STUDENTS FROM VARNA FREE UNIVERSITY WITH AN EXHIBITION IN FRANCE

11 November 2025

Students of the Graphic Design major at Varna Free University presented an exhibition at the Jean Wagner Social and Cultural Centre in Mulhouse, France. The event is part of the project “Crossing Eyes, Shared Paths”, which encourages young artists from different cultures to use art as a language of mutual understanding and tolerance.

The exhibition featured thematic series of illustrations inspired by contemporary Bulgarian literature – “Colorful Fairy Tales” based on the children’s book by Maya Dalgacheva and “11 Attempts at Definition” from the poetry collection “Lapidarium” by Georgi Gospodinov. The works were created within the framework of the educational process and selected by a jury consisting of Prof. Valeri Chakalov, Assoc. Prof. Viktor Petkov, PhD and Assoc. Prof. Kapka Manasieva, PhD – lecturers at the Department of Arts at VFU “Chernorizets Hrabar”.

The Graphic Design students Adriana Agarunova, Alisa Dzhelil, Anastasia Maksimova, Desislava Kaleva, Yoanna Hristova, Lyubomira Dimitrova, Magdalena Gachovska, Mila Genova, Monika Tsvetanova, Petar Tsvetkov and Todor Stoychev presented their works.

The winners of the selection – Yoanna Hristova, Petar Tsvetkov and Adriana Agarunova – were awarded the opportunity to travel to France and lead creative workshops with young people from different ethnic groups and ages. The themes of the workshops – “Character Design”, “National Cuisine” and “Pixel Art” – provoked the participants to express their ideas about cultural diversity through the visual language of art. The students were led by the lecturers Prof. Valeri Chakalov and Assoc. Prof. Viktor Petkov, PhD.

The project "Crossing Eyes, Shared Paths" brings together young people, including those from immigrant families, and encourages them to explore themes of cultural diversity through creativity.