with local communities, cultural institutions, and other practitioners
  • Mentorship in site-specific project design, community engagement, and production management
  • Support for project documentation, marketing, and dissemination
  • Possibility of co-production funding, accommodation assistance, and partial coverage of travel expenses
  • High exposure for projects through festival communications, social media, and on-site visibility

Application Fee

None

Application Requirements

  • Short project description outlining objectives, format, and intended impact
  • Preliminary location or site suggestion (specific area or type of space in Sofia)
  • Project rationale describing relevance to urban themes, collective memory, or public engagement
  • Brief biography or CV of applicant(s)
  • Optional: supporting links, images, or documentation of previous relevant projects

How to Apply?

Online Application

Key Dates

  • Application Deadline: 9 February 2026 (earlier contact recommended for funding or complex projects)
  • Festival Dates: 9–19 July 2026

Location

Sofia, Bulgaria

Additional Details

  • Projects can be speculative, in-progress, performative, or research-based
  • Proposals should reflect engagement with urban dynamics, ecology, and social processes
  • Collaboration with local communities and cultural partners is strongly encouraged
  • Devet Slona supports logistical arrangements, including permitting for public spaces and co-production opportunities
  • Projects will be selected based on originality, engagement potential, and feasibility within the festival context

Website Link: https://devetslona.art/en/open-call/