Vesselina Sarieva on Sariev Contemporary's LISTE Debut with Vikenti Komitski

Vesselina Sarieva, founder of Sariev Contemporary in Plovdiv and Sofia, discusses the gallery's participation in LISTE Art Fair Basel. The gallery, established around 2011–12, focuses on experimental and performative approaches, emphasizing young or unknown Bulgarian contemporary artists like Rada Boukova, Pravdoliub Ivanov, and Nedko Solakov. At LISTE, Sariev presents a solo exhibition of Vikenti Komitski, a Bulgarian-born artist based in Berlin, featuring six large wall objects, five collages, and a video in the fair's Joinery Programme. Sarieva describes the works as an 'exorcism' of Bauhaus and modernist aesthetics by a 'savage Internet user.' The gallery typically participates in about three fairs annually, including Art Brussels and Artissima, with LISTE and Art-o-rama in Marseille added this year. Sarieva highlights the importance of sales for supporting artists but frames them as part of a broader dialogue with collectors, critics, and curators. The gallery operates beyond traditional white-cube spaces, using pop-ups and venues like St. Joseph Catholic Church in Plovdiv, and runs programs through the Open Arts Foundation, Artnewscafé, and Fluca. LISTE, founded in 1996, is a key fair for new galleries, with E.Gutzwiller & Cie, Banquiers as a main partner since 1997. Sarieva's philosophy centers on discovery and stimulating artists to explore new directions, with an 'Introduction to Contemporary Art' program launched in 2011.