Hi, I’m Ivaylo Saraliyski – a visual artist, researcher, and educator based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Born in 1993, I work at the intersection of digital art, emerging technologies, and symbolic systems. My creative practice is rooted in the visual language of Tarot, mysticism, and esoteric imagery, exploring how archetypes and metaphysical symbols shape culture, perception, and contemporary visual narratives.
Most of my time is spent working as a Creative Director in the advertising world, where I navigate ideas, images, and communication strategies on a daily basis. When I’m not doing that, I teach as an Assistant Professor at New Bulgarian University, where I research and lecture on visual arts and symbolic systems. Across both roles, I’m driven by a fascination with how ancient knowledge can be reimagined through modern tools and digital culture.
→ 2026 – Participation in the exhibition “Prints & Images” by students and alumni of the BA in Visual Arts program at New Bulgarian University, UniArt Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2025 – Participation in the exhibition “General setting”, The Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA), Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2025 – Participation in the exhibition “Entropy, Energy, Ecstasy” of the lecturers from NBU, Department of Arts and Design, at nOva arts space, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2025 – Participation in the SAW (Sofia art week) 8, Doza Gallery & Krasno Selo Municipal Cultural Institute, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2025 – Participation in the experimental contemporary art festival Buna. In collaboration with Darina Naydenova, New Ventura space, Varna, Bulgaria
→ 2025 – Participation in exhibition "A/POLITICAL" organized by The artist at play, Bobina Cultural space, 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
→ 2024 – “Bringing Art to Life”, Pop-up Art Exhibition in Collaboration with The Blacks Agency, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2024 – Participation in the Autumn Salon, Rusy Karabiberov Gallery, Nova Zagora, Bulgaria
→ 2024 – Participation in the Virtual Exhibition “Infinity”, Florence Contemporary Gallery, Florence, Italy
→ 2024 – Participation in the Virtual Exhibition “Synergy”, The Alchemical Art Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
→ 2022 – Participation in the Dare-Zine Magazine Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2022 – “THE BIG SCAN/M”, Joint Exhibition with Pavlina Obretenova, Dosa Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2022 – Participation in the Exhibition “The Secret Garden”, Little Bird Place Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2021 – Participation in the Exhibition of Faculty, PhD Students, and Students – “Forms of Communication”, Dosa Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2020 – Participation in the 115th Anniversary Exhibition of the Graphics Department, Academy Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2019 – Participation in the 8th National Triennale of Graphic Arts, UBA, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2017 – Participation in the Exhibition “Inside – Outside”, Union of Bulgarian Artists (UBA), Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2016 – Participation in “Students and Lecturers Exhibition of the Printmaking Department at NAA”, Warsaw, Poland
→ 2016 – Participation in the 9th Edition of the International Festival of Young Artists Via Pontica, Balchik, Bulgaria
→ 2015 – Internship and Participation in Exhibition, ARTBOX Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2014 – First Graphic Workshop at TU, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ 2013 – Charity Exhibition “Let’s Restore the Shine of 2013”, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral-Memorial, Sofia, Bulgaria
→ Saraliyski, I. (2025). “The introduction of Tarot in Bulgaria. Artistic influences and cultural transformation in the 1990s.” Disciplina Variabilis, Doctoral and postdoctoral conference proceedings, Sofia, Bulgaria, pp. 314–336. ISSN 2815-536X.
→ 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.