Born 1991 in Smolyan, Bulgaria
Lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden
desia.ava@gmail.com
Desia • Ava (b.1991) is a Bulgarian-born visual artist based in Stockholm. Desia works with diverse artistic mediums-sculpture, installation, digital art, collectible design. Her material palette includes raw materials (wood, metal, stone), invisible and non-solid materials (water, sound, mist, scent), edibles (sugar, jelly, salt). Desia’s artistic research is focused on creating sensory, meditative and mindful experiences. Her work explores the element of scale, of the micro worlds and the way they are connected to the universal.
EXHIBITIONS (selected)
Solo shows
2022 INTANGIBLE - Una boccata d’arte / Galleria Continua. Fumone, Italy
2021Water on Mars - Limestone quarry, Bulgaria.
2020 New Rituals - Konstfack degree project. Stockholm, Sweden
2020 New Rituals - Online exhibition Don’t Try This at Home, Antilia Gallery.
2019 Objects for Contemplation: Water rituals and exercises on being imperfect. Konstfack, Stockhokm, Sweden.
Group Shows
2024 Liljevalchs Vårsalongen 2024. Spring Salon 9 Feb-21 April 2024
2023 ID:I Galleri, Materialities, Stockholm.
2023 Stockholm Art Week, På Segels Torg
2023 Stockholm Art Week Spökparken, Lusthuset
2022Chealsea NYC, Galerie Philia.
2021Transhumances, Chateau de Barjac, Galerie Philia, France.
2020 Atelier Sophie Cauvin, Galerie Philia, Bruxelles, Belgium.
2019 Young designers: Collectible Bruxelles, Belgium
2018 Walking on sugar: Performance, Konstfack Research Week, Stockholm, Sweden.
2017 Design Monat Graz: Selected, Creative Industries Styria, Museum of Natural History, Graz
EDUCATION
The Gram Ounce, Food & Art Alternative M.A. (2024)
Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm (2023)
Post-master in Fine Art
Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden (2021) Sound design and Interaction
Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Sweden (2020) Master of Fine Arts in Spatial design
London Metropolitan University Sir John CASS Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design (2016)
Master of Arts in Product Design
Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Università della Svizzera Italiana / ARCHIP (2014)
Bachelor in Architecture
Università per Stranieri di Perugia 2009
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2024 Selected artist for Liljevalchs Vårsalongen 2024. Spring Salon 2024.
2023 Finalist Design Parade Hyères Villa Noailles.
2022 Creative grant. National Cultural Fund
2022 Selected artist for Lazio region for Una Boccata d'arte 2022; Fondazione Elpis / Galleria Continua;
2021 Creative grant. National Cultural Fund
2020 Creative grant. National Cultural Fund
2017 Selected for a trial at Fabrica di Benetton Reserach Center, Treviso, Italy;
PUBLICATIONS
"Don't Get a Job…Make a Job New Edition: Inventive career models for next-gen creatives", Gem Barton, 2023-Laurence King Publishing; New edition (14 Sept. 2023)
"Materialities; energies", 2023-Royal Institute of Art.
“Una Boccata d’arte 2022”, 2022-Fondazione Elpis/Galleria Continua
Don’t Try This At Home” 2021, Antilia Gallery
“Landscapes of Consumption”, 2019, Konstfack University press
CLIENTS
Kris Build Group / Trivium Center
Innato Interiors NYC
Artlink
Galerie Philia