CDoupbles
different media
2013 - ongoing

In recent years, I have dedicated my artistic practice to exploring and visualizing a very special linguistic phenomenon.
Over the course of language evolution, a fascinating phenomenon has emerged. A meta-level has developed—one that we are rarely aware of. Some words unintentionally reside within other words; they are not root words, not etyma, and this phenomenon has nothing to do with etymology. I would describe it as a byproduct of language development.
For years, I have been working with this phenomenon in various languages and call the series CDoupbles (a blend of couples and doubles). CDoupbles engage with the visual construction and perception of language, revealing unexpected treasures and connections hidden within numerous words.
Typically, a CDoupble consists of a main word that contains one or more other words. The meanings arise from the coexistence of these words in the viewer’s imagination, shaped by the associations they evoke. Many such symbioses exist, but I am particularly interested in those that allow space for intriguing scenarios, speculations, and associations—ones that raise questions.
CDoupbles are compelling mini-scenarios that celebrate the unexpected and fascinating aspects of language. Over more than 10 years, I have developed and produced CDoupbles in many languages, including German, English, Italian, Bulgarian, and Croatian, and have presented them internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions.
CDoupbles come to life through various artistic forms—objects, installations, typographic assemblages, assisted readymades and collages, graphics, and videos. More recently, they have also taken the form of AI prompts and AI-generated images. The symbiosis between two words transforms in different ways—from an inconspicuous, "ugly duckling" into a proud, magnificent swan, into a CDoupble, depending on the design of the object, the installation, the layout, the typography, and so on.
This phenomenon, appearing across different languages as a byproduct of linguistic evolution, creates fascinating conceptual and visual connections that resonate with broader themes such as culture, history, and identity.

Videos, animations, typing performances and sound poems may be viewed in my YouTube channel.

More on my blog (challengedgames.blogspot.com), Instagram and Facebook.

Permanent exhibition with rotating works on the theme of war in local and global contexts

Note: The hidden title embedded in the original German phrase “wAFFENstillstand in friEDENsgefährdeten Zeiten” — “AFFEN in EDEN” — translates as “Apes in Eden” In German metaphorical usage, the ape often functions as a distorted reflection of the human, symbolising vanity, lust, imitation, and restlessness.

November 22, 2025 – June 30, 2026
Part 1: November 22, 2025 – January 16, 2026
Part 2: January 17 – March 20, 2026
Part 3: March 21 – May 16, 2026
Part 4: May 17 – June 30, 2026

The four-part exhibition “wAFFENstillstand in friEDENsgefährdeten Zeiten” addresses central aspects, actors, figures, forces, contradictions, and absurdities of war—both specific and universal. Against the backdrop of rising global tensions and conflicts, military spending is rapidly increasing, new defense alliances are being formed, and national security strategies are being redefined. This exhibition engages with this ambivalent moment—situated between ceasefire and rearmament.

More than 50 artworks from Veronika Tzekova’s “CDoupbles” series will be presented in rotation from November 2025 to the end of June 2026 in the large display window of the hybrid cultural space Atelier 12 in Graz. “CDoupbles” is an artistic concept developed by Veronika Tzekova, based on a specific linguistic phenomenon: words in which another word unexpectedly and coincidentally resides, without any etymological relation, opening up imaginary mini-scenarios and surprising semantic spaces. These linguistic symbioses function as metaphors for the hidden layers of our linguistic and societal reality.

Display window, Atelier 12 Münzgrabenstraße 24 8010 Graz, Austria

The CHAlleNGED GAMES blog was conceived with the hope to stimulate divergence thinking and challenge the viewer to rethink one's routines and shift his/her perspective on the status quo.

The blog was initially  dedicated to the CHAlleNGED GAMES series and seeks for extended meaning in playing and its relation to aspects of human existence and production.

As with the time I started to experiment with another system - the language, to apply mathematical logic and seek patterns in words, in the last years my publications are mostly about this part of my work.

Author: Veronika Tzekova
Publish Date: September 27, 2010
Dimensions: 18 x 18 cm, 70 pages
Language: English/Italian

As a manner of artistic creation in many of my recent works I employ existing urban situations, objects, visuals, texts and just add often a small detail, which significantly changes their meaning and/or function.

St.art book includes art works in the period 2004-2010, some still in progress at the time and some as ideas developed during 2010. The selection is made to guide the viewer through an artistic process that lead to the birth of ideas such as Space NRGZers and Dadissuasori.

The book ends with a couple of blank pages, which are to e filled in with sketches and ideas for new works employing the same approach.