‘Glass Ceiling’ Chess Set Installation for Purling London On exhibit in 2018 at The World Chess Hall of Fame, St. Louis, US. Raychev’s ‘Glass Ceiling’ art chess installation is a commentary on the recent turbulent climate regarding exposure of sexual assaults, inequalities and suppression still so predominant, especially at the work place. Raychev’s personal experience sparked the inspiration for this art piece that she can so closely relate to. The ‘Glass Ceiling’ installation is a metaphor for women breaking through the social barriers and limitation, and a celebration of new feminist movements such as #metoo and #timesup.. ‘Glass Ceiling’ shows that the passion and spirit for change is in it’s glory. It also acknowledges that a lot of blood had to be spilled to get to this stage. It reflects on the fragility of human nature, rawness of the subject and the brutal reality of what one is talking about. The piece consists of a broken glass chess board with the chess pieces floating through/ above the board. Pink pieces represent women, and face the white spiked pieces- referencing white supremacy. The chess pieces are set according to 2012 Magnus Carlsen vs Judith Polgar game. Polgar is a chess grandmaster, generally considered the strongest female chess player of all time. The game is set in the 30th move that determined Polgar’s victory. Interview with the...

“Delusion is the root of all suffering, not just in his own mind but in the minds of all beings, and that sentient beings are not inherently bad, just ignorant.” Ngawang Chotok ‘Capital’ is a solo exhibition that is a continuation of Raytchev’s ongoing work centred around addiction. It intends to educate and open up the conversation about addiction and/or recovery. The show takes its title from the term recovery capital, which refers to “the breadth and depth of internal and external resources that can be drawn upon, necessary for an individual to initiate and sustain recovery from substance misuse as well as make behavioural changes.” ‘Capital’ will further develop and explore the theme of addiction in a positive, empowering way, giving hope that change is possible as well as helping to lose the stigma surrounding this subject. The new series of abstract portraits of participants who are at different stages of their addiction/ recovery will disclose their recovery capitals as well as their continuously changing journey they are on. The project covers range of people from various backgrounds and the whole spectrum of addictions (from alcohol, drugs and food, to sex, love, work, shopping etc.) showing that no matter of what the behaviour or substance is, addiction is still the same illness. The paintings will be accompanied by a sound installation piece done in collaboration with very talented British musician, producer and director Richard Strange. To hear the sound samples please follow the links below: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qmkc79s9nxfofo6/Carl%20Dani%203.mp3?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tvmvomhgdb9j0d1/mel%20sample%20raytchev.m4v?dl=0 The artwork is underpinned by research from King’s College Addiction department overseen by Dr Kyle Dyer. It will show synaptic transmissions and neuroadaptation mechanisms. Addiction is a long learning process and brain has the power to restructure. “Instead of recovering, it seems that addicts keep growing, as does anyone who overcomes their difficulties through deliberation and insight.” Marc Lewis, The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease...

Hi All, I just wanted to share about a great conference- Mind Over Matter, that took place at King’s College on 9th January 2016.. organised by amazing team form Neuroscience Society. The conference consisted of morning and afternoon talks and workshops on the topics of Schizophrenia, Eating Disorders, Stress, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), Depression and Art-Therapy: novel approaches to mental health therapies. A panel discussion will follow, on the topic ‘Treating Mental Disorders; past, present and future’. The panel discussion is titled: ‘Holistic vs pharmacological approaches: Are we treating persons as a whole or just receptors?’. The panel will debate about the role of traditional pharmacology in treating mental illnesses versus current newly-introduced approaches based on ‘The healing power of art’ and the power of the mind over the brain.   Congratulations on amazing event. I got a great opportunity to exhibit my ‘Progress not Perfection’ project that was raising awareness about addictions as well as inspiring people that change is possible. Here are some pictures from the day, I hope you enjoy! xx...

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