The National Academy of Art and IKEA Bulgaria are presenting the exhibition REFORMS: CREATIVE DESIGN LAB
2026.06.10
Exhibition by students from the National Academy of Art. Project of the National Academy of Art and IKEA Bulgaria
10 June – 26 July 2026
Exhibition opening: 10 June 2026 (Wednesday), 6:00 pm
National Gallery / Square 500, Panoramic Hall
1 St Aleksandar Nevski Sq., 1 "19-ti fevruari" Street (entrance from 95 Vassil Levski Blvd)
The National Academy of Art and IKEA Bulgaria have joined forces in the innovative project "Reforms: Creative Design Lab". The initiative builds upon the theme of circular economy and draws attention to sustainable design, offering an alternative interpretation of objects of our everyday life. With a history of over 80 years, IKEA creates a visual language of “democratic design”, recognisable in homes around the world. In this context, the current collaboration shifts thоse well-known objects from the logic of mass production to the field of critical and boutique research.
The exhibition is part of the official programmе of the European Design Festival 2026, organiсed by Studio Komplekt, which brings together the best of European communication design in Sofia from 11th to 14th of June.
Find out more at http://europeandesign.org/festivals/sofia-2026
The exhibition transfers well-known popular objects to the field of experiment and critical research, arranging them in three main directions:
SYSTEM – marked in the characteristic IKEA blue, this section explores the logic of modularity, repetition and constructive order. The forms follow the principles of industrial design, building a universal visual language through accessibility and standardisation.
DEVIATION – refers to the emblematic red colour of the facade of the national Academy of Art. The objects are freed from the strictly functional logic of design and move into the field of aesthetic interpretation. The students’ interventions act as cracks in the system, transforming the forms into artistic objects with a conceptual message.
EVERYDAY – the design work is freed from its pretentiousness and manifests itself quietly and unobtrusively. The objects gradually cease to be autonomous and naturally integrate in the habits and rhythm of everyday life, shaping the feeling of home.
Within the framework of this one-year project, students from the departments of Industrial Design and of Ceramics and Porcelain and Glass Design experimented with IKEA pieces of furniture and accessories, using them as “raw material”. Through the methods of redesign and the concept of ready-made, the young artists were challenged to rethink the functionality of mass products and discover the potential for extending their life. The result is a transformation in which objects acquire a new identity, unexpected visuality and a new life beyond their original function.
The project reminds us that design does not belong only to the new, but also to the ability to preserve and extend the life of what we already own. The object deviates from its usual route–from the store to the home, and from there to the waste–and is reinvented as an attempt to rethink the life cycle of the object.
Curatorial team
Gergana Minkova
Assoc. Prof. Elizar Milev, PhD
Ch. Asst. Prof. Diana Vassileva, PhD
Managerial team
Department of Industrial Design
Assoc. Prof. Zahari Ganchev, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Rangel Chipev, PhD
Ch. Asst. Prof. Diana Vassileva, PhD
Assoc. Prof. Denitsa Simeonova, PhD
Sub-Department of Porcelain and Glass Design
Assoc. Prof. Elizar Milev, PhD
Sub-Department of Ceramics
Assoc. Prof. Yana Yunakova, PhD
Media partner: BTA / Bulgarian News Agency
The project is realised under the Memorandum of Cooperation between the National Academy of Art and IKEA Bulgaria, the aim of which is to support young artists and to provide a modern environment for their training. The collaboration itself started with a donation from IKEA for the renovation of the Academy's training studios, followed by open house days and lectures on sustainable design by specialists from the company. The exhibition is part of the events with which the National Academy of Art celebrates 130 years since its founding as State School of Drawing in 1896.