About
Vera Hadzhiyska is a Bulgarian multi-disciplinary Artist, Curator and Photography Lecturer based in Portsmouth, England.
Her practice is informed by the study of migration, cultural and national identity, history and collective memory. Her work begins autobiographically, tracing family narratives and shared traumas. Through the use of photography, archival documents, audio and video installations Vera examines historical and political events in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, their impact on people’s lives and identity.
Vera has an MA and a BA degree in Photography from the University of Portsmouth. She has exhibited internationally in Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, France and the United Kingdom. Her work has been published in Musée Magazine, Source Magazine, The Calvert Journal, Loupe Magazine, Photograd, Post Pravda Magazine, AND Then There Was, Balkan Stories and Bulgarian Photography Now among others.
She is a winner of the VID Foundation of Photography mentorship award 2020, Danny Wilson Memorial Award 2022, a recipient of the ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Arts Council England Grant 2021 and winner of Belfast Exposed Future Curators Award 2023.
Since September 2018 Vera has been leading a Peer to Peer Feedback group providing a space where artists can share their work in progress, ideas and struggles with ongoing projects and receive honest feedback, help and support from fellow practitioners.
Contact
For enquiries, comissions and collaborations feel free to email me at vera.hadzhiyska@gmail.com
You can find me on Instagram @verahadzhiyska
Sign up to my Mailing list to receive updates about my practice, upcoming exhibitions and events.
Exhibitions
2023
Art Residency at Aspex Portsmouth - 12 Jan - 12 March 2023
Name and Clay Workshops at Aspex Portsmouth - 12 Jan - 12 March 2023
Belfast Exposed Futures Curator Award
2022
12th International Bursa Photo Festival, Bursa Turkey
With the Name of a Flower: Your Name - solo show at Artnewscafe, Sarieva Hub, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2021
Art Start, group exhibition, Credo Bonum Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
Aspex Emergency 2020, group exhibition, Portsmouth, UK - Postponed to July 2021
Past:
Fabrica In Between Gallery exhibition, Brighton, UK - Jan - April 2021
HIDDEN HISTORIES online exhibition by In Conversation With
2020
Brighton Photo Fringe 2020 - With the Name of a Flower - online exhibition
Circulation(s) Festival 2020, 104 Centquatre, Paris, France
2019
With the Name of a Flower, MA Photography graduate solo exhibition, Four Corners Gallery, Bethnal Green, London, UK
With the Name of a Flower, Solo exhibition part of the curated programme of the NIGHT/Plovdiv 2019 festival, Stambolyan House, Old Town, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
HOME exhibition by Shutter Hub in support of homeless charities across the UK, Gallery at Home, Wales
Then There Was Us group exhibition, Public Source, Manchester, UK
March!: An Exhibition Celebrating Women’s History Month, Brentwood Road Gallery, Romford, UK
2018
"Thresholds", group exhibition, Gonzo Unit, Thessaloniki, Greece
2017
"Transition", group photography exhibition part of NIGHT/Plovdiv festival, PLOVEDIV Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Revolv Collective: Archive as Medium, group exhibition, Four Corners Gallery, London, UK
Menier Gallery, London, UK 'Transient' exhibition, showcasing 'Kingdom of Chamla'
"Transient", group exhibition, showcasing"Kingdom of Chamla" project, University Of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
"Heat Signature", solo exhibition part of Month of Photography 2017, Sofia, Bulgaria
2016
"Selected", group exhibition part of Third International Photo Salon 2016, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2015
"A Photographic Exploration of Human Territories", group exhibition with the project "With Love", Portsmouth, UK
"Inner Worlds", solo exhibition part of Month of Photography 2015, Sofia, Bulgaria
"Inner Worlds", solo exhibition part of Albert Road Art Trail, University of Portsmouth Fine Art exhibition, Portsmouth, UK
"Psychogeography and Portrait Photography", a collaborative photographic exhibition with Robbie Spotswood, showcasing projects 'Inner Worlds' and 'Reflection', Kings Theatre, Portsmouth, UK
2014
"The Detska Kitka Choir through the Eyes of a Singer", a debut solo photographic exhibition dedicated to the Detska Kitka choir, showcasing a collection of photographs from 2006 to 2014, Balabanov House, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Publications:
2022
With the Name of a Flower: Your Name (self-published zine)
2021
Interview with Melita Dennett on RadioReverb
Musée Magazine: Photo Journal Monday Feature
Fabrica In Between Gallery Winner - Article by Brighton Photo Fringe
UNITED publication by Work Show Grow
2020
AND 2020 - Then There Was Us annual photography publication (in print)
Loupe Magazine interview with Luke Das about "With the Name of a Flower"
Stay at Home Photography visual conversation with Kelli Pennington
2019
Source Magazine, Issue 99 - Autumn 2019, MA Graduate Photography Showcase (in print and online)
TATE: The Photography Ideas Book by Lorna Yabsley, TATE & Ilex Press (in print)
AND 2019 - Then There Was Us photography publication (in print)
NIGHT Transforms Plovdiv into a "Common Place" for audiences, contemporary art and cultural heritage, article in Pod Tepeto.COM
Forbidden Bulgarian names. A hidden part of Bulgarian history, article in Islam Online.SK
Bulgaria’s Forbidden Names, article in Balkan Stories.NET
Vera Hadzhiyska, A 2019 Highly Commended MA Photography graduate selected by Photograd
The Calvert Journal article- This photographer’s ode to her grandmother explores womanhood and trauma in Bulgaria
2018
Post Pravda Magazine article - Beyond Boundaries: Our Favourite Photographers Reinventing Bulgarian Identity
2017
F-Stop Magazine, Issue #85 - Home
2015
Month of Photography 2015 catalogue (in print)
Curatorial projects
2023
"Six Feet Forward" solo show by Jisoo Jit Seo at Art Space Portsmouth, funded by the British Korean Society
Belfast Exposed Futures Curator Award winner - curating a solo show of Zula Rabikowska's project "Nothing But a Curtain"
2022
"Variations" group work in progress exhibition by MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography students at LCC (London College of Communication), showcased at Safehouse 1&2, Peckham, London
"Nothing But a Curtain" solo show by Zula Rabikowska at London College of Communication, co-curated with Oisin Davies
2020
Curated Tour of Brighton Photo Fringe 2020
2019 - 2021
With the Name of a Flower travelling exhibition
2016
Bohemian Exhibition
Instagram takeovers
@photoworks_uk / @fabricagallery / @loupemag / @_photograd / @spectrumlab /@womeninphoto / @semimagazine / @map6collective
Follow me on Instagram @verahadzhiyska for news, updates & current work.