Slavena Petkova
Self-Directed Residency
Slavena Petkova is a multidisciplinary artist and “restructuralist” based in Varna, Bulgaria. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague and completed several other requalification courses such as NYC Crit Club. She has been an artist in residence at AIR Guiniguada, Gran Canaria.
Her practice addresses “restructuralism”, a term she coined to define her practice of reconstructing thought patterns through art. Her work challenges established structures and offers divergent existential frameworks, using humor, meta-commentary, and subversive juxtaposition as tools to open up unexpected perspectives.
Working across textiles, painting, photography, performance, and site-specific interventions, Slavena is not led by medium, but by concept. Each project adopts the form it needs in order to challenge perception and reframe meaning.
Through humor, subtle irony, and playful distortions of the familiar, her work disarms the viewer before inviting deeper reflection. What initially appears accessible reveals itself as incisive, a strategy to engage, unsettle, and ultimately restructure the way we look, think, and relate.
