Artist
Vera Hadzhiyska
Vera Hadzhiyska is a Bulgarian multidisciplinary artist, curator, and photography lecturer based in Portsmouth, England. Her practice explores themes of migration, cultural and national identity, history, and collective memory. Her work begins autobiographically, tracing family narratives and shared traumas. Through the use of photography, archival documents, audio and video installations Vera examines historical and political events in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, their impact on people’s lives and identity.
As a curator, Vera has worked extensively with the Rethinking Eastern Collective, showcasing contemporary visual artists who challenge and redefine perceptions of ‘Eastern Europe.’ Over the past four years, she has also been active in promoting contemporary Korean art and photography in the UK.
Vera holds BA and MA degrees in Photography from the University of Portsmouth and has exhibited internationally across Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, France, Kosovo, the UK and South Korea. Her work has been recognised with numerous awards and grants, including the VID Foundation for Photography Award (2020), Danny Wilson Memorial Award (2022), Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice Grant (2021), Belfast Exposed Future Curators Award (2023), and British Korean Society Grants (2023 and 2024).
Your Name
“Your Name” is the second chapter of Vera Hadzhiyska’s long-term documentary project “With the Name of a Flower”. The project comprises several multi-media components produced from field research in Bulgaria between 2017 and 2022. The project examines the forced name changes imposed on the Bulgarian Muslim population - particularly Pomak and Turkish communities - during the "Revival Process" (1912–1989), a policy of systemic repression aimed at erasing Muslim identity in favour of a Slavic, nationalist ideal.
Rooted in historical context and personal heritage, “With the Name of a Flower” addresses the ongoing repercussions of this cultural trauma. The work reflects on how the imposition of new names and identities fractured generational memory, reshaped personal narratives, and redefined a community’s sense of belonging. Through photography, film, interviews, and archival material, the project seeks to unearth voices long silenced and bring to light suppressed histories.
“Your Name” documents people and places with quiet intimacy. The images were made during a trip to Bulgaria in September 2021 when Vera met with people from the Pomak and Turk communities. This work is part of an ongoing investigation into the sense of identity and belonging of Muslim people in Bulgaria and how the events of the past have affected their contemporary life and identity. Through her work Vera confronts the silence surrounding this chapter in Bulgarian history, offering space for reflection, dialogue, and healing.
Katarina Radović: The Performative Anthropologist
Katarina Radović is selected for her unique ability to blend documentary photography with a sharp, performative, and often witty anthropological lens. Her work investigates the "theatre of the everyday", focusing on social rituals, gender roles, and the construction of identity within specific cultural frameworks.
- Why she fits Futures: Radović’s practice is essential for the platform because it critiques contemporary social structures through a sense of irony and deep empathy. Whether exploring the kitsch of wedding rituals or the performative nature of the "selfie" culture, her work invites viewers to question the authenticity of the roles we play in society. Her established yet evolving voice provides a bridge between traditional social commentary and contemporary conceptual practice.
Vera Hadzhiyska: The Guardian of Memory
Vera Hadzhiyska is a multidisciplinary photographer whose work is deeply rooted in research, archival intervention, and the politics of identity. Her projects, most notably those dealing with the "Names Process" in Bulgaria and the forced displacement of minority groups, demonstrate a profound commitment to uncovering silenced histories.
- Why she fits Futures: Hadzhiyska represents the "research-as-art" movement that is vital to the future of photography. Her ability to weave personal family narratives with broader geopolitical traumas makes her work both deeply moving and politically urgent. By selecting Vera, the project highlights the importance of photography as a tool for reconciliation, historical preservation, and the exploration of "belonging" in a post-migration Europe.
Alexis Cismas: The Poetic Documentarian
Alexis Cismas is chosen for her sensitive, tactile, and highly psychological approach to the image. His work moves away from the grand narrative to focus on the "micro-moments", the fragility of human connection, the emotional residue of domestic spaces, and the quiet tension between presence and absence.
- Why she fits Futures: Alexis brings a cinematic and lyrical quality to the selection. Her projects display a sophisticated understanding of light, texture, and the "unspoken" aspects of photography. She represents a generation of artists who use the camera not just to see the world, but to feel it. Her inclusion ensures the project encompasses the interior, psychological landscapes that define the contemporary human experience.
The synergy between these three artists creates a powerful narrative arc for the Futures Photography project. From Radović’s extroverted social critiques and Hadzhiyska’s archival depth to Cismas’s introverted psychological portraits, this selection offers a comprehensive look at the state of contemporary photography: an art form that is simultaneously a witness to history, a mirror to society, and a map of the human soul.
The members atof the jury:
Andrei Budescu, photographer and university professor, former dean of UAD (University of Art and Design), Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Panagiotis Papoutsis, photographer and former artistic director of Ioannina Photo Festival, Greece
Dorel Găină, photographer and university professor, former dean of UAD (University of Art and Design), Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Sebastian Vaida, photographer and artistic director of Photo Romania Festival, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
