Lilia Dragneva (b. 1975, Chișinău) is an artist, curator, researcher, and one of the most prominent experts and activists in the contemporary Moldovan art scene. She lives and works in Chișinău, where she has been the director of the Centre for Contemporary Art [ksa] since 2000 and currently serves as curator of BUNKER Gallery.
At the beginning of her artistic practice, Dragneva was engaged in audio-visual experiments, developing a series of installations, video works, and performances. Her work has been presented in international group exhibitions, including Body and the East at Moderna galerija in Ljubljana and After the Wall at Moderna Museet in Stockholm. She also co-curated the project Kinovari (imitatzia).
Moving from an analytical to a more synthetic approach, Dragneva’s later artistic and curatorial practice has focused on forgotten, suppressed, or prohibited subjects of contemporary life, exploring the emergence of a “new mythology” in Moldova. Since 2003, she has curated AlteArte, a contemporary art television programme produced and promoted by KSA, contributing significantly to the visibility and development of contemporary art in Moldova.
Alongside her curatorial and artistic work, Dragneva is active in art education, teaching art history, art management, and curatorial practices at the Academy of Music, Theatre and Visual Arts (AMTAP) and the Al. Plămădeală Academy of Fine Arts in Chișinău.