site.btaGalina Chehirian Exhibits Painting, Glass and Sculpture in Sofia

Bulgarian artist Galina Chehirian is arranging a new exhibition at Gallery 88 Kamen Popov, which consists of painting, glass, and sculpture. It will open on December 12, the organizers said Monday.

Chehirian is a student of Marin Varbanov and is among the few Bulgarian artists who are constantly experimenting with materials. She graduated in Textiles and had her first solo exhibition in 1987, showing sculptures made of wood in which agricultural implements of labour were transformed into art.

During her long stay in New York, Chehirian began experimenting with the opposite material to wood, glass. She turned to an ancient technique used in Rome known as verre eglomise, in which gilding or pigment is applied between layers of glass. Chehirian modernized the process, using modern materials to seal the drawing. For fifteen years, her filigree-painted vessels and sculptural objects have been exhibited in venues between Boston and Miami. In 2018, Galina Chehirian brought together wood and glass works in a retrospective exhibition at Contrast Gallery. Since then, she has had a lasting presence in this country's artistic life.