Sonia Ruskov from Germany is a guest with "Waking dreams" in the "Mexican" house of the City Art Gallery - Plovdiv

The Bulgarian artist Sonia Ruskov, who has been living in Germany for 24 years, chose for her debut in front of the Plovdiv public the exhibition space "Mexican Art" at the City Art Gallery - Plovdiv (11 "Artin Gidikov" Street, Old Town).

On October 11 at 18:00 she will open her exhibition "Waking Dreams".

The paintings of Sonia Ruskov reflect the anxieties of the man of the XXI century, inherent to the author: "In the modern times in which we live, we sometimes ask ourselves: are we dreaming or is everything that is happening a reality - pandemic, wars, climate changes? The theme of our lives turned upside down during the pandemic is vividly touched upon in the figurative composition depicting frightened and inadequate people, including animals in unusual poses, surrounded by strange objects against the background of a theater hall where the seats are turned. Another painting expresses the symbolism of the human quest for freedom through the naked body of a woman locked in a cage and guarded by a mythical beast, a symbol of the looming threat to humanity”.

The longing for freedom is also the basis of other paintings in the exhibition. The artist develops philosophical themes about good and evil and the eternal struggle between them, presenting them through biblical characters and references. The dangers threatening humanity are recreated in works with the titles "Babylon I" and "Babylon II". Even paintings in the landscape genre carry the message of preserving the common home in which we all live.

The "Waking Dreams" exhibition will be open until October 31.

Sonia Ruskov holds a master's degree in "Restoration and Conservation" from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia (1984). From 1985 to 2000, she worked at the National Gallery in Sofia as an artist-restorer.

Since 1995, she has been a member of the SBH. Since 2000, she lives and works as an artist and artist-restorer in Germany, and since 2016 she is a member of the Professional Union of German Artists.

Between 1985 and 2017, Sonia Ruskov had solo exhibitions in Sofia (Bulgaria), Paris (France), Cape Town (South Africa), Rome (Italy) and in many cities in Germany. Next: Solo exhibition in BKI - Berlin (2028); Azure Gallery, Spa, Belgium (2019); Westend Gallery, Frankfurt am Main (2020); Winning competition "The City and the Land' 21" of the Union of Artists in Germany, Mönchengladbach (2021); Solo exhibitions in Bratislava and Banska Bystrica, Slovakia (2021); Gallery-Museum "Anel" Sofia (2023); "Hanzeanum", Krefeld, Germany (2024).

Presented in general exhibitions at "Gründerzentrum", Willich, Germany (2023); The National Museum in Kevelar, Germany (2024). She is included in group exhibitions in Dusseldorf, Bonn, Krefeld and many other German cities, as well as in Sofia, Varna, Pomorie in our country.

She participated in the restoration of the Bulgarian monasteries: Troyanski, Rila, Klifarevski and Zemenski, as well as a number of churches.

Between 2012 and 2024, she was the head of numerous projects under the "Culture and Schools" program in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Her works are in Bulgarian galleries and museums, as well as in state and private collections in South Africa, Italy, France, Holland, Germany and Bulgaria.