Gergana Rahneva – Exhibition “The Kimono of the Goldfish – Travels”

1 April – 4 May 2025

Opening: April 1, 2025, 6:00 PM

Each exhibition is the result of a search, experience, and expertise of an artist who addresses the viewer with her own metaphor for reality. Gergana Rahneva and her exhibition are a reflection of the unknown and impressive culture of China, a visual story about what she has learned and understood during her long life in this country.

“The goldfish kimono, can a fish have a kimono and fly? Of course it can, it depends on which side of the sea you look at. The exhibition arose as an idea, from the period when we lived in China. During the pandemic, I was staying there with my family and had enough time to stay at home and create. The first kimono of “Goldfish” – a triptych, was painted on the occasion of an international exhibition in the city of Beijing (China), where I have the honor of participating among a few Bulgarians, one of whom is the great Marin Varbanov.

In China, the goldfish is a symbol of prosperity, wealth, fulfillment of desires, happiness and longevity. What can a person dream of, except for longevity, freedom of spirit and body. During the pandemic, your only thought is how to be the same free, independent and traveling person again. That is why the goldfish appeared, and the kimono became its indispensable companion. With or without a kimono, she swims, flies and seeks her happiness. She flies and flies from faraway China back here at home. Returning to her native waters, she, the fish, puts on and takes off her kimono, swims and seeks her new island, a new garment, seeks freedom of spirit and body… travels….“

Gergana Rahneva

Gergana Rahneva is a Bulgarian artist known for her work in painting and other artistic mediums. She graduated with a degree in “Church Arts” from the Orthodox Theological Faculty and later pursued a master’s degree in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Veliko Tarnovo University in Bulgaria. Rahneva has gained recognition for her exhibitions, especially with one of them titled “Along the Long Road,” which featured 25 paintings, 50 painted fans, and 9 wooden blocks. This exhibition was showcased in Chongqing, a city in China with over 30 million residents, where she and her family have been living for a period of time. Her work reflects a blend of cultural influences, and she has been active in the art communities of both Bulgaria and abroad, including exhibitions in the Netherlands.