Where others see a bug, I see a spectrum.
One hundred and one insects, spiders and other small creatures, each drawn as living glass, lit from within, in neon colour against pure black. A book made to be opened anywhere and not put down: to read aloud to a child, or to keep on the table as an object.
Released 10 February 2027
The plates are the artist’s vision. Everything printed beside them is natural history: names, measurements, ranges and facts, each one checked. This is how a page is built, and how to read it.
Every creature has two facing pages: what is known on the left, the full plate on the right.
A row of small signs lets even a young reader compare one creature with another at a glance.
The book also has a guide to reading its pages, a glossary and an index. One step remains before printing: a final reading by an entomologist. The plates are artistic interpretations and do not show the true colours of the living animal; the book says so on every plate.
Glowing Bugs has a companion volume and belongs to a series of three atlases by the same artist.
The companion volume: twenty-four creatures that bite, sting and carry disease, from the mosquito to the giant hornet, each at its true size with a sourced fact on why it is dangerous.
The light-makers of the sea, from drifting jellyfish to the hunters below them. Created in partnership with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The great reptiles as light and energy, bone and muscle visible beneath the skin. With Maimónides University and the Félix de Azara Foundation of Argentina.
Author, artist and maker of exhibitions
Author and artist of the Glowing Series, and the maker of the exhibitions that grow out of it. His art style is his own and recognisable at a glance: each creature appears as living glass, lit from within, its inner structure glowing through in neon colour against pure black.
He has made exhibitions for more than ten years. As founder of Coco Agency he created and toured Dino Planet, Living Dragons, Giant Bugs and Glowing Garden, and curated Living Dinosaurs, seen by more than 12 million visitors worldwide.
He lives and works in Sofia.
Each image at one level only
The plates of the book are also offered as works for the wall, printed at 60 or 100 cm on wood or acrylic under a layer of glass, signed and numbered by the artist.
The plates leave the page
The works in the book are also an exhibition, Glowing Bugs, which grows with the place that shows it: from a gallery to a museum, from an exhibition centre to a whole city. The series holds more than 300 works, so each showing is chosen afresh.
The pictures of the exhibition are visualisations of designs, not photographs. The full presentation, with floor plans and views for each size of venue, can be downloaded here.
PDF · 24 pages · 8.5 MB
Glowing Bugs is a touring exhibition of insect art and natural history. It is offered to museums, science centres, galleries, exhibition centres and cities, each at its own scale.
From a single wall to a whole hall. There are designs for one gallery wall, for rooms of 100 and 200 square metres, for halls of 400 and 900 square metres, and for an open-air exhibition across a city.
The works themselves, printed on wood or acrylic under glass; lightboxes up to three metres high and prints up to five metres; the design of the route and the hang; wall texts and captions with sourced facts about each animal; and the books to show and sell beside it.
Yes. It is designed to travel. The series holds more than 300 works, so each venue receives its own selection, and a returning exhibition can be entirely new.
Yes. The pictures speak to every age, the facts are short and written to be read aloud, and each creature is shown at its true size. A visit works for a family, a school class or an adult audience.
Twenty-four creatures, five to ten metres across, are fixed to buildings across the town and linked by a walking trail, lit after dark or brought to life by projection mapping. The municipality provides the buildings and permissions, a sponsor supports the production, and the artist’s team designs and makes it. It runs for a season and is free to the public.
The full exhibition presentation, with floor plans and views for each size of venue, can be downloaded from this page as a PDF. To discuss dates, the selection of works and terms, write to us.
PDF · 24 pages · 8.5 MB
To order, choose an item and write to us; we reply in person with availability, delivery and payment.
The books, the works and the exhibition, as they happen. Each note can be shared.
The date is set. Glowing Bugs, an atlas of glowing living forms, will be released on 10 February 2027: 101 creatures in 303 plates, over 224 pages.
Copies can be reserved now from the shop on this site. Subscribers to the newsletter will hear first, on the day.
This is where news of the Glowing Series will appear: the books as they go to press, new works, and the exhibition as it travels.
Glowing Bugs, the first atlas to be finished, is written, illustrated and fully designed, and will be released on 10 February 2027.
Last updated 11 October 2026
This website, glowingbugs.com, is operated by Coco Agency, with its registered office at Lavele 18A, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria, registration number 202075523 (“we”, “us”). You can reach us at dan@cocoagency.bg.
By using this website you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, please do not use the site. We may change these terms; the version shown here, with its date, is the one that applies.
All images, texts, book pages, designs and names on this website are the work and property of Firoiu Dan Nicolae and Coco Agency, or are used with permission, and are protected by law. You may view the site and share links to it. You may not copy, reproduce, alter, sell or publish any of its content, or use it to train or develop software, without our written permission.
We take care that the information here is correct, but we do not guarantee that it is complete or free of error. Pictures of rooms, exhibitions and buildings are visualisations of designs, not photographs. Release dates, formats, editions and availability may change. The books present natural history for general interest; they are not professional, medical or safety advice.
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Last updated 11 October 2026
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