September 1, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
"Learning from Plovdiv" (Project in progress) - Meeting with Emile Ouroumov
Zlatyu Boyadzhiev Permanent Exhibition

Emile Ouroumov is a resident in ContextAiR 2023. His research on Plovdiv aims to achieve a visual analysis of the interrelations between the various architectural and urban planning layers of the city, from ancient times to modern malls. The idea was inspired by the book Learning from Las Vegas (1972).
The author is producing a series of photographs of hundreds of architectural objects in different areas of Plovdiv (residential, public and commercial buildings, squares, archaeological excavations, etc.). The photographic study has the ambition to arouse public interest in the processes that have influenced the architectural landscape of the city, and thus to enrich and deepen their knowledge and understanding, inducing some crucial conclusions.
The final form of the project is an exhibition in Plovdiv, which is planned in 2024.
On September 2, Emile Ouroumov will present the concept of his project, as well as some of the architectural objects he has researched. The meeting will be a first comparison of his ideas with the audience and will give possible directions for the further development of his project. "Learning from Plovdiv" aims to show and bring to debate different perspectives on the city's present.
Emile Ouroumov is an independent curator and author, born in Plovdiv, who has been living in Paris for 25 years. He is the author of projects such as "Potemkin Palace" (Ricard Foundation/National Gallery, Sofia, 2017), "Tension Economy" (Center Parc Saint Leger, France, 2016), "Theater of operations" [Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva, Switzerland, 2015), "The Galapagos Principle" (Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2013). In 2018-19, he was the director of the BBB Contemporary Art Center (Toulouse, France). One of his latest projects, "Group Show (after Koyaanisqatsi)" (Salle Principale gallery, Paris, 2023) is related to the resonance of environmental issues in the field of art.