‘Sofia Etchings: A Journey into the Past’ exhibition of works by Ukrainian artist Myronenko

An exhibition of works by Ukrainian artist Vasyl Myronenko entitled “Sofia Etchings: A Journey into the Past” has opened at the National Academy Arts’s Terasa Gallery and is on until October 3 2025.

The exhibition has been organised in partnership with the Ukrainian embassy and with the support of Sofia municipality, and opened on September 17, the Day of Sofia.

Myronenko (1910 – 1964) graduated from the Kharkiv Art Institute, now the State Academy of Design and Arts, after which he taught there, becoming head of the Graphics Department.

He visited Bulgaria in spring 1956, with impressions of his trip captured in a series of colour etchings in 1956 and 1957.

Ukrainian ambassador to Bulgaria Olesya Ilashchuk, speaking at the exhibition opening, emphasised Ukrainian-Bulgarian artistic and cultural ties, which she said had a centuries-old tradition, dating back to the era of Kyivan Rus and the First Bulgarian Kingdom.

“The beginning of our cultural ties are rooted in the traditions of decorative art, as well as in the schools of fresco and icon painting,” she said.

“On behalf of Ukraine, I wish to extend heartfelt thanks to the Bulgarian people for their assistance, solidarity, support, understandings and readiness to defend together our common values,” Ilashchuk said.

Myronenko’s etchings offer a wonderful insight into the city’s modern development while preserving its historic architectural heritage, she said.

The Terasa Gallery is on the fifth floor of the National Academy of Arts building, 1 Shipka Street, Sofia.