The Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia is dedicated to the study, understanding, promotion and practice of the visual arts of the late twentieth and early twenty first century, to the reestablishment and furthering of the dilogue between cultures and art scenes, to the search for an open art dialogue with everyone.
The history of ICA is rooted in the professional partnership between friends who after 1989 shared the vision to open up and develop the Bulgarian contemporary art scene.
The goals of ICA-Sofia are focused on the development of the contemporary art scene in Bulgaria in relation to the world at large - audience. Primary objective is the constant deepening and strehgthening of relations to the international art world - in a two directional and reciprocal manner by triggering and fascilitating a two-way flow of artists, curators and critics, projects, etc. to not only "take" your/our home out into the world, but also to bring "the world" back home.
The spectrum of ICA activities consists of international and local projects for shows, publications, conferences, seminars, short term educational activities, lecture series, etc.
The Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia is a private, non-profit NGO, an association of curators, artists and cultural theoreticians founded in 1995 by Luchezar Boyadjiev, artist; Maria Vassileva, curator (member until 2012); Boris Danailov, curator (member until 1997); Iara Boubnova, curator; Pravdoliub Ivanov, artist; Kiril Prashkov, artist; Nedko Solakov, artist; Vesselin Tzotchev, lawyer (member until 1997).
Members of ICA-Sofia became: in 1999 Alexander Kiossev, culturologist (member until 2017), and Ivaylo Ditchev, cultural anthropologist (member until 2006); in 2002 Kalin Serapionov, artist and Mariela Gemisheva, artist; in 2006 Ivan Moudov, artist (member until 2020); in 2007 Krassimir Terziev, artist, Stefan Nikolaev, artist; in 2021 Aksinia Peycheva, artist, Maria Nalbantova, artist, Martin Penev, artist, Radostin Sedevchev, artist and Sophia Grancharova, artist.
Chair of the board of ICA-Sofia is Pravdoliub Ivanov. Kalin Serapionov is executive director.