Image: Jordan Petkov Art Foundation, Varna
Varna will host the 41st International Congress of the International Federation of Exlibris Societies, known as FISAE, from 1 to 6 September 2026. The programme will bring artists, collectors, gallerists, art managers and representatives of exlibris societies and associations to the Bulgarian coastal city for a series of meetings, exhibitions and related events focused on exlibris and graphic art.
The congress is organised and hosted by the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation in Varna, whose team was selected by FISAE delegates to stage the 41st edition, and it is presented as one of the major international gatherings in the field. The congress base is the „Bulgaria” congress hall of the Cherno More Hotel, where registration and the delegates’ exlibris exchange run through the week. According to the organisers, FISAE congresses provide a setting for exchange between artists and audiences interested in graphic art, with lectures, discussions, demonstrations and exhibitions forming part of the programme. The event is also intended to support professional development and international cooperation in graphic art and exlibris practice.
The 2026 congress will include an international exlibris competition exhibition at Graffit Gallery, 65 “Kniaz Boris I” blvd. in Varna. Its opening and awards ceremony are scheduled for Wednesday 2 September at 6:30 p.m., and the same venue hosts the FISAE delegate meeting on 5 September. The announcement does not provide the names of the competition winners in advance, but identifies the exhibition and ceremony as a central public event within the congress programme.
A second exhibition, ‘EXLIBRIS-EXLIBRARY. 22 Years of the International Exlibris Competition of the Regional Library “Lyuben Karavelov” – Ruse’, will open at Largo Gallery, 8 Han Krum str. in Varna, on Thursday 3 September at 6:30 p.m. The newsletter announcement lists the exhibition programme under the dates 1–30 September 2026. Largo Gallery, which issued the announcement, is one of the named Varna venues for the related exhibition programme; the congress itself is described more broadly as taking place in Varna.
The event’s stated purpose extends beyond display. Organisers describe the congress as an opportunity for artists, collectors and cultural professionals to exchange ideas, artistic approaches, techniques and working practices. They also say that hosting the meeting in Varna will place Bulgarian artists and cultural operators in direct contact with the international exlibris and graphic-art community, opening possibilities for professional contacts, partnerships and future joint initiatives.
The congress is being carried out with financial support from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Culture and the Culture Fund of Varna Municipality. The listed partners include the Union of Bulgarian Artists, the Association of Varna Artists, Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery in Belgium, the Varna Graphic Art Gallery and the Regional Library ‘Lyuben Karavelov’ in Ruse, alongside several commercial supporters. The full congress programme is published by the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation, with additional information available from Largo Gallery, which co-organises the International Exlibris Competition Varna with the foundation.
The 41st FISAE International Congress runs from 1 to 6 September 2026, while the announced exhibition programme in Varna is scheduled across 1–30 September.
