Where were you born?
In Sofia, Bulgaria in 1982.
Where do you live now?
In Vienna, Austria since 2003
What’s your sign?
Capricorn with an ascendant Leo.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
In communist Bulgaria, foreign music was not allowed but sneaked in time to time. My first dream was to be like Kenny Rogers, singing songs with life stories. I do have many of my own songs and might do a record at some point. I spent many years playing the piano, but wanting to be an archeologist working in Central America. My parents and their parents are artists, so the visual art, poetry, dance and film influence was huge. At 12 years old I was sent to art classes to prepare for art school exams. At age 13 I started my education at the National High School for Fine Arts.
How did that transpose into bodypainting?
My biggest influence was my mother and her art. She did stage design, murals, painting and costumes. A big part of the productions incorporated UV light. In art school we did >> Get the Fall 2018 Issue to catch Bella Vollen’s full interview