Nevena Bentz

Nevena Bentz was born in 1976, in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. She earned a Master's degree in international law at the Université de Bourgogne, France in 1998 as well as a J.D from Texas Tech University in 2003. She practiced law in Texas and lectured at the American University in Bulgaria for several years before reconnecting with her artistic side. In 2012, she launched a fine jewelry line while experimenting with mixed media art and ornamental sculpture. One creative pursuit led to another. In 2017, she published her first book of poetry: Vol Vers l’Inconnu, (Flight into the Unknown) – an anthology of older writings and newer texts that relayed more recent experiences.

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Nevena’s current series, “One,” continues the quest to understand the human condition, which colors her earlier work but widens the aperture from the individual to the collective level. The series examines the unprecedented role of humanity today, as a geological force with planetary impact. She continues to play with the notions of fragmentation and duality, using mixed media in a process that is uniquely hers, creating an aesthetic that vacillates between the abstract and the figurative. Her work seeks to achieve a harmonious composition where the human form dissolves into Nature’s rich textures and patterns, and the notion of separation gives way to the idea of oneness.

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Since her first solo exhibition during Boston Fashion Week in 2012, Nevena has participated in numerous pop-up and gallery shows. Most recently, she introduced her series “One” at a solo exhibit at Ao5, Austin's largest contemporary art gallery. Her work is part of many private collections in the United States and around the world.