In her project titled WHAT NOW, Sofia based illustrator and visual artist Zhana Mitkova examines the disorienting, often transformative moment that arrives when a person asks themselves what comes next. Created through an open call by Sito Studio, the project took shape as both a zine and a series of prints that explore self discovery, emotional entanglement and the difficult but necessary work of healing. What began as a personal reflection grew into a visual narrative shaped by ideas from esoteric teachings, particularly the belief that souls reincarnate repeatedly to learn, grow and resolve unfinished patterns.
Mitkova was drawn to the concept of karmic relationships, which suggest that certain connections recur across lifetimes, carrying unresolved lessons or emotions forward. In the context of WHAT NOW, this idea becomes a lens through which she examines intense bonds, sudden shifts, and the lingering sense that some experiences arrive in order to push us toward clarity. The zine uses symbolism, text and layered imagery to reflect the cyclical nature of these moments, when growth comes from confronting what feels familiar yet difficult to understand.
“I started this project in one of those moments where everything feels suspended,” Mitkova explains. “You are between who you were and who you are becoming, and that space can feel both frightening and full of potential.”
Printed as a limited edition of twenty copies, the zine was produced at Sito Studio in Sofia using a three colour risograph process. Layer by layer, blue, red and yellow were printed on top of each other, creating overlaps and shifts that mirror the thematic layers of the work. Each page engages with the idea that emotional patterns do not simply vanish. They resurface until they are acknowledged and worked through.
As an extension of the project, Mitkova created a series of hand pulled screen prints titled Big Baby Alert. These four layer works present a crying baby as a symbolic figure for emotional regression. The image is not meant to belittle vulnerability, but instead to highlight how adults often return to instinctive reactions when overwhelmed by desire, truth or unprocessed experience. The series complements the zine by making the emotional undercurrents more visceral and immediate.
“Big Baby Alert came from recognising how often we collapse back into old patterns,” Mitkova says. “It is a reminder that growth is not linear. Sometimes the most honest version of ourselves is the part that still feels lost, impatient or unsure.”
The prints were produced as a limited edition of thirty, each signed and numbered. Their bright colours and bold forms stand in contrast to the quiet introspection they represent, echoing the universal tension between how we present ourselves and what we feel internally.
Mitkova’s wider practice spans illustration, editorial design, risograph experimentation and various printmaking techniques. She has been part of exhibitions including Made in Leshten, FIG 2, Screenprint with Me and mer mory. As a former mentee in Dan Woodger’s mentorship program, she continues to refine her visual language, often bringing emotional depth and social awareness into her work. Her clients include FineActs, Brand Nu Studio and No8 design shop.
WHAT NOW occupies a space between personal reflection and collective resonance. It invites viewers to consider their own cycles, connections and what it means to pause long enough to understand them.
As Mitkova notes, “Asking what now is not a sign of being lost. It is the first step toward finding direction.”
