Klek Shop Warm Up!
1 - 10 November
Presentation: 03.11.2024, Sunday, 2 pm, DOT Sofia / Ul. Bratya Miladinovi 46, Women's Market, Sofia, Bulgaria
Visiting hours: Wednesday – Saturday: 1:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. ; Sunday: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
DOT Sofia is opening its own Кlek Shop for design objects and souvenirs made in Bulgaria. Inspired by the 'klekshops' of the 1990s, the boutique apart-hotel is going to have such a shop, offering its guests and visitors a limited collection of items and other products. The main idea is to present local souvenirs created by contemporary Bulgarian designers and visual artists that stand out from the currently available selection with their meaningful stories and high-quality design.
During the international design festival Melba, DOT Sofia, in collaboration with Komplekt, is announcing a competition for a new original souvenir design with a prize fund and the possibility of production in a limited series. This will be the first product produced by DOT Sofia to be included in the selection of the new Klek Shop.
A special event and exhibition will mark the start of the competition, initiated by Vesselina Sarieva (DOT Sofia and Sarieva Gallery), Adriana Andreeva, and Boiana Gjaurova from Komplekt (organizers of Melba Design Initiatives), along with the other members of the jury: Dr. Pancho Georgiev – owner of DOT Sofia, Georgi Katov and Viara Jeliazkova from I/O Architects (the architects of the building), and Dima Stefanova from Know-How / Show-How – the educational program for creative thinking and design. Each jury member will be presented with their favorite item, found object, material, or something else from the Women’s Market in Sofia, which is also home to DOT Sofia.
DOT Sofia is an urban hotel with an impressive Corten steel façade in the spirit of the neighbourhood where it is located - the Women's Market and the historic centre of Sofia, which today is a multi-genre, ever-changing area. The hotel asserts its place here boldly, but also with respect for the cultural heritage and the community. DOT Sofia's original, site-specific building has won some of Bulgaria's most prestigious architectural awards and quickly attracted the interest of global publications and high-end accommodation platforms. The hotel offers 10 designer suites, each of minimalist elegance, and an impressive Penthouse with the largest private rooftop terrace in the city. The serene luxury of the clean-lined space is combined with works by iconic representatives of contemporary Bulgarian art. Art’s integration in an architectural space has long been a dream of DOT Sofia's founders, avid collectors themselves. Their private DOT Sofia Art Collection includes landmark works by established artists such as Nedko Solakov, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Stefan Nikolaev, Lachezar Boyadzhiev, as well as emerging artists such as Rudy Ninov, Kamen Stoyanov, Maria Nalbantova and many others. The works are displayed in the hotel's boutique apartments and public spaces. The building and interior of DOT Sofia is a natural habitat for contemporary Bulgarian art, inviting an extraordinary encounter with world-renowned Bulgarian artists.