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

2024

Rethinking Eastern Europe, group exhibition, Photo Fringe 2024, Brighton, UK 

Silent Dialogues, Vera Hadzhiyska & Anbuh - Photo Fringe 2024, Aspex Portsmouth, UK 

Rethinking Eastern Europe, pop-up exhibiton, Arles, France 

Trial and Error, work in progress exhibition, Work Show Grow, ASC Studios, London, UK 

Rethinking Eastern Europe, exhibition and discussion, Photobook Cafe, London, UK 

2023

Art Residency at Aspex Portsmouth - 12 Jan - 12 March 2023

Name and Clay Workshops at Aspex Portsmouth - 12 Jan - 12 March 2023

2022

Brighton Photo Fringe 2022, With the Name of a Flower: Your Name online exhibition 

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 

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

Bulgarian Photography Now

LensCulture online gallery

2015

Month of Photography 2015 catalogue (in print)

Curatorial projects

2024

 “One Day Class” - Funding Lecture and Portfolio Reviews, Outhouse Seoul, South Korea, supported by the British Korean Society Grant

2023

"Six Feet Forward" solo show by Jisoo Jit Seo at Art Space Portsmouth, funded by the British Korean Society Grant

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. 


 

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