Ivo Dimchev is a theatre maker, choreographer, visual artist, singer-songwriter, and queer activist from Bulgaria. His work is an extreme and colorful mix of performance art, dance, theater, music, painting, and photography. He is the author of more than 40 stage performances and has received numerous international awards for dance and theater. Most of his stage performances are inluded in his book Stage Works 2002-2016. He has also written more than 100 original songs all included in his Songbook. His work has been presented throughout Europe, South and North America, and Asia.
Since November 2023 Ivo Dimchev is Artist in residence at La Mama theatre in New York, where he created and premiered his last stage works Hell/Top 40 and METCH.
During the Covid pandemic Dimchev performed more than 400 private concerts in people’s homes in Bulgaria, Istanbul, New York, and Los Angeles. The New Yorker covered these performances in a profile on Dimchev titled The Extravagant Exuberance of Ivo Dimchev.
Dimchev is the founder and director of Bulgaria’s Humarts Foundation. In 2009, after doing his master’s studies on performing arts at Dasarts Academy in Amsterdam, he opened Volksroom in Brussels, a performance space that presents young international artists. In 2014, he opened MOZEI in Sofia, Bulgaria, as an independent space for presenting contemporary art and music. In addition to his artistic work, Dimchev gives master classes at the National Theater Academy (Budapest), the Royal Dance Conservatorium of Belgium (Antwerp), Hochschule der Künste (Bern), Amsterdam University of the Arts, and DanceWeb (Vienna), among others.
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Ivo Dimchev
Theater Director, Choreographer, Singer-Songwriter, Visual Artist
Bulgaria
Contact
ivodimi@yahoo.com
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Education
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Dasarts Master Program for Theater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2009-2013)
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Danceweb Scholarship, Vienna, Austria (2003)
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NATFA, Acting for Dramatic Theater with Professor Krikor Azarian (Incomplete, 1997)
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“4xC” Experimental Theater Troupe, directed by Nikolay Georgiev (1990-1994)
Books
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Stage Works (2002-2016)
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Lyrics and Pederatuses (2017)
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Songbook (2022)
Teaching Experience
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TicTAC Art Center, Brussels, Belgium
Do Yourself a Favour Masterclass (September 2023) -
International Festival Impulstanz, Vienna
Various Projects & Workshops (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) -
Bern University of the Arts, Switzerland ( 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Do Yourself a Favor Masterclass (March-April, 2015-2018) -
Amsterdam University of the Arts
Various Workshops (2012, 2017, 2020) -
Tanzfabrik, Berlin, Germany
Do Yourself a Favor Masterclass (October 2018) -
M0ving B0rders Arte Escénico Sin Fronteras, Mexico City (2012)
Performances
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"TOP 40", Musical Performance (2023)
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"In Hell with Jesus", Musical (2021-2022)
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Your home is my theatre - interactive project during the Covid pandemic- ( 2020-2022)
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The selfie concert- (2018)
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Avoiding delifeath- (2017)
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Sculptures- (2017)
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Operville- (2016)
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Facebook theater- (2016)
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I CURE - (2014)
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Fest- (2013)
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P project- (2012)
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The favor- (2012)
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I-con- (2011)
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X-on- (2011)
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We Art Dog Come (2011)
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Som Faves- (2009)
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Paris- (2008)
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Concerto- (2008)
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Liar (2008)
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Lili Handel (2004)
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… and more.
Music Albums
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Songs from My Shows (2017)
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Sculptures (2018)
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Trakia (2022)
Exhibitions
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Call me MA- Solo exhibition - Doza Gallery - Sofia/ Bulgaria (2023)
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Bulgarian Art Brut - group exhibition - Bulgarian cultural institute /Paris (2022)
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Sparks of imagination: on the frequencies of Beuys (curated by Vera Mlechevska) - The National Gallery, Sofia/ Bulgaria (2022)
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Sofia queer forum: Bulgarian Drag History (curated by Yassen Zgurovski and Boryana Rossa) - Structura gallery/ Sofia/ Bulgaria (2021)
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I-on, (video documentation of the performance “I-on”, shown in the frame of “Structures of thought” - Structura gallery, Sofia/Bulgaria (2018)
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Буйна еротика - Solo exhibition with erotic (porn) paintings - Mozei, Sofia/ Bulgaria (2018)
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Shifting Layers - Young art at the museum (curated by Vladiya Mihaylova), Sofia City Art Gallery/ Bulgaria (2018)
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Avoiding deLIFEath- performance/ exhibition MUMOK museum Vienna (2017
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Saturnalia III - Konzett gallery, Vienna/Austria (2016)
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The Complex pussy catalog- interactive art installation- Art Vienna (Leopold Museum), Konzett gallery booth (2016)
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Art is (not) Lonely- group exhibition | Ostend Belgium- (2016)
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Oops and Angels- performative 1 min solo exhibition - paintings, photography, objects, videos- Dom na kinoto (2017)
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Let’s twist and cross (curated by Pavlina Krasteva) - Bernard Jordan gallery/ Paris/ France (2014)
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Moon voyage 36 (organized by Snejanka Mihaylova and Voin de Voin - Institute for Performance and Theory) - The Fridge Art Center/ Sofia/ Bulgaria (2014)
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Angels and more - solo exhibition - paintings, photography, objects, videos- Mozei gallery- (2014)
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Sofia queer forum: Manifestations of the personal (curated by Stefka Tsaneva)/ Sofia/ Bulgaria (2014)
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Superbodies - House of Contemporary art - HASSELT | BELGIUM (2012)
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The Complex pussy catalog - interactive art installation - Paris (2012)
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Solo exhibition - photography - Festival Bom- Seoul / South Korea (2015)
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Solo exhibition - Photography - Rotterdam Theatre - Rotterdam/ The Nederlands (2015)
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Assembly of Shame- group exhibition - Mozei gallery- Sofia (2014)
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Angelos - solo exhibition - Artpotheek, Brussels/Belgium (2011)
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Angels - solo exhibition - paintings and objects - Haus Wittgenstein / Vienna (2011)
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Volk's mother and The last room - Metacult Bienalle - Romania (2004)
Awards & Achievements
Numerous accolades from 2005-2023, including:
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1st Prize at "Cherry on the Top of the Cake", TV Reality Show, Bulgaria (2023)
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Best Music Video for “Raina Kabaivanska” - VIP Awards, Sofia (2023)
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IKAR Award for "Operville", Best Bulgarian Contemporary Performance (2016)
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Magnolia Award for "P Project" for Political & Social Incorrectness, Szczecin (2014)
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Award of the French Critics for "Lili Handel", Best Performance of the Year (2008)
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... and more.