From September 10th to 05th October We are very pleased to welcome the works on undisputed master of landscape and still life - Vasilka Moneva. A selection of 42 works from different periods of the talented one artist e presented in both exhibition spaces Art Gallery The Papillon. To fully encompass the diversity of themes, colors, moods and techniques in her work is an almost impossible task, but that is not the goal of the current exhibition. It is rather an encounter with a world that Vasilka Moneva has built and inhabited over the decades – a world in which objects have memory, spaces keep stories, and colors can change the mood of the same reality. In this exhibition we follow this consistent conversation, in works dating from 2008 to her last walks through the studios of famous modernists, such as Van Gogh, Chagall, Modeliani, Braque, Picasso, who worked in Paris from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. It coexists with landscapes and urban spaces, still lifes with a categorical presence, interiors, human figures and portraits.

The exhibition is conditionally divided into two parts. In the more intimate space of the gallery, Vasilka Moneva's emblematic interiors are arranged, some of which pay homage to her favorite artists. The viewer peeks into "„Modeliani's Studio", "Chagall's Studio", "Picasso's Studio", a peek at "Van Gogh's Room in the Yellow House"“ and everywhere the atmosphere is palpable. They rather speak of Vasilka Moneva's emotional connection with art and of the continuous conversation that each artist has with those who came before him. Lush, colorful, full of objects, objects, art and, above all, life, these paintings are not inspired by the work of great artists, but show an emotional connection with art in general. Vasilka Moneva's interiors bring a special atmosphere - an unusual combination of intimacy, sincerity, intimacy, and a sense of eternity of the moment. They maintain the viewer's curiosity. They challenge you to move aside the heavy curtains, to peek through the windows, to look at all the colorful ornaments in the rich decoration or simply to immerse yourself in the comfort of this environment.

The main hall of the gallery houses still lifes, landscapes, and several portraits from different periods that are recognizable to the author. Vasilka Moneva's name is inevitably associated with still life, which she diligently explores over the years, transforming, building upon, and returning to favorite plots again and again, but with new emotion and fervor. The objects of her work are personal objects from her everyday life: vases, fruit bowls, clay jugs, plots like from Morandi's paintings, fruits and flowers, screens with a hint of mystery, wicker chairs, easels, picture frames. All of them build the world in which the artist lives. Gradually, they have also become a kind of alphabet of her painting - recognizable signs through which Vasilka Moneva tells not so much about the objects themselves, but about the person and the life around them. At first glance, nothing happens in these paintings. The objects are arranged, the flowers are placed in a vase, the room is quiet, and the landscape is frozen. And yet this peace is never empty. The longer the viewer remains in front of Vasilka Moneva's paintings, the more he begins to feel the life that fills them. Each object has its own place and its own history. Each space stores a memory. And in the silence of the still life, our own thoughts and associations gradually begin to emerge. It is this ability to transform the ordinary into the significant that is one of the strengths of her painting.

The landscapes, in turn, open up the other side of her world. The city, the sea, winter, streets and architectural spaces also carry the artist's characteristic ability to transform reality into a personal experience. These are not just specific places. They are places through which her gaze has passed and which already belong to her pictorial world.

Vasilka Moneva is an artist who is constantly perfecting her style, ranging from bright colorful spots to monochrome color combinations and carrying her poetic and spiritual nature. Sometimes in a restrained, dense, often almost monochrome color scheme, other times in a bold combination of tones - muted burgundy red, bright emerald green, deep Prussian blue, her still lifes always have a categorical and significant presence. Vasilka Moneva's art, an intoxicating skillful combination of painting and high aesthetic feeling brings a feeling that good painting is not a temporary fad, that the artist never paints only what he sees in front of him. He paints everything that is left within him. Her attitude proves that respect for classical themes and plots is timeless and excites generations. The inimitable style in the themes and plots, to which the author remains faithful throughout her entire creative journey to this day, the specific perspective and color, make Vasilka Moneva one of the most memorable contemporary female artists in our country.

"In joy and in difficult moments, in trials and pain, Vasilka Monevane puts down her brushes. Painting is her happiest state. It is an ecstasy, an adventure, a reflection, a dream, a refuge. That is why the viewer is happy in front of her paintings.“", notes art critic Ruza Marinska. And perhaps it is this feeling that remains the longest after encountering Vasilka Moneva's paintings - the feeling of an artist who never ceases to admire the world around her. And who continues to paint it. Perhaps because the author not only preserves and recharges her love for art, but also manages to convey to her viewers her vital curiosity and the ability to admire life.

 The exhibition can be seen from September 10 to October 5, 2026. в the exhibition halls of The Papillon Art Gallery in Varna,12 Dragoman Street, and also online on the website artpapillon.com ilina fb: Le Papillon Art Gallery.

