Art in Exile: Creating to Exist — The Odyssey of Hristo Mavrev

Hristo Mavrev @Mor Arkadir

"I create to dream, and I dream of horizons that are waiting to be unveiled", says Hristo Mavrev. A highly sensitive soul, Hristo is an artist in constant search of identity, who has managed to express through his work the inner contradictions and emotional wounds he carries. His travels around the world have shaped his career, drawing inspiration not only from the places he visits but especially from the people he meets along the way. His artistic techniques—both original and deeply rooted in his Bulgarian heritage—have made him a unique figure with an extraordinary journey. A strong-willed personality, Hristo has broken away from conventional norms to develop a style all his own, at the crossroads of many worlds. Raised under the rigidity of the communist regime in Bulgaria, he managed to escape its constraints and reclaim the imagination that had once been stolen from him. Dreams of emancipation, recognition, and the discovery of freedom of expression have shaped the stages of his atypical professional journey. Portrait of a renowned artist with a future already mapped out.

From Self-Discovery to Emancipation

"I always sign my work in Cyrillic—it's my way of staying connected to my Bulgarian roots", Hristo proudly states. His origins are a subtle yet powerful presence in most of his creations.

Born in 1975 in Razlog, Bulgaria, Hristo grew up in a strict environment that left little room for artistic dreams. A profound sense of exclusion at an early age set him on a path far from the beaten track.

Hristo Mavrev @ Frédéric Journès

"I always wanted to be an artist, but the society I grew up in was against me—I was too gay, too feminine, too effeminate, too different. I was constantly searching for myself and always going against the tide. "I excelled at singing and art at school", but I wasn’t happy. Eventually, I left my village—first for bigger bulgarian cities, then I flew to England where my real life began", he recounts.

After studying art for eight years in Bulgaria, Hristo moved to the UK, where he was finally able to embrace his sexuality. He discovered Western sexual freedom, LGBTQ life (still taboo then in Bulgaria), and a modern existence far from stereotypes—he could finally be himself. Undocumented, he worked as a cleaner in a transgender hotel and entered the art world through meaningful encounters. This newfound freedom gave him a deep sense of fulfillment. “In Bulgaria, I felt like someone had stolen my imagination—I was empty. Bulgarian education creates a society of clones that must fit into molds without questioning. The West opened my mind. I met artists with incredible ideas who could express themselves in ways other than painting, using a wide range of media. That’s when I realised the immense possibilities that were open to me," he reflects.

"My time in England was a very positive period—it taught me to unlearn what I had been taught in Bulgaria, which is not easy. Even today, I’m sure some of my traumas still show through in my art", he continues.

Hristo Mavrev @ Virginie Khalifa

Greece: A Turning Point

After five years apart from his family, Hristo learned they were relocating to Greece and decided to join them."I needed to reestablish that connection", he explains. Greece brought him both professional and personal fulfillment. Soon after his arrival, he met Frédéric Journès, a French diplomat who would become his husband and is now an ambassador.

Determined and ambitious, Hristo enrolled in new art studies focused on Photoshop, illustration, and graphic design."During my second year, I met a woman at a publishing house who said: 'You have incredible talent—you must get your name out there,'"he recalls.

Everything then accelerated. He created his first digital artworks, experimented with color and composition, and eventually delved into digital collages—pushing the limits of form and meaning.

"I start by drawing, then I paint and scan. Honestly, I think I’m more talented with my hands than with a computer. In Bulgaria, we were taught to paint specific themes and follow instructions, but over time I realized that each idea could be approached differently depending on the technique. Every technique has its own language, and I love blending them—it all depends on how I feel. I also love working with shadow and light as a foundation", Hristo explains.

@Hristo Mavrev

Inventive Techniques

Hristo compares the act of creation to pregnancy. His ideas come instinctively, often depending on where he is.“Inspiration is only a tiny moment in the creation process. When I’m not comfortable with my surroundings, I draw. Then, the idea explodes later when I feel safe and calm. The concept boils inside me, and when the time is right, it’s expelled onto the canvas. That’s how my work is born—through a true process of creation. When I’m upset, I gather ideas. When I’m calm, I bring them to life", he says.

