Vera Hadzhiyska was born 1993 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Since 2014 she lives and studies in Portsmouth, England. Vera is a photographer, mixed media artist and aspiring curator. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Photography from the University of Portsmouth with first class honors and is currently studying MA Photography to further her research and practical work.
Her migration from Bulgaria to England is a great influence and inspiration to Vera’s practice. The study of migration, cultural identity and collective memory is central to her work. It has led to the interrogation of personal and family narratives in connection to national history and significant historical events in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe. Working with the photography archive, mapping and utilizing audio-video elements and self-portraiture in her work, has helped Vera better understand and portray the migrant experience and the consequences of forced and voluntary migration and cultural change.