We assembled our own time machine at the community center.
Now anyone who wishes can skip the centuries and immerse themselves in Europe's literary past - to turn pages that preserve the breath of nearly a century and a half, and hear their covers quietly creak, still remembering the hands of their first readers.
In the historical showcase we have collected the oldest books that the community center keeps. Among them you will find:
- The third edition of "Under the Yoke" by Ivan Vazov (1896) - with expanded illustrations by Mrkvichka, Mitov, Piotrovski and Oberbauer, the artists who gave faces to Boycho Ognyanov and the entire White Church.
- One of the first reference books from the time of the electrification of Bulgaria — a book that remembers how electricity was introduced across the country, village by village, neighborhood by neighborhood.
- Part of a unique medical reference book, which, as far as we could determine, is kept in only two other libraries in Bulgaria - and in fragments.
Behind the display case, you will be greeted by our Kalina, who knows the story of each specimen and will show you around with patience and love.
Varna, 103 "Kapitan Raycho Nikolov" Str.
🕒 from 10-00 to 17-30, on weekdays.
We will only ask you one thing: when you have wandered enough through the past, do not forget to return to the present. Many more wonderful projects await you in our community center - and it is precisely for such meetings, in fact, that community centers were created, right?
Come on in. It'll be interesting.

=== English version below === 

Hello, friends! Our regular couchsurfing meetings are EVERY Thursday at 8 p.m.

The location for each specific meeting will be announced 1-2 days before it takes place, so just sign up for the relevant event and keep an eye on it.

Couchsurfing meetings in Varna bring people together, they are diverse and communication is free!

Of course, bring your friends too!

At least 30 people regularly come, regardless of how many have signed up in advance.

Free admission

Facebook group: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/517973631650730

==========================

Dear friends, our regular CS Varna Meetings are EVERY Thursday at 20:00 o'clock.

The venue for each meeting will be announced 1-2 days in advance, so please just join the respective CS event and follow it for updates.

The Couchsurfing Meetings in Varna are open and inclusive events.

Feel free to invite your friends, anyone is welcome!

The usual number of attendees is at least 30 people, no matter how many have registered in advance.

Admission: free

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/517973631650730

From September 10th to 05th October We are very pleased to welcome the works on undisputed master of landscape and still life - Vasilka Moneva. A selection of 42 works from different periods of the talented one artist e presented in both exhibition spaces Art Gallery The Papillon. To fully encompass the diversity of themes, colors, moods and techniques in her work is an almost impossible task, but that is not the goal of the current exhibition. It is rather an encounter with a world that Vasilka Moneva has built and inhabited over the decades – a world in which objects have memory, spaces keep stories, and colors can change the mood of the same reality. In this exhibition we follow this consistent conversation, in works dating from 2008 to her last walks through the studios of famous modernists, such as Van Gogh, Chagall, Modeliani, Braque, Picasso, who worked in Paris from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. It coexists with landscapes and urban spaces, still lifes with a categorical presence, interiors, human figures and portraits.

The exhibition is conditionally divided into two parts. In the more intimate space of the gallery, Vasilka Moneva's emblematic interiors are arranged, some of which pay homage to her favorite artists. The viewer peeks into "„Modeliani's Studio", "Chagall's Studio", "Picasso's Studio", a peek at "Van Gogh's Room in the Yellow House"“ and everywhere the atmosphere is palpable. They rather speak of Vasilka Moneva's emotional connection with art and of the continuous conversation that each artist has with those who came before him. Lush, colorful, full of objects, objects, art and, above all, life, these paintings are not inspired by the work of great artists, but show an emotional connection with art in general. Vasilka Moneva's interiors bring a special atmosphere - an unusual combination of intimacy, sincerity, intimacy, and a sense of eternity of the moment. They maintain the viewer's curiosity. They challenge you to move aside the heavy curtains, to peek through the windows, to look at all the colorful ornaments in the rich decoration or simply to immerse yourself in the comfort of this environment.

The main hall of the gallery houses still lifes, landscapes, and several portraits from different periods that are recognizable to the author. Vasilka Moneva's name is inevitably associated with still life, which she diligently explores over the years, transforming, building upon, and returning to favorite plots again and again, but with new emotion and fervor. The objects of her work are personal objects from her everyday life: vases, fruit bowls, clay jugs, plots like from Morandi's paintings, fruits and flowers, screens with a hint of mystery, wicker chairs, easels, picture frames. All of them build the world in which the artist lives. Gradually, they have also become a kind of alphabet of her painting - recognizable signs through which Vasilka Moneva tells not so much about the objects themselves, but about the person and the life around them. At first glance, nothing happens in these paintings. The objects are arranged, the flowers are placed in a vase, the room is quiet, and the landscape is frozen. And yet this peace is never empty. The longer the viewer remains in front of Vasilka Moneva's paintings, the more he begins to feel the life that fills them. Each object has its own place and its own history. Each space stores a memory. And in the silence of the still life, our own thoughts and associations gradually begin to emerge. It is this ability to transform the ordinary into the significant that is one of the strengths of her painting.

