Biography
Veneta Androva (born in Sofia) graduated in Fine Arts from Weißensee Academy of Art and also obtained a degree in History of Art and Philosophy from Humboldt University in Berlin. In her work, she combines diverse media and sources such as archival, documentary, or computer-generated material and painting, all interconnected through animation in simulated environments. She has participated in numerous exhibitions in Germany and Bulgaria, as well as Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Israel, where she did part of her studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Androva has received several scholarships, including the Elsa-Neumann Scholarship, Cusanuswerk and Mart Stam Scholarship. In 2020, she was nominated for the German Short Film Award with her work 'From My Desert'. She also received the Prix Ars Electronica 2021 – Award of Distinction for her film 'AIVA' in the 'Computer Animation' category, as well as the Golden Horseman for Animated Film and the LUCA Gender Diversity Award at Filmfest Dresden. Her films have been selected to screen at numerous international film festivals, including the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, ARS ELECTRONICA – Festival for Art, Technology and Society, MONSTRA Lisbon Animated Film Festival, FILE Electronic Language International Festival, European Media Art Festival (EMAF), Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival, Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, Sofia International Film Festival, Short Waves Festival, 25FPS International Film and Video Festival, and Short Film Festival Hamburg. She is currently based in Berlin.
Education
2018-2019
Master class (postgraduate programme) with Prof. Else Gabriel at Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin
2016-2017
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, Israel with Miri Segal, Michal Helfman and Avi Mograbi
2012-2018
Fine Arts at Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin (MFA/Diploma)
2009-2014
History of Art and Philosophy at Humboldt University in Berlin ( B.A.)
Residencies
2022
Artist-In-Residence, Kulturvermittlung Steiermark, Graz
Prater Digital, online residency program
2020
Specualtive Playrooms, online residency program at Kara Agora online Art and Research Center
Solo exhibitions
2018
The Good Fight is on the Gaming Floor, DISPLAY, Berlin (DE)
Awards / Scholarships / Grants
2022
Willi Münzenberg Forum – 1st prite in category “Film”
2021
Golden Horseman For Animated Film for ‘AIVA’, International Competition, Filmfest Dresden
LUCA Gender Diversity Film Award for ‘AIVA’, International and National Competition, Filmfest Dresden
Prix Ars Electronica 2021 – Award Of Distinction for ‘AIVA’ in category ‘Computer Animation’, International Competition for CyberArts
‘From My Desert’ selected for ‘Emerging Artists – Contemporary Experimental Films And Video Art From Germany’ Vol 5
2020
Elsa-Neumann-Scholarship by the Federal State Berlin (NaFöG)
Bulgarian Fund for Women – Project Funding
Special Mention Allegro Prize 2020, International Competition for Visual Artists, Poland
Nominee For German Short Film Award With ‘From My Desert’
Critics’ Jury Award for ‘From My Desert’, 25FPS International Experimental Film and Video Festival, Croatia
2019
Gaudenz B. Ruf Award for Contemporary Art (FINALE), Bulgaria
Nominee for BAZA Award for Contemporary Art, Bulgaria
2016-2019
Artist Scholarship from Cusanuswerk
2015-2016
Mart Stam Scholarship
Selected Group Shows
2023
I’M AFRAID I CAN DO THAT, TORULA art space, Győr (HU)
BEGEHUNGEN art festival, Palais Lichteinstein (DE)
EE TETRIS, Scope BLN (DE)
Unexpected Care, Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia (BG)
A Few Ways to Win the World, DOZA Gallery, Sofia
FROM UNIVERSE TO UNIVERSE, FeldbuschWiesnerRudolph Gallery, Berlin
2022
Jürgen Wittdorf (1932-2018) with Veneta Androva, Norbert Bisky, Harry Hachmeister, Bettina Semmer, Schloss Biesdorf, Berlin
The House That Mum Built, Santos 32, London
POST NORMAL, Prater Gallery, Berlin
2021
10 + 1: Audio and Visual Codes of National Identity, Bulgarian Cultural Institut, Haus Wittgenstein (AT)
CyberArts 2021 Exhibition, part of Ars Electronica 2021 – Festival for Art, Technology & Society (AT)
Becoming A Figure, Duo Exhibition with Peter Odinzow, Goethe-Institute Sofia (BG)
Brave New Earth: Looking Forward through Memories, curated by Nia Tabakova, VBK Berlin (DE)
facing B, Galeria Espacio Minimo, curated by Stephan Koal, Madrid (ES)
2020
Souveniers from the future, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Sofia (BG)
