Selfportrait

My work explores the emotional aftermath of war-related trauma, revealing the complex connections between the past and my own life. By sharing my family's stories, I engage in critical discussions about generational trauma and the enduring impact of war on families and intimate relationships. Through sensitive, immersive installations and multimedia presentations, I create spaces that invite audiences to reflect on their own personal histories. I encourage viewers to speak out and share their stories, fostering connection and understanding in a world often marked by silence.

As a German-Russian visual artist based in Amsterdam, I am passionate about archives and the healing power of sharing vulnerable narratives. I believe that this act not only fosters personal healing but also contributes to the healing journeys of others, breaking cycles of pain and violence.

I graduated with distinction from Fotoacademie Amsterdam in 2021 and participated in FOTODOK's Talent Development Program, "Lighthouse 2021/2022," and "Talent Embassy 2023." I was also selected for The Photography Networks Graduate Mentoring Scheme in 2021. As an active member of the online educational community "Work Show Grow" and part of "The Visual Art Collective" in Paris, I have engaged in several summer schools and artist residencies, including ISSP in Latvia, PRAKSIS Oslo and AIR at Halsnoy Kloster in Norway.

My work has been exhibited internationally in both group and solo shows. My book, "My Grandfathers, the War and I," won the EI Photobook Award in 2020, while "Into the Blue" was shortlisted for the EI Photobook Award in 2021 and exhibited at the Athens Photo Festival in 2022. Additionally, I have contributed to publications such as "Mini Albums East Central" (2021), "United" (Work Show Grow Publication, 2021), and "Home Is..." by Julia Borissova (2020).

Resume

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2025

    Why being quiet is so loud, Belgrade Photo Month—Museum of Applied Arts, Belgrade, Serbia

  • 2025

    Where it will lead me, Galerie Le Lac Gelée, Arles, France

  • 2024

    It was snowing in Berlin a month ago, Stichting la Jetee, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • 2022

    Why being quiet is so loud, The Garden Room, Berlin, Germany

Group Exhibitions

  • 2025

    FOTOGRAF Galerie, Salzburg, Austria

  • 2025

    Discovery Award exhibition, Encontros da Imagem, International Photography and visual Arts Festival, Braga, Portugal

  • 2025

    Women and the Photobook, pop up reading room, FORMAT International Photography Festival, Derby, England

  • 2025

    In The Space Between Words, Copeland Gallery, London, England

  • 2024

    Rethinking Eastern Europe, Brighton Photo Fringe, Phoenix Art Space, England

  • 2024

    NDSM Fuse, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • 2024

    Sunnhordland Museum's, Halsnøy, Norway

  • 2024

    Trial and Error, Work Show Grow Show, London, England

  • 2024

    Rethinking Eastern Europe, pop up bike exhibition, alongside Les Rencontres d'Arles, France

  • 2024

    All Of The Things, None Of The Time, Couriously Gallery, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, England

  • 2024

    Rethinking Eastern Europe, Photobookcafe, London, England

  • 2023

    Peacebuilding conference at Het Nutshuis, Den Haag, The Netherlands

  • 2023

    The power of play, Work Show Grow exhibition, London, England

  • 2022

    Lighthouse Open Studio On Process and Practice, FOTODOK, Utrecht, The Netherlands

  • 2021

    Here we are, Loods 6, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  • 2021

    Photobook Exhibition, Encontros da Imagem, Braga, Portugal

  • 2021

    Talents at Fotofestival Naarden, The Netherlands

Grants, Awards, Nominations, Residencies

  • 2025

    Discovery Award, Encontros da Imagem, Braga, Portugal

  • 2025

    Star Photobook Dummy Award, nominated by Isabel Lazaro

  • 2025

    MadLab Artresidency, Laboratoire d'Art et Déchets, Marseillan, France

  • 2024

    Voucher Development, Mondriaan Fonds, Netherlands

  • 2023

    Sunnhordland Museum's Artist-in-Residence program, Halsnøy Kloster, Norway

  • 2023

    FOTODOK, Talent Embassy, Utrecht, The Netherlands

  • 2022

    PRAKSIS residency: Repression—Expression // Violence—Creative Resistance. Oslo, Norway

  • 2022

    Star Photobook Dummy Award, nominated by Erik de Kruijf

  • 2022

    FOTODOK Talent Development Program Lighthouse, Utrecht, The Netherlands

  • 2022

    Redeye The Photography Network, Graduate Mentoring Scheme, England (online)

  • 2022

    Steunfonds startende makers, Pictoright, The Netherlands

  • 2021

    Dispatch Residency, Work Show Grow, Lyndhurst, England

  • 2021

    Photobook Award Encontros da Imagem, Finalist

  • 2021

    Fotofestival Naarden Talent Prijs, nominated

In Books, Publications

  • 2025

    Alex Blanco, Artist Residencies: Are They Worth It for Photographers? 1605 Collective, 2025

  • 2022

    Elisabeth Militz, "I am resolving the pain"- rechte Raumnahme (über)erleben, Geographische Zeitschrift 110(3), 2022, p. 196

  • 2021

    Nastassja Nefjodov, Reflections on Neighbourhood, Mini Album Neighborhood Album East Central, 2021

  • 2020

    Work Show Grow, United, 2020

  • 2020

    Julia Borissova Home is..., 2020

In Collections

  • ISSP Library, Riga, Latvia

  • The PhotobookMuseum, Cologne, Germany

  • Library of Galeria da Estação—Encontros da Imagem, Portugal

Memberships

  • Work Show Grow

  • Rethinking Eastern Europe Collective

Artist talks/Teaching

  • 2024

    Art for Grief and Loss, Work Show Grow

  • 2023

    Zine Workshop, ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem, The Netherlands

  • 2023

    Artist Talk, Sunnhordland Museum, Halsnøy, Norway

  • 2022

    Artist talk, FOTODOK, Utrecht, The Netherlands

  • 2021

    Artist Salon, Work Show Grow

Education

  • Fotoacademie Amsterdam (with distinction)