The landscapes, in turn, open up the other side of her world. The city, the sea, winter, streets and architectural spaces also carry the artist's characteristic ability to transform reality into a personal experience. These are not just specific places. They are places through which her gaze has passed and which already belong to her pictorial world.

Vasilka Moneva is an artist who is constantly perfecting her style, ranging from bright colorful spots to monochrome color combinations and carrying her poetic and spiritual nature. Sometimes in a restrained, dense, often almost monochrome color scheme, other times in a bold combination of tones - muted burgundy red, bright emerald green, deep Prussian blue, her still lifes always have a categorical and significant presence. Vasilka Moneva's art, an intoxicating skillful combination of painting and high aesthetic feeling brings a feeling that good painting is not a temporary fad, that the artist never paints only what he sees in front of him. He paints everything that is left within him. Her attitude proves that respect for classical themes and plots is timeless and excites generations. The inimitable style in the themes and plots, to which the author remains faithful throughout her entire creative journey to this day, the specific perspective and color, make Vasilka Moneva one of the most memorable contemporary female artists in our country.

"In joy and in difficult moments, in trials and pain, Vasilka Monevane puts down her brushes. Painting is her happiest state. It is an ecstasy, an adventure, a reflection, a dream, a refuge. That is why the viewer is happy in front of her paintings.“", notes art critic Ruza Marinska. And perhaps it is this feeling that remains the longest after encountering Vasilka Moneva's paintings - the feeling of an artist who never ceases to admire the world around her. And who continues to paint it. Perhaps because the author not only preserves and recharges her love for art, but also manages to convey to her viewers her vital curiosity and the ability to admire life.

 The exhibition can be seen from September 10 to October 5, 2026. в the exhibition halls of The Papillon Art Gallery in Varna,12 Dragoman Street, and also online on the website artpapillon.com ilina fb: Le Papillon Art Gallery.

We assembled our own time machine at the community center.
Now anyone who wishes can skip the centuries and immerse themselves in Europe's literary past - to turn pages that preserve the breath of nearly a century and a half, and hear their covers quietly creak, still remembering the hands of their first readers.
In the historical showcase we have collected the oldest books that the community center keeps. Among them you will find:
- The third edition of "Under the Yoke" by Ivan Vazov (1896) - with expanded illustrations by Mrkvichka, Mitov, Piotrovski and Oberbauer, the artists who gave faces to Boycho Ognyanov and the entire White Church.
- One of the first reference books from the time of the electrification of Bulgaria — a book that remembers how electricity was introduced across the country, village by village, neighborhood by neighborhood.
- Part of a unique medical reference book, which, as far as we could determine, is kept in only two other libraries in Bulgaria - and in fragments.
Behind the display case, you will be greeted by our Kalina, who knows the story of each specimen and will show you around with patience and love.
Varna, 103 "Kapitan Raycho Nikolov" Str.
🕒 from 10-00 to 17-30, on weekdays.
We will only ask you one thing: when you have wandered enough through the past, do not forget to return to the present. Many more wonderful projects await you in our community center - and it is precisely for such meetings, in fact, that community centers were created, right?
Come on in. It'll be interesting.

From September 10th to 05th October We are very pleased to welcome the works on undisputed master of landscape and still life - Vasilka Moneva. A selection of 42 works from different periods of the talented one artist e presented in both exhibition spaces Art Gallery The Papillon. To fully encompass the diversity of themes, colors, moods and techniques in her work is an almost impossible task, but that is not the goal of the current exhibition. It is rather an encounter with a world that Vasilka Moneva has built and inhabited over the decades – a world in which objects have memory, spaces keep stories, and colors can change the mood of the same reality. In this exhibition we follow this consistent conversation, in works dating from 2008 to her last walks through the studios of famous modernists, such as Van Gogh, Chagall, Modeliani, Braque, Picasso, who worked in Paris from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. It coexists with landscapes and urban spaces, still lifes with a categorical presence, interiors, human figures and portraits.