Everything is just fine (with us), Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Sofia (BG)
2019
Startpoint Prize 2019, Prague (CZE)
I ENGINEER, Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei, WERKSCHAU Halle 12, Leipzig (DE)
Monitoring, 36th Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival (DE)
FINALE/Gaudenz B. Ruf Award, Structura Gallery, Sofia (BG)
BAZA Award for Contemporary Art, Sofia City Art Gallery (BG)
Perfekte Zustände, X LANE, Belin (DE)
ArtStart, Tomorrow never dies, Goethe-Institute & Credo Bonum Gallery, Sofia (BG)
2018
DEFYING CURRENTS, The Shelf, Berlin (DE)
Shock and Horror, Goethe-Institute Sofia (BG)
2017
שמשקרנית at “2000”, Jerusalem, (IL)
2016
“In’ei raisan” in Japanese-German-Center, Berlin (DE)
KUNSTHOCH46 – 25. Auswahlausstellung des Cusanuswerks, Burg Galerie, Halle (DE)
DEMO:POLIS – Das Recht auf Öffentlichen Raum, Akademie der Künste, Berlin (DE)
2015
Kunst im Labor, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin (DE)
WEIßENSEE TRIENNALE, Ordnungsamt Berlin-Mitte (DE)
Rien ne va plus, Süddeutscher Kunstverein, Ammerbuch Reusten (DE)
2014
CYBERALTAR – a networked performance on translocal identities, TRASLACION #3, Berlin/Buenos Aires (DE/AR)
WEIßENSEE TRIENNALE, Berlin-Warszawa-Express (DE/PL)
Festivals / Screenings
2023
ITFS International Animated Film Festival Stuttgart, “AVA – Artificial V Art” short film program (DE)
Goethe Institut Canada, “AVA – Artificial V Art” short film program (CA)
Go Short-International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, short film program “AI” (NL)
2022
65th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (DE)
15th Filmzeit | Das Allgäuer Autorenfilmfestival (DE)
68th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (DE)
Go Short-International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, short film program “New Wave of German Filmmakers” (NL)
FUTUR 21 – Art, Industry, Culture Festival, short film program curated by Blicke Film Festival, LWL Industriemuseum (DE)
KÜNSTLICH, short film program curated by FILMFEST Dresden, Deutshes Hygiene-Museum (DE)
Bias in technologies, short film program curated by Goethe Institut San Francisco and Canada, part of IMAGE+BIAS project
2021
Porto/Post/Doc: Film & Media Festival (PT)
25th PÖFF Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (EE)
22nd Izmir Short Film Festival (TR)
3rd Istanbul International Experimental Film Festival (TR)
EthicAI=FORUM 2021, curated screening by Goethe-Institutes in Athens, Bucharest, Ankara, Sarajevo, Sofia and Zagreb
38th Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival (DE)
15th Short Film Festival Cologne (DE)
29th blicke filmfestival des ruhrgebiets (DE)
5th VISIONÄR Film Festival Berlin (DE)
31. Message to Man International Film Festival (RU)
FEST – New Directors | New Films Festival (PT)
17th 25FPS International Experimental Film and Video Festival (HR)
Ars Electronica ANIMATION FESTIVAL | A New Digital Deal (AT)
LINOLEUM, Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival (UKR)
Moving Images Moving Bodies, Goethe-Institut Sofia (BG)
FeKK Ljubljana Short Film Festival (SVN)
33rd FILMFEST DRESDEN International Short Film Festival (DE)
Videoabend ‘Kurze Emotionen’, riesa efau Kultur Forum Dresden (DE)
Her Accurate Private Mind, curated video streaming program part of Sofia Art Projects (BG)
Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival (UKR)
FLATPACK Film Festival, Birmingham (UK)
37th Short Film Festival Hamburg (DE)
13th Short Waves Festival (PL)
13. Go Short – International Short Film Festival, Nijmegen (NL)
25th Sofia International Film Festival (BG)
Hungry Eyes Festival, Gießen (DE)
34th Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Part of ‘Emerging Artists – Contemporary Experimental Films and Video Art from Germany’ Vol. 5 (DE)
2020
Shooting Ghosts / Bulgarian Artist Films & Videos on Blinkvideo (DE)
14th KFFK Short Film Festival Cologne, Nr. 14 (DE)
63rd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (DE)
16th 25FPS International Experimental Film and Video Festival, Zagreb (HR)
LINOLEUM, Contemporary Animation and Media Art Festival (UKR)
BOOM, 48 Stunden Neukölln, Berlin (DE)
2019
Monitoring, 36th Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival (DE)
62nd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (DE)
FILE Electronic Language International Festival, Anima+, Sao Paolo (BR)
EMAF 32. European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück (DE)
18. MONSTRA, Lisbon Animated Film Festival, (PRT)
2018
61st International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, Leipzig (DE)
27. European Film Festival dokumentART films&future, Neubrandenburg (DE)