To Hristo, artists must "be happy to create", as "happiness gives strength."

"Insecurity doesn’t allow me to create. True art is born when you turn sorrow into something beautiful and meaningful. The viewer doesn’t need to see the artist’s pain on the canvas—they just need to feel it in their own way", he adds.

With more than a decade of experience in collage, Hristo has mastered a technique that mirrors his personal journey—bridging past and present. He uses adhesive tape as a base, layered with paint, to create abstract works that echo his life story.

"I think collage has helped me fix something inside myself—I needed to piece things back together. I wanted to cut ties with my roots, but the past catches up with you. No one can exist without connections. My art has been a way to re-anchor myself in reality", he confides.

Hristo also uses hard surfaces such as plexiglass or rigid cardboard. Recently, he developed his own unique medium inspired by the traditions of his native village: acrylic skins. These are made from layers of gel and paint, dried and detached from plexiglas to form translucent sheets.

He then hangs them in plexiglas boxes, playing with light and transparency to symbolize vulnerability and self-revelation. He describes this process as a way to "see through the skin", expressing his desire to reveal the deeper layers of human identity.

"Creating these skins is a great source of pride for me. It’s a real discovery—I simply dared to experiment. This technique has become my signature. It allows me to work with curves and volumes to create a sense of depth", says Hristo.

"Man to Man": Tradition in the Service of Creation

Bulgarian folklore—especially the Kukeri festival—has had a major influence on Hristo Mavrev’s work. In this ritual, participants wear goat-skin costumes to chase away evil spirits. Hristo reinterprets these traditions to explore modern themes of identity and transformation.

In the exhibition "Man to Man",presented in Switzerland, Hristo and his brother explore sexual identity through the lens of the Kukeri festival, blending ancient rituals with contemporary expressions of masculinity and vulnerability.

@Ivan Eskoto Wikipédia

"With my brother Marin, a ceramicist based in Berlin, we returned to our native village of Razlog to reconnect with our traditions. This exhibition reflects the work of two brothers who suffered—but in different ways. Marin created three ceramic pieces and I painted three works. All of them were inspired by the Kukeri carnival that takes place in Razlog every January 1st", Hristo explains.

A Solo Exhibition in Tel Aviv: The Ultimate Recognition

After living in the UK, Greece, France, and Switzerland, Hristo and his husband moved to Israel in 2023—just before the outbreak of war. These multicultural experiences deeply shaped Hristo’s work, which explores themes of metamorphosis, light, and self-liberation.

Israel offered Hristo the opportunity to fully showcase his gift with his largest solo exhibition to date: "Beyond the Light", held at Sheetrit & Wolf Gallery in Tel Aviv in December 2024. The exhibition traced Mavrev’s journey from his childhood in Bulgaria to his current life in Israel. The works evolve from dark, protective motifs to luminous, vibrant compositions. Early series like Chrysalids use images of armor and protective clothing to symbolize the shell he built in Bulgaria. More recent works created in Israel are marked by layers of light and color.

@Frédéric Journès

"When the October 7 attacks happened, we had only been in Israel a few months."I started sketching scenes involving violent flashes and tormented images inspired by the ongoing conflict"—I poured all my pain from those awful days into drawings. At an opening, I was offered a solo show, an extraordinary opportunity that I seized immediately. I created 26 works spread over two floors. It was a very special moment. I met amazing people and was finally able to showcase my work in the Middle East", Hristo says proudly.

@Hristo Mavrev

His muse? Hristo deeply admires the work of Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz, who explores the intersections of art, science, philosophy, and digital culture through installations, sculptures, videos, and paintings.

Always eager to delve deeper into artistic introspection, Hristo now dreams of venturing into 3D and sculpture. “I want to move into dimensional art,” he concludes—signaling yet another step forward into unexplored territory.

Caroline Haïat