Ana Pireva is an artist from Bulgaria, currently residing in Dresden, whose work delves into themes of cultural identity, heritage, and personal expression. With a background steeped in family traditions—her great-grandfather carved in stone, her grandmother sewed into fabrics, and her grandfather documented their lineage in writing—Ana carries forward this legacy through the medium of paper. Her art critiques the notion of an absolute identity by exploring the strict geometry and aesthetic rules of traditional Bulgarian embroidery. She is particularly intrigued by the subtle variations in patterns, which challenge the idea of a uniform cultural identity.

Ana's practice involves creating relief prints and embossing on paper, symbolizing the lightness of the material and the weight of thoughts and memories it carries. Her work is not merely a portrayal of cultural identity but a reflection on the cultural baggage she navigates as someone living away from her homeland, often feeling a sense of foreignness even within her own cultural roots. Through her artistic process, Ana draws parallels between her work and her ancestors', crafting a 'diary of a lost daughter' that contemplates the complexities of recognition, return, and belonging.