How did you become an artist?

I am coming from an established arts family in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and was raised among painters, sculptors, dancers and poets.

My mother Marina is a painter and stage designer; my father Volen was a poet and writer. My grandparents were also artists. My mother’s father, Ivan, was a documentary film director, and her mother, Maria, is a sculptor. Maria and my father’s father studied sculpture together in The Fine Art Academy of Sofia, Bulgaria. Because of their acquaintanceship, my parents met when they were 4 and 5 years old.  My father’s mother, Ana, is an award-winning writer, poet, ballet historian, and used to be a ballerina too. My father’s sister, Maya, was a Prima ballerina, and is still a ballet choreographer.

I grew up in theater, helping my mother create stage designs and costumes. It was a magical world full of creatures, a place without borders, a universe where everything was possible. As a child, I spent a lot of time visiting ballet festivals with my aunt and grandmother. The beauty of ballet movement is amazing, however like the fashion world, the drama in the ballet society turned me away from dancing as a career.

My mother has always been a large support of my artistic expression and goals. When I was 12 years old, I started private classes with other artists, preparing me for exams to the Bulgarian National Fine Art School. After 5 years there, I studied printmaking in The Fine Art Academy in Sofia. After Sofia, I studied Painting in The Art University of Vienna, Austria.

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