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We are delighted to announce that Ivana Ivković has been selected as one of the seven finalists for the Balkan Contemporary Art Prize 2026, the first international prize dedicated exclusively to contemporary art from the Balkan region, supported by the Singer-Zahariev Foundation.

Chosen from 27 submissions representing artists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia, Ivković was selected by an international jury comprising Bénédicte Alliot (France), René Block (Germany), Milena Edvig (Bulgaria), Snejana Krasteva (Bulgaria), and Sanja Kojić Mladenov (Serbia).

In its selection, the jury recognized artistic practices that respond with critical rigor and formal sophistication to the social and political realities shaping the region today. Across a wide range of media, including painting, video, installation, photography, and performance, the shortlisted artists examine questions of memory, the legacies of political and economic transition, migration, patriarchal structures, and the poetics of everyday life under conditions of structural instability. Ivana Ivković’s inclusion among the seven finalists reflects the jury’s commitment to works that articulate the complexities of the contemporary Balkan experience while contributing to a broader international discourse through their conceptual depth, material sensitivity, and critical engagement.Ivana Ivković, THE BASE OF TRUST (MONUMENT OF TRUST), 2024, performance / installation / video

The seven finalists will present their work during BUNA 4.0 – Forum for Contemporary Art, taking place in Varna, Bulgaria, from October 2–5, 2026, where the recipient of the inaugural Balkan Contemporary Art Prize will be announced.

Read e-flux article covering Balkan Contemporary Art Prize 2026 on this link.