01. About
Ivaylo Saraliyski (b. 1993) is a Bulgarian visual artist, researcher, and educator based in Sofia, Bulgaria. His interdisciplinary practice bridges traditional printmaking and contemporary digital aesthetics, focusing on the symbolic language of Tarot, mysticism, and esoteric iconography. Through his work, he investigates how archetypes and metaphysical imagery shape cultural narratives, perception, and the evolving visual landscape.
Exploring the intersections between the sacred and the psychological, Saraliyski reinterprets the Tarot not only as a divinatory tool but as a living visual system—an open text where transformation, intuition, and myth converge. His practice navigates this terrain through deeply layered compositions that merge historical symbolism with modern sensibility, often using light, color, and shadow to explore the dynamics of revelation and concealment.
Alongside his artistic work, Saraliyski is an Assistant Professor at New Bulgarian University, where he teaches and researches in the field of visual arts and symbolic systems. His academic and creative contributions seek to foster new understandings of ancient knowledge, reimagined for a contemporary world.
02. Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
→ 2020 – Solo Exhibition “LET THERE BE LIGHT”, Intro Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2021 – Solo Exhibition “LET THERE BE COLOR”, Intro Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
Selected Group and Collective Exhibitions
→ 2013 – Charity Exhibition “Let’s Restore the Shine of 2013”, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral-Memorial, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2014 – First Graphic Workshop at TU, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2015 – Internship and Participation in Exhibition, ARTBOX Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2016 – Participation in the 9th Edition of the International Festival of Young Artists Via Pontica, Balchik, Bulgaria
→ 2016 – Participation in “Students and Lecturers Exhibition of the Printmaking Department at NAA”, Warsaw, Poland
→ 2017 – Participation in the Exhibition “Inside – Outside”, Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA), Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2019 – Participation in the 8th National Triennale of Graphic Arts, UBA, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2020 – Participation in the 115th Anniversary Exhibition of the Graphics Department, Academy Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2021 – Participation in the Exhibition of Faculty, PhD Students, and Students – “Forms of Communication”, Dosa Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2022 – Participation in the Exhibition “The Secret Garden”, Little Bird Place Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2022 – “THE BIG SCAN/M”, Joint Exhibition with Pavlina Obretenova, Dosa Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2022 – Participation in the Dare-Zine Magazine Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2024 – Participation in the Virtual Exhibition “Synergy”, The Alchemical Art Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
→ 2024 – Participation in the Virtual Exhibition “Infinity”, Florence Contemporary Gallery, Florence, Italy
→ 2024 – Participation in the Autumn Salon, Rusy Karabiberov Gallery, Nova Zagora, Bulgaria
→ 2024 – “Bringing Art to Life”, Pop-up Art Exhibition in Collaboration with The Blacks Agency, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2024 – Participation in the “Symbiosis” Exhibition of Faculty from the Department of Arts and Design, New Bulgarian University, “Boris Hristov” Museum, Sofia, Bulgaria
03. Publications
→ Saraliyski, I. (2025). “Originality and Stylistic Ambiguity in AI Art.” Management and Marketing Issues in Art, Proceedings Volume XII/2024, AMTII, pp. 191–200. ISSN: 2603-462X.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2024). “The Many Faces of the Devil: Artistic and Semiotic Transformations of the Devil’s Image in Tarot Cards.” Collection of Scientific Publications, Issue 9, 2024, Department of Design, NBU, pp. 205–216. ISSN: 1314–7188.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2024). “Historical and Cultural Roots of Tarot Cards: An Analysis of Their Origin and Evolution.” History Journal, Issue 4, Az-buki, pp. 290–302. ISSN: 1314-8524.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2023). “The Transformation of the Popess into the High Priestess in Tarot Cards.” Collection of Scientific Publications, Issue 8, 2022–2023, Department of Design, NBU, pp. 243–251. ISSN: 1314–7188.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2023). “The Triumph of Death in Film Art.” Yearbook of the Department of Cinema, Advertising and Show Business, NBU, pp. 153–174. ISSN: 2535-1079.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2023). “NFT Markets as an Alternative Environment for Generative Art.” Management and Marketing Issues in Art, Proceedings Volume VI/2022, AMTII, pp. 190–196. ISSN: 2815-519X.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2023). “The Challenge of Difference: The Adventures of the Italian Traitor and the Hanged Man in the Unconventional World.” Language and Publicity, Vol. 12, NBU, pp. 48–58. ISSN: 2367-575.
→ Saraliyski, I. (2022). “The Art of Tarot from the Renaissance to the Present Day.” Collection of Scientific Publications, Issue 7, 2021–2022, Departments of Design, Architecture, and Fine Arts, NBU, pp. 155–168. ISSN: 1314–7188.