About
STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST
I have been painting ever since I remember myself. I was happier with my creative work prior to starting to ask myself the question: Why do I do it? Each attempt at a rational reply to irrational desires is always a hardship. And yet, the passion itself in painting suggests me that creative work saves me from the mechanized spiritlessness; it provides me with possibility to create my own worlds and feel authentic.
I feel painting as the most complete opportunity to have polemical dialogues with myself, to unite time and space in colors and figures; to recreate my dreams with eyes open; especially in the sleepless moments of dawn. I try to analyze and summarize emotions, to look beyond the apparent.
The means of expression, which can be said to creep into almost all my work are passing, intertwining between worlds, dematerializing the material, creating a rhythm in chaos, and sometimes, depending on the mood, chaos in the order.
I feel that in my paintings I seem to find the most accurate place of man, torn between his primary nature and the imposed social conventions. Art helps me to intuitively explore the human connections between words and thoughts, and to distinguish the consequences of actions. I am happy to be able to recreate in tones and lines the existential marks of existence – those “marks” which we leave behind in space and time.
I am of the opinion that in my photo collages, intertwined as fabric /that is why I consider them as textile works/, I show the complex relationships between man and his being. My works are completely subject to the idea of multi-layered transition through the complex spectrum of moods, emotions and experiences, “intertwined” in all-embracing compositions.
The conviction that the path to a complex universe, expressed through metaphysical expression, leads to the discovery of light and hope, despite the often dark background nuances of being, stimulates me. By combining space and worlds, I want to achieve a metaphorical passage through the gates of time. In my works, the presence of nature and man is a whole which carries an optimistic charge, despite the existential doubts that permeate us often and deeply. The actions and gestures in my works are symbolic, subject to the emotional dialogue broadcast, I hope, by my works. Through the imaginary absolute in the approach and expression I put next to each other abstract in nature as impact and perception modules and details which build up the essence of each of my works.
The very process of creating and building up the fabric of the works carries my specific handwriting, which in a lot of cases is captive to textiles and the textile way of thinking.
This approach creeps even in my digital works. And digital painting is a complete happiness for me. It does not depend on place, space, time, materials. I can paint anywhere, anytime, and I do it.
Biography
Snejana Stoyanova is a visual artist born and educated in Sofia, Bulgaria. She graduated from the National Art High School for Fine Arts in Sofia in 1985 and from the National Academy of Arts in 1993, majoring in Art Textiles.
Since 1989, she has participated in exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad, developing an artistic practice that moves across textile art, collage, painting, digital graphics, and mixed-media visual structures. Her earlier exhibitions in Bulgaria received attention in print newspapers and magazines, much of it from the period before digital media archives became widely available. Her work is rooted in material experimentation, layered surfaces, and the search for visual forms that reflect inner states, memory, traces, and human presence.
Her recent work continues to explore the relationship between material and immaterial experience, between structure and emotion, and between the visible surface and the invisible inner world.
Alongside her studio practice, Stoyanova has devoted more than three decades to art education and mentorship. In 1993, she founded Studio S, a private educational center in Sofia, where she has guided generations of students in drawing, portfolio preparation, and admission to art schools and universities in Bulgaria and abroad. This long-term work with young artists remains closely connected to her belief that art develops observation, discipline, sensitivity, and a deeper understanding of the world.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 — Echoes of Worlds, at the Bulgarian Cultural Center “Little Bulgaria”, Chicago, IL, USA
2012 — Exhibition collages „Diffusion” – Hotel Festa Chamkoria – Borovets resor
2012 — Cross-Imagery, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2011 — Exhibition of collage “Touch” – Gallery „Sofia-press” – Sofia
1999 – exhibition – paintings, drawings and textile – “Gallery 11 Brothers Kadinovi” – Sofia
1993 – Art Textile Exhibition – sculptures and panels – Gallery “Any Co” – Sofia
1992 – collection of copyrighted fashion fabrics and knitted clothing – Artist’s Home – Vratza, Bulgaria
Selected Group Exhibitions
Stoyanova has participated in numerous group exhibitions, art fairs, and international projects in Bulgaria, Europe, and the United States.
2026 — Ladies Invite 6 – March, April – Little Bulgarian Center – Des Plaines, Illinois, USA
2025 — A Tale Without an End, Bagrena Gallery, Mt Prospect, IL, USA
2024 — Barcelona Art Fair, Barcelona, Spain
2024 — ARTPrize, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
2024 — Abeille, MONAT Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2023 — Salon International d’Art Contemporain, Paris, France
2023 — Meraki, MONAT Gallery, Artsy
2021–2022 — Monumetal, virtual exhibition curated by Sergio Gomez, Chicago, IL, USA
2013 — Seventh National Exhibition “Art Collage”, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2012 — Cross-Imagery, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
1989–present — Participation in group exhibitions in Bulgaria and abroad
Memberships & Collections
Memberships & Collections
Snejana Stoyanova is a member of:
- The Union of Bulgarian Artists,
- Bulgarian Artists Abroad,
- The Confederation of Bulgarian Cultural Organizations and Actors Abroad, and
- the Salon of Bulgarian Culture and Spirituality – Chicago.
Her works are held in private collections in Bulgaria and abroad, as well as in the collection of the Union of Bulgarian Artists.
Media & Interviews
Selected recent media coverage and interviews are listed below. Earlier print publications from Bulgaria are part of the artist’s archive.
2024 — “The Voice of Echoes of Worlds,” Bulgaria SEGA, Chicago
Article about the solo exhibition Echoes of Worlds.
2024 — “Snejana Stoyanova: The Artist Who Found a Metaphysical Path to Other Universes,” Bulgaria SEGA, Chicago
Interview about art, education, cultural work, and a new creative beginning in the United States.
2026 — “Women of Success: Snejana Stoyanova — Art Makes Us More Human,” Actualno.com
Interview about art, education, mentorship, and the role of creativity in human development.
2014 – Bulgarian National Radio — “Art Portfolio Preparation for University Applicants”
Interview about portfolio development, art education, and preparation for admission to art and design programs.
2026 — “Snejana Stoyanova of Studio S with Guidance for the 7th Grade Exams,” Roditel.bg
Interview about education, mentorship, and long-term work with students.
Publications
Stoyanova is the author of Art Portfolio for University: How to Build It, a practical guide for prospective art students preparing portfolios for university admission. The book reflects her long-standing experience as an artist, educator, and mentor to students applying to art and design programs.
