Vasilena Stancheva

I am a Bulgarian sculptor and medallic artist based in Sofia. My practice focuses on medallic sculpture, small-scale metal sculpture, and coin design. I explore memory, time, and the ways the past remains present. Through relief, texture, and the tactile qualities of metal, I create works that move between the intimate scale of the art medal and the spatial presence of sculpture. I also experiment with combining metal with glass, wood, and ceramics.

I hold a master’s degree in Metal from the National Academy of Art in Sofia, where I am currently a PhD student and part-time lecturer. My designs have been realized as two commemorative coins issued by the Bulgarian National Bank, and I have received awards in national coin-design competitions. I am a member of FIDEM (International Art Medal Federation), and my work has been presented at international exhibitions, symposia, and medallic projects across Europe, Asia, and the United States.

PhD Student
National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
2025 - present

Master’s Degree in Metal
National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
2024

Bachelor’s Degree in Metal
National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
2022

**2026** — *Structures of Silence*, solo exhibition, Arosita Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria.

**2026** — *35 Years of the Metal Department*, National Museum Earth and Man, Sofia, Bulgaria.

**2026** — *Existential*, Orlovska Gallery, Gabrovo, Bulgaria.

**2025–2026** — XXXVIII FIDEM World Exhibition of Modern Medallic Art, *Our Myths, Our Roots*, Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich, Germany.

**2024** — *Fragments of Memory*, solo exhibition of medallic sculpture, Resbiomed Medical Center, Sofia, Bulgaria.

**2023** — XVI International Symposium of Medals, Kremnica, Slovakia.

**2023** — XXXVII FIDEM World Congress, Florence, Italy.

**2021** — XXXVI FIDEM Art Medal Congress, Tokyo, Japan.

**2021** — *In the Beginning Is Nature 2*, National Sculpture Exhibition, Union of Bulgarian Artists, Sofia, Bulgaria.