The exhibition is conditionally divided into two parts. In the more intimate space of the gallery, Vasilka Moneva's emblematic interiors are arranged, some of which pay homage to her favorite artists. The viewer peeks into "„Modeliani's Studio", "Chagall's Studio", "Picasso's Studio", a peek at "Van Gogh's Room in the Yellow House"“ and everywhere the atmosphere is palpable. They rather speak of Vasilka Moneva's emotional connection with art and of the continuous conversation that each artist has with those who came before him. Lush, colorful, full of objects, objects, art and, above all, life, these paintings are not inspired by the work of great artists, but show an emotional connection with art in general. Vasilka Moneva's interiors bring a special atmosphere - an unusual combination of intimacy, sincerity, intimacy, and a sense of eternity of the moment. They maintain the viewer's curiosity. They challenge you to move aside the heavy curtains, to peek through the windows, to look at all the colorful ornaments in the rich decoration or simply to immerse yourself in the comfort of this environment.

The main hall of the gallery houses still lifes, landscapes, and several portraits from different periods that are recognizable to the author. Vasilka Moneva's name is inevitably associated with still life, which she diligently explores over the years, transforming, building upon, and returning to favorite plots again and again, but with new emotion and fervor. The objects of her work are personal objects from her everyday life: vases, fruit bowls, clay jugs, plots like from Morandi's paintings, fruits and flowers, screens with a hint of mystery, wicker chairs, easels, picture frames. All of them build the world in which the artist lives. Gradually, they have also become a kind of alphabet of her painting - recognizable signs through which Vasilka Moneva tells not so much about the objects themselves, but about the person and the life around them. At first glance, nothing happens in these paintings. The objects are arranged, the flowers are placed in a vase, the room is quiet, and the landscape is frozen. And yet this peace is never empty. The longer the viewer remains in front of Vasilka Moneva's paintings, the more he begins to feel the life that fills them. Each object has its own place and its own history. Each space stores a memory. And in the silence of the still life, our own thoughts and associations gradually begin to emerge. It is this ability to transform the ordinary into the significant that is one of the strengths of her painting.

The landscapes, in turn, open up the other side of her world. The city, the sea, winter, streets and architectural spaces also carry the artist's characteristic ability to transform reality into a personal experience. These are not just specific places. They are places through which her gaze has passed and which already belong to her pictorial world.

Vasilka Moneva is an artist who is constantly perfecting her style, ranging from bright colorful spots to monochrome color combinations and carrying her poetic and spiritual nature. Sometimes in a restrained, dense, often almost monochrome color scheme, other times in a bold combination of tones - muted burgundy red, bright emerald green, deep Prussian blue, her still lifes always have a categorical and significant presence. Vasilka Moneva's art, an intoxicating skillful combination of painting and high aesthetic feeling brings a feeling that good painting is not a temporary fad, that the artist never paints only what he sees in front of him. He paints everything that is left within him. Her attitude proves that respect for classical themes and plots is timeless and excites generations. The inimitable style in the themes and plots, to which the author remains faithful throughout her entire creative journey to this day, the specific perspective and color, make Vasilka Moneva one of the most memorable contemporary female artists in our country.

"In joy and in difficult moments, in trials and pain, Vasilka Monevane puts down her brushes. Painting is her happiest state. It is an ecstasy, an adventure, a reflection, a dream, a refuge. That is why the viewer is happy in front of her paintings.“", notes art critic Ruza Marinska. And perhaps it is this feeling that remains the longest after encountering Vasilka Moneva's paintings - the feeling of an artist who never ceases to admire the world around her. And who continues to paint it. Perhaps because the author not only preserves and recharges her love for art, but also manages to convey to her viewers her vital curiosity and the ability to admire life.

 The exhibition can be seen from September 10 to October 5, 2026. в the exhibition halls of The Papillon Art Gallery in Varna,12 Dragoman Street, and also online on the website artpapillon.com ilina fb: Le Papillon Art Gallery.

We assembled our own time machine at the community center.
Now anyone who wishes can skip the centuries and immerse themselves in Europe's literary past - to turn pages that preserve the breath of nearly a century and a half, and hear their covers quietly creak, still remembering the hands of their first readers.
In the historical showcase we have collected the oldest books that the community center keeps. Among them you will find:
- The third edition of "Under the Yoke" by Ivan Vazov (1896) - with expanded illustrations by Mrkvichka, Mitov, Piotrovski and Oberbauer, the artists who gave faces to Boycho Ognyanov and the entire White Church.
- One of the first reference books from the time of the electrification of Bulgaria — a book that remembers how electricity was introduced across the country, village by village, neighborhood by neighborhood.
- Part of a unique medical reference book, which, as far as we could determine, is kept in only two other libraries in Bulgaria - and in fragments.
Behind the display case, you will be greeted by our Kalina, who knows the story of each specimen and will show you around with patience and love.
Varna, 103 "Kapitan Raycho Nikolov" Str.
🕒 from 10-00 to 17-30, on weekdays.
We will only ask you one thing: when you have wandered enough through the past, do not forget to return to the present. Many more wonderful projects await you in our community center - and it is precisely for such meetings, in fact, that community centers were created, right?
Come on in. It'll be interesting.

