Bogdana Topreva’s ‘Obsession’ jewellery art exhibition opens in Sofia on September 23
An exhibition entitled “Obsession” by Bogdana Topreva opens at the Sofia Press Gallery and Bookstore at 29 Slavyanska Street in Bulgaria’s capital on September 23 at 6pm and continues until October 14 2026.
The exhibition is presented by the Union of Bulgarian Artists and Sofia Press Gallery and Bookstore.
Topreva is a creator of designer jewellery. For more than three decades, she has explored jewellery not merely as an object intended to adorn the body, but as one of the most ancient forms of human self-awareness—a person’s attempt to place a material mark upon themselves signifying their place in the world.
Topreva’s interest has shifted from the object itself to the image, from the image to the narrative, and gradually — to the space as a whole.
In this context, her two latest collections — “Invisible Roofs / Sofia – Paris” — represent a natural continuation of this exploration.
Images captured by drone over Sofia — and later over the rooftops of Paris — transform urban architecture into the foundation for a piece of jewellery. Viewed from above, the city ceases to be merely a city; it becomes a pattern, a structure, a puzzle of colours and shapes.
It is precisely this perspective — invisible in everyday life — that Topreva seeks to translate into the language of the crafted object, turning fragments of the cityscape into personal artifacts. Thus, urban space contracts to the intimate scale of the body, and the piece of jewellery once again becomes a mediator between the individual and their environment.
The “Obsession” exhibition traces over three decades of creative inquiry and experimentation with the form, material, and meaning of jewellery.
Bringing together works from various periods alongside her latest explorations, it stands as one of the most extensive retrospectives of contemporary art jewellery ever presented in the country.
In it, Topreva unites the different stages of her work not merely as a dry chronology, but as an exploration of an enduring creative obsession: the drive to discover new possibilities for jewellery and to push its boundaries.
In this sense, “Obsession” also poses a question about boundaries: where does the ornament end and the sign begin? When does a material carry not just form, but memory, symbol, and meaning?
For Topreva, the art of jewellery design represents precisely this opportunity: to transform the invisible into tangible form and allow that form to speak for itself.
Topreva graduated from the National Academy of Art in Sofia with a Master’s degree in Industrial Design in 1992. She received an award from the Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA) at the inaugural exhibition of the jewellery section in 1998. In 2012 and 2025, she participated in the residency program at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, where she held solo exhibitions—first in the cultural centre’s gallery (2012) and later in her residency studio (2025).
Since 1992, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions both in Bulgaria and abroad, and her work is regularly featured in the annual exhibitions of the UBA jewellery Section. She has held eight solo exhibitions — in Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna, and Paris — as well as several showcases in Sofia.
