Sarieva/Gallery Winter Showroom Sofia

Info Artworks

We are delighted to announce the Winter Showroom 2024-2025, hosted at our second location in Bulgaria, DOT Sofia. This exhibition brings together three bulgarian born contemporary artists with international career — Denitsa Todorova, Dimitar Genchev, and Stefan Nikolaev — whose works explore themes of transformation, materiality, and the dynamic interplay of light, texture, and meaning.

Denitsa Todorova (b. 1984, Bulgaria) combines fragility and precision in her drawing practice. Working with graphite powder and pastel on paper, she employs techniques reminiscent of sgraffito, a monumental art tradition in Eastern Europe. Her pieces evoke a balance between creation and erasure, delicately revealing images through the removal of pigment. Todorova's art has been widely recognized, with exhibitions at venues such as the STRABAG Kunstforum (Vienna), Museum M Leuven (Belgium), and the Design Museum Brussels. She has also received prestigious awards, including the STRABAG Art Award International and the Drawing Prize Ronse.

Stefan Nikolaev (b. 1970, Bulgaria) is a sculptor whose works examine the intersections of materiality, symbolism, and societal critique. Based in Paris and Sofia, Nikolaev reimagines everyday objects and imbues them with profound significance. His Ricchi e poveri (2018), included in the exhibition, is iron-cast masks adorned with gold leaf. These masks, reminiscent of ancient Greek theater, explore themes of duality — wealth and poverty, happiness and sorrow — and the weight of the roles we perform. Nikolaev’s works have been exhibited at the 52nd Venice Biennale, Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the National Gallery in Sofia, among many others.

Dimitar Genchev (b. 1985, Bulgaria) is a painter whose works capture a world both hyperreal and abstract. His art draws on fundamental elements — texture, light, and figure — to create evocative compositions that are simultaneously grounded and dreamlike. Genchev has exhibited internationally, with shows at institutions such as the De Domijnen Museum of Contemporary Art (Netherlands), Morsbroich Museum (Germany), and Sofia City Art Gallery (Bulgaria). His distinctive style has earned him numerous accolades, including the Mondriaan Fund award and the Buning Brongers Award. Two of his works featured in the exhibition, The Beginning (2021) and Emotion Storage (2024), embody his mastery of layering and the complexity of his imagery.

The showroom features a compelling range of works, including large-scale canvases, intricate drawings, and sculptures. Together, they invite viewers to contemplate contrasts: light and shadow, concealment and revelation, fragility and permanence. Whether through the luminous, multi-layered paintings of Genchev, the ethereal yet precise drawings of Todorova, or the ironic materiality of Nikolaev’s sculptures, the exhibition promises a thought-provoking journey through the diverse practices of contemporary Bulgarian artists.

we recommend you if you want to visit to mail or call in advance vesselina@sarieva.org, 00359888520375