From September 10th to 05th October We are very pleased to welcome the works on undisputed master of landscape and still life - Vasilka Moneva. A selection of 42 works from different periods of the talented one artist e presented in both exhibition spaces Art Gallery The Papillon. To fully encompass the diversity of themes, colors, moods and techniques in her work is an almost impossible task, but that is not the goal of the current exhibition. It is rather an encounter with a world that Vasilka Moneva has built and inhabited over the decades – a world in which objects have memory, spaces keep stories, and colors can change the mood of the same reality. In this exhibition we follow this consistent conversation, in works dating from 2008 to her last walks through the studios of famous modernists, such as Van Gogh, Chagall, Modeliani, Braque, Picasso, who worked in Paris from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. It coexists with landscapes and urban spaces, still lifes with a categorical presence, interiors, human figures and portraits.

The exhibition is conditionally divided into two parts. In the more intimate space of the gallery, Vasilka Moneva's emblematic interiors are arranged, some of which pay homage to her favorite artists. The viewer peeks into "„Modeliani's Studio", "Chagall's Studio", "Picasso's Studio", a peek at "Van Gogh's Room in the Yellow House"“ and everywhere the atmosphere is palpable. They rather speak of Vasilka Moneva's emotional connection with art and of the continuous conversation that each artist has with those who came before him. Lush, colorful, full of objects, objects, art and, above all, life, these paintings are not inspired by the work of great artists, but show an emotional connection with art in general. Vasilka Moneva's interiors bring a special atmosphere - an unusual combination of intimacy, sincerity, intimacy, and a sense of eternity of the moment. They maintain the viewer's curiosity. They challenge you to move aside the heavy curtains, to peek through the windows, to look at all the colorful ornaments in the rich decoration or simply to immerse yourself in the comfort of this environment.

The main hall of the gallery houses still lifes, landscapes, and several portraits from different periods that are recognizable to the author. Vasilka Moneva's name is inevitably associated with still life, which she diligently explores over the years, transforming, building upon, and returning to favorite plots again and again, but with new emotion and fervor. The objects of her work are personal objects from her everyday life: vases, fruit bowls, clay jugs, plots like from Morandi's paintings, fruits and flowers, screens with a hint of mystery, wicker chairs, easels, picture frames. All of them build the world in which the artist lives. Gradually, they have also become a kind of alphabet of her painting - recognizable signs through which Vasilka Moneva tells not so much about the objects themselves, but about the person and the life around them. At first glance, nothing happens in these paintings. The objects are arranged, the flowers are placed in a vase, the room is quiet, and the landscape is frozen. And yet this peace is never empty. The longer the viewer remains in front of Vasilka Moneva's paintings, the more he begins to feel the life that fills them. Each object has its own place and its own history. Each space stores a memory. And in the silence of the still life, our own thoughts and associations gradually begin to emerge. It is this ability to transform the ordinary into the significant that is one of the strengths of her painting.

The landscapes, in turn, open up the other side of her world. The city, the sea, winter, streets and architectural spaces also carry the artist's characteristic ability to transform reality into a personal experience. These are not just specific places. They are places through which her gaze has passed and which already belong to her pictorial world.

Vasilka Moneva is an artist who is constantly perfecting her style, ranging from bright colorful spots to monochrome color combinations and carrying her poetic and spiritual nature. Sometimes in a restrained, dense, often almost monochrome color scheme, other times in a bold combination of tones - muted burgundy red, bright emerald green, deep Prussian blue, her still lifes always have a categorical and significant presence. Vasilka Moneva's art, an intoxicating skillful combination of painting and high aesthetic feeling brings a feeling that good painting is not a temporary fad, that the artist never paints only what he sees in front of him. He paints everything that is left within him. Her attitude proves that respect for classical themes and plots is timeless and excites generations. The inimitable style in the themes and plots, to which the author remains faithful throughout her entire creative journey to this day, the specific perspective and color, make Vasilka Moneva one of the most memorable contemporary female artists in our country.

"In joy and in difficult moments, in trials and pain, Vasilka Monevane puts down her brushes. Painting is her happiest state. It is an ecstasy, an adventure, a reflection, a dream, a refuge. That is why the viewer is happy in front of her paintings.“", notes art critic Ruza Marinska. And perhaps it is this feeling that remains the longest after encountering Vasilka Moneva's paintings - the feeling of an artist who never ceases to admire the world around her. And who continues to paint it. Perhaps because the author not only preserves and recharges her love for art, but also manages to convey to her viewers her vital curiosity and the ability to admire life.

