site.btaMirena Zlateva Blurs Lines Between Sculpture and Jewellery in New Sofia Exhibition

Mirena Zlateva explores the intersection of sculpture and jewellery in her latest exhibition Change of Focus at the Vera Nedkova House Museum in Sofia, the National Gallery said on Monday. The exhibition opens January 21 and will run until June 12.

The museum continues its programme of presenting contemporary artists. The Change of Focus exhibition is part of the 2019-launched programme In the Home of Vera Nedkova, which brings audiences together with artists inspired by the atmosphere of the museum and Vera Nedkova’s work.

Zlateva showcases a selected collection of jewellery and forms where the boundary between sculpture and adornment gradually dissolves. In her works, she explores, analyses and contrasts parts and volumes through the lens of her personal perspective and sensitivity. As she says, “The material itself inspires me. I love changing the focal plane,” the National Gallery noted.

The exhibition offers visitors an exploration of how construction and form act as a kind of sculpture on the human body. The pieces are not simply jewellery or visual accents but sculptural forms that are deliberately and unusually voluminous, rings, necklaces, brooches, that, from a functional viewpoint, create a feeling of discomfort while also evoking a desire to feel and touch them.

On display are jewellery items from the Arrangement series, Ag925 (2023), and the latest collection White, Ag925 (2025–2026), the sculpture Grass (2014), and the installation Home (2025–2026), according to the organizers.

BTA is a media partner for the exhibition.

Mirena Zlateva was born on November 30, 1973, in Kazanlak. She graduated in Industrial Design from Dechko Uzunov Secondary Art School in Kazanlak and completed her master’s degree at the National Academy of Arts, specialising in Metal. She holds a PhD in Art Studies and Fine Arts from the National Academy of Arts. Zlateva has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in group shows.