Kosta Tonev (*1980, Bulgaria) is a Vienna-based artist whose practice explores the intersections of history and politics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the National Academy of Art in Sofia and a Master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Beyond his foundational training, Tonev embraces a multidisciplinary approach, integrating performative and text-based practices across media such as drawing, video, installation, and sound. Rooted in research and storytelling, his work often references music, film, intellectual discourse, and popular culture. With humour and playfulness, Tonev offers a history of the present told in the first person. His recent solo projects include the exhibition “Tales from the Dustbin of History” at Bildraum in Vienna (2023) and the web-based work “Late Night in Sorrento” (2020) hosted by Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart and ZKM | Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe. Amongst others, he has participated in “Making Worlds: An Imagineering Project” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei (2022) and “Red Vienna” at the Vienna Museum in Vienna (2019).