 The exhibition can be seen from September 10 to October 5, 2026. в the exhibition halls of The Papillon Art Gallery in Varna,12 Dragoman Street, and also online on the website artpapillon.com ilina fb: Le Papillon Art Gallery.

We assembled our own time machine at the community center.
Now anyone who wishes can skip the centuries and immerse themselves in Europe's literary past - to turn pages that preserve the breath of nearly a century and a half, and hear their covers quietly creak, still remembering the hands of their first readers.
In the historical showcase we have collected the oldest books that the community center keeps. Among them you will find:
- The third edition of "Under the Yoke" by Ivan Vazov (1896) - with expanded illustrations by Mrkvichka, Mitov, Piotrovski and Oberbauer, the artists who gave faces to Boycho Ognyanov and the entire White Church.
- One of the first reference books from the time of the electrification of Bulgaria — a book that remembers how electricity was introduced across the country, village by village, neighborhood by neighborhood.
- Part of a unique medical reference book, which, as far as we could determine, is kept in only two other libraries in Bulgaria - and in fragments.
Behind the display case, you will be greeted by our Kalina, who knows the story of each specimen and will show you around with patience and love.
Varna, 103 "Kapitan Raycho Nikolov" Str.
🕒 from 10-00 to 17-30, on weekdays.
We will only ask you one thing: when you have wandered enough through the past, do not forget to return to the present. Many more wonderful projects await you in our community center - and it is precisely for such meetings, in fact, that community centers were created, right?
Come on in. It'll be interesting.

From September 10th to 05th October We are very pleased to welcome the works on undisputed master of landscape and still life - Vasilka Moneva. A selection of 42 works from different periods of the talented one artist e presented in both exhibition spaces Art Gallery The Papillon. To fully encompass the diversity of themes, colors, moods and techniques in her work is an almost impossible task, but that is not the goal of the current exhibition. It is rather an encounter with a world that Vasilka Moneva has built and inhabited over the decades – a world in which objects have memory, spaces keep stories, and colors can change the mood of the same reality. In this exhibition we follow this consistent conversation, in works dating from 2008 to her last walks through the studios of famous modernists, such as Van Gogh, Chagall, Modeliani, Braque, Picasso, who worked in Paris from the end of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century. It coexists with landscapes and urban spaces, still lifes with a categorical presence, interiors, human figures and portraits.

The exhibition is conditionally divided into two parts. In the more intimate space of the gallery, Vasilka Moneva's emblematic interiors are arranged, some of which pay homage to her favorite artists. The viewer peeks into "„Modeliani's Studio", "Chagall's Studio", "Picasso's Studio", a peek at "Van Gogh's Room in the Yellow House"“ and everywhere the atmosphere is palpable. They rather speak of Vasilka Moneva's emotional connection with art and of the continuous conversation that each artist has with those who came before him. Lush, colorful, full of objects, objects, art and, above all, life, these paintings are not inspired by the work of great artists, but show an emotional connection with art in general. Vasilka Moneva's interiors bring a special atmosphere - an unusual combination of intimacy, sincerity, intimacy, and a sense of eternity of the moment. They maintain the viewer's curiosity. They challenge you to move aside the heavy curtains, to peek through the windows, to look at all the colorful ornaments in the rich decoration or simply to immerse yourself in the comfort of this environment.

The main hall of the gallery houses still lifes, landscapes, and several portraits from different periods that are recognizable to the author. Vasilka Moneva's name is inevitably associated with still life, which she diligently explores over the years, transforming, building upon, and returning to favorite plots again and again, but with new emotion and fervor. The objects of her work are personal objects from her everyday life: vases, fruit bowls, clay jugs, plots like from Morandi's paintings, fruits and flowers, screens with a hint of mystery, wicker chairs, easels, picture frames. All of them build the world in which the artist lives. Gradually, they have also become a kind of alphabet of her painting - recognizable signs through which Vasilka Moneva tells not so much about the objects themselves, but about the person and the life around them. At first glance, nothing happens in these paintings. The objects are arranged, the flowers are placed in a vase, the room is quiet, and the landscape is frozen. And yet this peace is never empty. The longer the viewer remains in front of Vasilka Moneva's paintings, the more he begins to feel the life that fills them. Each object has its own place and its own history. Each space stores a memory. And in the silence of the still life, our own thoughts and associations gradually begin to emerge. It is this ability to transform the ordinary into the significant that is one of the strengths of her painting.

