Vesselina Sarieva - creator and curator of context

I am a cultural entrepreneur, gallerist, curator, and art consultant with over 20 years of experience. My work is at the intersection of art, culture, and the urban environment. Helping to discover and develop the potential of people, ideas, and spaces is what inspires me. The contemporary concepts I create contribute to better living environments, connecting the past, present, and future. I strive to build sustainable cultural ecosystems and audiences, opening paths for colleagues and successors. I believe that expanding our horizons improves the quality of our lives and makes us better. In this sense, I seek and create spaces outside spaces—those places and dimensions where new opportunities, identities, and perspectives can emerge.

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About:

In 2004, following a family tradition, I co-founded Sarieva/Gallery with my mother in Plovdiv (later also in Sofia). Today, the gallery is one of Bulgaria’s most recognizable with an international presence, representing museum-level artists while also discovering new talent. Early on, I realized the lack of audiences and contemporary perspectives in the local scene, which showed me the importance of working on the broader cultural environment before focusing on the individual. In this sense, I seek and create spaces outside spaces—those places and dimensions where new opportunities, identities, and perspectives can emerge.

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In 2005, I founded the festival NIGHT/Plovdiv , which became a catalyst for change and inspired the growth of the cultural scene not only in Plovdiv but also across other Bulgarian cities.

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In 2007, I established the Open Arts Foundation, which, beyond the festival, has initiated dozens of events and innovative concepts for urban development, such as Otets Paisiy Street, Kapana Between Berlin and Istanbul, Alternative Map of Plovdiv, and FLUCA. These projects opened new perspectives for the city and inspired many successors.

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Another central mission of mine is contemporary art. Together with Open Arts, curators, and local museums, I launched educational programs such as Introduction to Contemporary Art and the archival platform Open Art Files: Topics, People, Spaces, Documents in Bulgarian Contemporary Art.

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In parallel, we worked on the international positioning of Bulgaria through exchange programs and residency visits for international curators and critics. Sarieva/Gallery has participated in leading European art fairs (25 participations, including Liste Basel, Art Brussels, Artissima, Art Cologne, and viennacontemporary) and has organized the Collectors Forum, where international collectors connected with Bulgarian talent.

As with all ambitious projects, our personal investment often outweighed available resources, but over time the effort paid off thanks to the support of artists, collectors, and friends who shared my vision, values, and passion for art.

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Since 2019, I have been applying my experience to support individuals and organizations striving for strategic development and the creation of cultural identities. At this time, I became involved with two emerging projects: DOT Sofia at the Women’s Market in Sofia, where I serve as art director and curator of the collection, and ,AYA Estate Vineyards in the Melnik region, where I am co-curator.

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I have curated numerous exhibitions defined by a visionary and mediating approach. My work includes discovering artists who later gain lasting recognition, supporting emerging artists (the platform Background: Young Authors), creating dialogue across generations and scenes (ECHO, The Galaxies of Tekla, Hole in the Parquet), and developing educational and experimental formats (Future Unforgettable, 2021).

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My shows often have an international scope (Brittle Power, Kunsthal 44Møen , Denmark, 2021; SIT, LambdaLambdaLambda, Kosovo, 2022) and are sometimes focused on specific media (Let Them Draw, Glass, Gas and Electricity). For me, the exhibition is not only a form of presentation but also a tool for cultural transformation, education, and community building.

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My work has been featured in the New York Times International, TAZ, Die Welt, Art Review, ARTE, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, Artnet News, as well as Bulgarian media including Forbes and Manager. I was listed among the Top 100 Most Influential Women by Capital (2012), ranked 35th, included in the “40 Under 40" project by Darik Radio, and received Grazia’s “Woman of the Year" award (2011).

I have shared my projects and expertise at international forums such as HFBK Hamburg, the National Assembly of Bulgaria, New Bulgarian University, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Cosmopolis Centre for Urban Research, Forbes Women Forum, among others. I work with a broad network of artists, experts, institutions, businesses, and collectors – from the Ministry of Culture and municipalities to corporate partners such as VISA, EVN Bulgaria, UBB, A1 and Pernod Ricard.

Today my focus is on gallery work and collaborations with external organizations and private collectors. My practice involves introducing new audiences to art, developing and expanding collections, curating and organizing exhibitions, supporting artists, shaping brand identities, and guiding the strategic growth of cultural and business projects.

Vesselina Sarieva

Photo: Kostadin Krastev