Painter - Illustrator
Born in Bulgaria.
Daniela Zekina is a Bulgarian painter and illustrator whose artistic practice spans more than three decades and extends across Bulgaria, Canada, and Mexico. A graduate of the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia, where she earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Book Design and Illustration, she has developed a distinctive visual language that combines allegory, symbolism, mythology, and poetic narrative.
Zekina has presented over forty solo exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout Bulgaria, Canada, Mexico, Greece, and the United States. Her work has been exhibited in institutions including the Museum Boris Hristov (Sofia), the Balabanov House Museum (Plovdiv), the Pierre Boucher Museum (Trois-Rivières), the Cultural Space of MacART (Athens), and numerous private galleries in Sofia, Montreal, San Miguel de Allende, Puebla, Puerto Escondido, and North Hatley.
Her paintings have been selected for prestigious international exhibitions and biennials, including the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB), the Mini Print International of Cadaqués (Spain), the International Footprint Competition (Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Connecticut, USA), the Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition (Canada), the North American Small Print Competition (Purdue University Galleries, USA), and the Sofia Paper Art Fest (Bulgaria).
Alongside her career as a painter, Daniela Zekina is an accomplished illustrator. She has illustrated more than sixty children's books published in Bulgaria and Canada, earning recognition for her lyrical and imaginative approach to visual storytelling.
Her work has received numerous awards, including the Grand Prize at the International Miniature Art Biennial in Lévis, Canada (2009), the National Prize for Illustration in Bulgaria (1989), and several distinctions in international printmaking competitions.
Daniela Zekina is represented by Galerie Jeannine Blais in North Hatley, Québec, Canada, and Moyshen Gallery at Fábrica La Aurora in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
She lives and works between Sofia, Bulgaria, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Artworks
“Calipso”
2026
Mixed Media Acrylic on canvas - 50 x 40cm
“Inspiration”
2026
Mix Media Acrylic on canvas - 40 x 50cm
“Fugue du temps”
2026
Mixed Media Acrylic on canvas - 40 x 50cm
“Automnale”
2026
Mixed Media Acrylic on canvas - 40 x 50cm
“Sombrer dans le sommeil”
2026
Mixed Media Acrylic on paper - 50 x 50cm