The landscapes, in turn, open up the other side of her world. The city, the sea, winter, streets and architectural spaces also carry the artist's characteristic ability to transform reality into a personal experience. These are not just specific places. They are places through which her gaze has passed and which already belong to her pictorial world.

Vasilka Moneva is an artist who is constantly perfecting her style, ranging from bright colorful spots to monochrome color combinations and carrying her poetic and spiritual nature. Sometimes in a restrained, dense, often almost monochrome color scheme, other times in a bold combination of tones - muted burgundy red, bright emerald green, deep Prussian blue, her still lifes always have a categorical and significant presence. Vasilka Moneva's art, an intoxicating skillful combination of painting and high aesthetic feeling brings a feeling that good painting is not a temporary fad, that the artist never paints only what he sees in front of him. He paints everything that is left within him. Her attitude proves that respect for classical themes and plots is timeless and excites generations. The inimitable style in the themes and plots, to which the author remains faithful throughout her entire creative journey to this day, the specific perspective and color, make Vasilka Moneva one of the most memorable contemporary female artists in our country.

"In joy and in difficult moments, in trials and pain, Vasilka Monevane puts down her brushes. Painting is her happiest state. It is an ecstasy, an adventure, a reflection, a dream, a refuge. That is why the viewer is happy in front of her paintings.“", notes art critic Ruza Marinska. And perhaps it is this feeling that remains the longest after encountering Vasilka Moneva's paintings - the feeling of an artist who never ceases to admire the world around her. And who continues to paint it. Perhaps because the author not only preserves and recharges her love for art, but also manages to convey to her viewers her vital curiosity and the ability to admire life.

 The exhibition can be seen from September 10 to October 5, 2026. в the exhibition halls of The Papillon Art Gallery in Varna,12 Dragoman Street, and also online on the website artpapillon.com ilina fb: Le Papillon Art Gallery.

We assembled our own time machine at the community center.
Now anyone who wishes can skip the centuries and immerse themselves in Europe's literary past - to turn pages that preserve the breath of nearly a century and a half, and hear their covers quietly creak, still remembering the hands of their first readers.
In the historical showcase we have collected the oldest books that the community center keeps. Among them you will find:
- The third edition of "Under the Yoke" by Ivan Vazov (1896) - with expanded illustrations by Mrkvichka, Mitov, Piotrovski and Oberbauer, the artists who gave faces to Boycho Ognyanov and the entire White Church.
- One of the first reference books from the time of the electrification of Bulgaria — a book that remembers how electricity was introduced across the country, village by village, neighborhood by neighborhood.
- Part of a unique medical reference book, which, as far as we could determine, is kept in only two other libraries in Bulgaria - and in fragments.
Behind the display case, you will be greeted by our Kalina, who knows the story of each specimen and will show you around with patience and love.
Varna, 103 "Kapitan Raycho Nikolov" Str.
🕒 from 10-00 to 17-30, on weekdays.
We will only ask you one thing: when you have wandered enough through the past, do not forget to return to the present. Many more wonderful projects await you in our community center - and it is precisely for such meetings, in fact, that community centers were created, right?
Come on in. It'll be interesting.

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,

LE PAPILLON ART GALLERY

Presents

Desislava Mincheva

Dessislava Mincheva

С

“ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE"""

""ETHIOPIA / THE PEOPLE""

painting exhibition

from 06-тand to 31-вand October 2026

 Le Papillon Art Gallery is pleased to present to you from October 6th to October 31st, 2026. в exhibition of the latest works of the exceptional Desislava Mincheva, with which we continue to celebrate the Her 70th birthday, An extensive exhibition from different periods has begun in the halls of the Sofia Union of Artists.

The exhibition is a fascinating, picturesque travelogue of Ethiopia, in which, as the author shares, "„not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and his attachment to something outside of him, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth." And Desislava Mincheva is a true virtuoso in the ability not just to convey a palette of emotions, but to tell about an entire people and their culture, captured even in a single portrait.

Her creativity is genuine and frank, such is the personality of Desislava Mincheva herself – demanding of herself, strong and with a religious attitude towards beauty in everything. Her drawing is not an idealized beauty behind realism, but a true strong emotion, because art gives more than what we see in life. Her works provoke the creative forces of human nature to reflection, to creativity and inspire for life. Standing in front of the works ѝ A person imperceptibly finds himself in philosophical, aesthetic and moral dimensions, where he could seek answers about the transient and the impermanent, about mortality and eternity, about reality and ideals.

