On July 10, 2025, the striking sculpture “Woman and the Universe: Elektra 2025” by renowned Bulgarian contemporary artist Boryana Rossa was officially unveiled in the public area of Terminal 2 at Burgas Airport. The event was attended by representatives of the local authorities, the cultural community, media, and airport passengers.

The sculpture, crafted over a period of three years (2022–2025), is made entirely from recycled aircraft parts and serves as a unique artistic tribute to humanity’s eternal dream of flight. It draws inspiration from emblematic public artworks at Bulgaria’s seaside airports – including “Icarus” by Doko Dokov (1965), displayed in Terminal 1 at Burgas Airport, and “Man and the Universe” by Nedko Krustev (1974), located at Varna Airport.

In her preparatory sketches, Boryana Rossa explores the movement of the human body in weightlessness and underwater environments – both spaces in which the body is freed from the constraints of gravity. These themes bear close conceptual and visual links to humanity’s presence in the Cosmos.

The sculpture’s name, Elektra, is derived from the Oceanid of the same name in ancient Greek mythology – the etymological root of the word “electricity.” Through this symbol, sky, earth, and water are intertwined – three elements connected through electric energy, which powers both nature and the modern technological world. Elektra is also regarded as a protector of children and sailors – a symbolic bridge between generations, and between land and the maritime horizon.

“I hope this initiative inspires not only other airports but also public institutions to invite artists to create artworks for their buildings. The tradition of integrating art into public spaces of civic architecture was sadly interrupted about three decades ago, but I am confident that the enthusiasm of the airport team I worked with will prove contagious. It was no coincidence that I chose to build continuity with the existing monumental sculptures by Doko Dokov and Nedko Krustev at the airports – reinterpreting the timeless concept of flight through a contemporary lens,” said Boryana Rossa.

“Woman and the Universe: Elektra” reflects the ongoing commitment of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD to support contemporary art and to transform airport spaces into places for cultural dialogue, inspiration, and emotional connection with travelers. The project was initiated and supported by Dr. Frank Quante, CEO of the company from 2020 to 2025.

About Boryana Rossa:

Boryana Rossa (1972) is an artist and curator working in the fields of electronic arts, film, video, performance, painting, and the intersection of art and biology. She holds a PhD and MFA in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, and a MFA in Mural Painting from the National Academy of Arts, Sofia. Rossa is a professor in the Department of Film and Media Arts at Syracuse University, New York, and artist-in-residence at Dr. Heidi Henley's bio-laboratory at the same university, where the two founded the BioArt Research Coalition of Syracuse (BARCS).

A major focus of her work are the body and the technology. In 2004, together with artist and director Oleg Mavromatti, Rossa created ULTRAFUTURO, an international group of artists whose main theme is the social impact of science and technology.

Her works have been shown in institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) Vienna; Zacheta Gallery, Warsaw; Sofia City Art Gallery; steirischer herbst, Graz; National Art Gallery, Sofia; 1st and 5th Biennale of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki; Kunstwerke and Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; 1st, 2nd and 5th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art; Museum of Contemporary Art GARAGE, Moscow; Exit Art, New York; 2nd Beijing Biennale of Media Art, China; Institute of Contemporary Art, Sofia; Communication Front, Plovdiv, etc. ULTRAFUTURO's works have been included in the Biennial of Electronic Art, (BEAP) Perth, Australia; Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Liverpool; Society for Art and Technology (SAT), Montreal, etc. Rossa and Mavromatti perform as ULTRAFUTURO at the Trickster Theater, Exit Art, New York between 2006-2011.

Rossa's work has been written about in books such as Performance Art in Eastern Europe from the 1960s, Manchester University Press, 2018; Transitland: Video Art from Eastern Europe, Budapest: Ludwig Museum 2009; The Bulgarian New Wave, Sofia: Edno, 2012; Unfinished Memories: 30 Years Exit Art: Steidl: Gottingen 2016 etc., and magazines and newspapers such as Kunstforum International; Frieze; New York Times; Brooklyn Rail, etc. In 2022, works by Rossa and ULTRAFUTURO were included in the Cyberfeminism Index project of the New Museum, New York.

Rossa's works are in numerous public and private collections, including Kontakt. Erste Bank-Group Collection; Brooklyn Museum, New York; Sofia City Art Gallery; National Gallery, Sofia; Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, etc. Rossa lives between Sofia and New York since 2005.