Youlian Tabakov is a visual artist, set and costume designer whose work spans draw-ings, objects, photography, large-scale installations, and fully immersive visual environments. His practice is defined by a deep spatial awareness and a fascination with how images occupy and transform the spaces around them – as physical presence, as memory, and as emotional experience.
He received an international education, studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London (2001–2002), completing a Master’s degree in Fine Arts at ENS des Beaux-Arts, Paris (1997–2002), and training in scenography at the National Academy of Arts “Nikolay Pavlovich”, Sofia (2000). This diverse background laid the foundation for a practice where visual art, stage design, and installation merge seamlessly.
Visual art lies at the core of Tabakov’s artistic identity. In long-term cycles and solo exhibitions such as “Moments” (2015, 2017, 2019), “Portrait of a Dying Titan” (2021), “Vacuum” (2021), “Real/Apparent Real” (2022, 2023), and “I See You” (2024–2025), he constructs immersive visual worlds that operate as independent realities. These projects often combine drawing, objects, photography, and text, and are adapted to diverse architectural and institu-
tional settings.
His work has been exhibited in leading cultural institutions and venues in Bulgaria and abroad, including Raiko Alexiev Gallery, Sofia (2021, 2023), Gallery Cube – Toplocentrala, Sofia (2022), the National Library and the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (2024–2025), the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin (2023), as well as
galleries and public spaces in Plovdiv, Varna, and Ruse (2019–2024). Internationally, his projects have been presented in Stockholm, Prague, Venice, and Marano Lagunare (2014–2025).
Tabakov’s work operates on both a physical and conceptual scale. Space is never a mere backdrop but an active, meaningful element. Whether in an exhibition space, on a theater stage, or in a public setting, his visual structures invite the viewer into a state of active perception and shared experience.
Alongside his exhibition practice, he is active as an illustrator and creator of visual projects for books and artist editions (1997–2025). In film, his documentary “Tsvetanka” (2012) received international acclaim and multiple awards, including Zagreb DOX, Ladakh IFF, Sofia Film Fest, CPH:DOX, DOK Leipzig, and Doc Fortnight – MoMA, New York (2012–2013), further establishing his visual language beyond gallery and stage.
His recognitions include the Askeer Award for costume design (2013), the “Golden Century” Award for contributions to Bulgarian culture (2011), awards for drawing and illustration from the Museum of Illustration, New York (2016, 2018), and numerous professional honors in visual arts and stage design.
