From 3 to 21 November, Serdica Gallery in Sofia opened its doors to the exhibition Layers, a collection of 26 textile‑based abstract works by Bulgarian artist Valka Parusheva. The artist, who has worked in contemporary art, textiles and graphic design, uses micro‑textile threads to create pixel‑like details that, from a distance, merge into translucent fields of colour. Her goal is to echo the layered nature of human consciousness and emotion, to convey a sense of warm human presence while offering a purely aesthetic experience, according to Parusheva herself.
Parusheva, born in 1969 in Sliven, graduated in artistic textiles from the Dimitar Dobrovich School of Applied Arts in 1988. Her career has spanned national group exhibitions since 1991 and seven solo shows. In 2026 she received the UBA award in the textile art section of the Grass and Water National Exhibition, as well as an accolade at the Dissonances National Exhibition. Earlier recognitions include the award for unconventional forms at the Sirak Skitnik National Exhibition in 2024 and the award for an artist from the host city of Sliven at the same event in 2018. In 2016 she spent a residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris. Her works reside in collections of the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA), the art galleries in Sliven, Yambol and Ruse, and in private collections across Bulgaria and abroad.
The exhibition’s central concept rests on the idea that consciousness is built from layers that accumulate over time, shaping perception. Parusheva’s method involves meticulously weaving individual threads so that each behaves like a single pixel up close; when viewed from further away, these pixels coalesce into softer, translucent colour fields. This visual strategy mirrors how tiny emotions and thoughts combine to form broader feelings, aligning with the exhibition’s thematic exploration. Parusheva warns that she is not seeking to overtly represent any specific emotion but rather to invoke a sensory experience that reflects layered awareness.
Each piece in Layers incorporates a blend of materials, colours, and geometric shapes, aiming to strike a balance between minimalism and compositional complexity. The textural diversity—ranging from stark, fine threads in cool, muted hues to densely woven areas in rich, warm tones—creates a dialogue between lightness and weight. As visitors move through the gallery, the varying perspectives shift the assembled threads from granular detail to broad, unified colour flows, echoing how distinct mental fragments can coalesce into cohesive understanding.
Parusheva herself describes the intention behind the show. "I would like this exhibition to convey a sense of warm human presence and offer a purely aesthetic experience," she says. Her statement underscores the personal yet universal quality she aims to achieve, bridging the inner world of consciousness with the external perception of art. The exhibition therefore invites viewers not only to observe but to participate in the gradual transformation from pixel to field, mirroring the internal layering process.
The show is part of the ongoing dialogue within contemporary Bulgarian art circles about the uses of textile as a medium for abstract expression. Parusheva’s work demonstrates how traditional materials can be reimagined to explore psychological themes, providing fresh insight into the role of fabric and fibre in visual storytelling. While critics have yet to publish extensive reviews, the exhibition’s unique method of blending micro‑thread detail with macro-colour fields generates interest in the possibilities of layered perception in modern art.