The exhibition that the author has prepared for the two exhibition halls of Le Papillon Art Gallery includes 27 impressive portraits, each of which is a small personal world. Deep feeling and absorption emanate from each work, presented simply and completely naturally, without unnecessary devices, only thanks to high painterly mastery and a rich inner world, ready to share and give. And the individual sensitivity of the viewer is the catalyst through which this emotion passes through us, shakes us, shows us another perspective on current issues and will probably leave a trace in the mind, and why not a strong imprint, such as Ethiopia left on Desislava Mincheva, as she herself shares: "„There are places that imprint themselves on you. The chaos of your voices and burdens, but also elevates you. What we went to Ethiopia for with my son - I found it! It was a tough trip, but I don't regret a single moment of it! We went during Epiphany (Timkat) and it was heartbreaking! I don't know what to say in short.. Reference books explain a lot of things, but somehow they fail to convey the important things. I still hope to convey through art the things that words cannot. I was somewhat prepared, but the truth always surpasses imagination, always! Or at least mine.

I am not religious, but when in Ethiopia I saw people who had spent the night in the garden in front of the temple, reading the Bible by candlelight, and when the sky above them turned pink and their cloaks from gray-purple in the darkness lit up in sparkling white with the first rays, I felt a kind of mystical awe and faith in the future of our world. When in the dust on the road beside me walked beautiful men and women in long robes, as if Biblical images, among herds of goats - calm and somehow proud in their poverty, when the priests emerged from the depths of the dug-out, ancient churches and the people followed them with reverence... all this simply nowill how not us raise above our everyday, petty battles and even smaller problems and yes, I want to be able to draw more and more! And I am increasingly amazed at artists trying to amaze the world with clichéd concepts, passing for wise discoveries. A The world is so unexpected, real life is so energizing, and each face is such a huge universe, so I don't know if this - both seeing and understanding it - is not a sufficient reason to make art? Maybe I'm too old to ignore what I've seen and felt, and I'm still searching for essence and truth beneath it, maybe it's from the years, and maybe - not...                                                                      ПI had coffee in poor, an Ethiopian farmyard and a cow kept getting into it. DWhile I was trying not to notice the terribly dirty glasses, wiped with no less dirty fingers, and a little girl was eating a geranium from a fan, a woman entered this courtyard silently. She had come there often, an old woman, in a gray dress, with a sad, dark face and bony hands. There was nothing to do... She stood for a while and left without saying a word. It's good that I managed to photograph it.! It could be a model for an entire artistic life. Is this a concept? Or just meaning and crace?

Nor Varanasi in India, nor Lalibela are places for everyone, you have to really want to go there! One is a drama, the other - a trance, one is depressing, the other is uplifting. In both places, for me at least, not nature, but Man is the main actor - with all his sins and virtues and with his faith in something outside himself, something strong and good, forgiving and putting an end to suffering here on earth.

Anyway, after the big exhibition in Sofia, I kept thinking about Ethiopia. And drawing the people. ѝ. In Varna I can't show all the big paintings, I also made some in small format. I hope these strong, sometimes tortured, but also beautiful faces to stir something in you! Something called humanity. These are memories of faces, places and thoughts that matter to me. And to give them to you – let everyone do with them what they need!

In 70 years, I have understood that the world may change dramatically, but man, deep down, has been the same for millennia. I believe that with my paintings I am gradually approaching towards myself and more importantly towards the essence of things, hopefully I'm on the right path.

I have been consciously drawing since the last century, more precisely since 1970, which means 56 years. Children's drawings do not come into the calculation at all, although some of them are more lively and certainly more spontaneous, brighter and much more fun than the current ones. I taught at the Academy and elsewhere for 40 years. I already know who I am and what I want, but it seems to me that I am still learning and will discover the world and myself, if, of course, God is gracious. Accept this exhibition simply as love - for people and for the profession! I have never cared whether I am modern or not, whether I fit into the changed world or stand outside of it. I have never wished for more than to have the opportunity to do the things I believe in and want. I have never felt overly tolerated or undervalued. I made my choice a long time ago and I only hope that it was not wrong. I do not compete with the Great Artists – I sincerely bow before them.

I compete with myself.

I wish I could jump higher, but… nature has given me so much. I am happy that I do not lose interest in the world, in people and in nature. I wish and I am going deeper and deeper into them. I am not afraid (anymore) to say the word „beauty“. In my opinion, it exists – both in life and in art. The paintings I make express my aspiration for it, let everyone understand it as they wish. I think that the precisely shifted layers in our lives, the broken harmony and the loss of ideals make me feel even more the need to create my own perfect world. And because ideals are presumably unattainable and if it is my destiny, I will still have at least a little way to go in pursuit of the things I dream of being able to do... one day... "

The exhibition can be seen from October 6 to 31, 2026. in the two exhibition halls of the gallery in Varna,