Group Shows

2025       CEU Visions, group exhibition, Vienna, Austria
2025       DomMuseum, “In the Spirit of Friendship” group exhibition, Vienna, Austria
2024       Belvedere 21 Museum, group screening, Vienna, Austria
2024       Unseen Perspectives, group exhibition, Vienna, Austria
2024       Far from Home, group exhibition, Tbilisi, Georgia
2024       Pop-Up Group Exhibition, Tbilisi, Georgia
2024       JETIQARAQSHY, group screening, UK, KZ, KG, TJ, 
2023       Black Sea Photo Festival, group exhibition, Poti, Georgia 
2023       Capri Festival, group exhibition, Capri, Italiy
2023       A.C.T. Civic Engagement group exhibition, Tbilisi, Georgia
2022       MoFA+, Meykindik — Erkindik Exhibition, group exhibition, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
2022       139 Documentary Center, NeUyat Group Exhibition, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2022       Open Art House, Pop-Up Group Exhibition, Tbilisi, Georgia
2019       Moving Worlds, group screening, UK (various cities)
2018       “Love. Captured” group exhibition, Budapest, Hungary
2018       Researcher’s Night, Budapest, Hungary
2018       Festival of Migrant Film, group screening, Slovenia
2018       Art IN Academia, group screening, Budapest, Hungary

Awards and Recognitions

2025       PhMuseum Photography Grant, portfolio review recipient, IT     
2024       Der Greif Guest Room Scholarship Winner, DE       
2024       Athens Photo Festival 2024, shortlist, GR
2024       World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass Nominee, Amsterdam, NL
2023       Magnum x Textile Exchange, shortlist
2023       Photography Festival in Capri — XV edition, Winner, Single Image Category, IT
2023       Helsinki Photo Festival, shortlist, FI
2023       Centre de la Photographie Genève, grant & mentorship, CH 
2021       Nikon-NOOR Academy, selected participant
2019       VII workshop, scholarship recipient, BA
2016       NOOR-Nikon masterclass, scholarship recipient, KZ

Education

2019-22       Docdocdoc, School of Modern Photography, Saint Petersburg, RU
2016-17       Central European University, MA Legal Studies, Budapest, HU 
2008-13       American University in Bulgaria, BA Journalism, BU

Workshops and Art Residencies 

2023       Centre de la Photographie Genève, six-months mentorship, CH    
2023       Black Sea Poti Art House Residency, Poti, GE    
2021       Nikon-NOOR Academy with Sanne De Wilde, Pep Bonet, and Jon Lowenstein    
2019       VII agency workshop with Sara Terry, Linda Bournane, Nichole Sobecki, Sarajevo, BA   
2016       Nikon-NOOR Academy with Benedicte Kurzen, Sebastian Liste, and Yuri Kozyrev, Almaty, KZ

Artist Talks & Other Initiatives

2024       Artist Talk, Festival for Human, Tbilisi, GE
2024       Mediation, Pop-UP Group Exhibition, Tbilisi, GE
2022       Author’s excursions, art mediations at the NeUyat Group Exhibition, Tashkent, UZ
2021       Guest Speaker, “Women in Various Fields, ” open dialogue by the EU Delegation to Turkmenistan
2020       Storytelling through documentary photography, online seminar, TM
2020       Artist talk, University of Central Asia, KG
2019       Speaker: Creating Multimedia Content for Positive Social Change, World Learning Alumni TIES, Almaty, KZ

Publications

2024       Der Greif X MPB: Behind the Image with Mayya Kelova
2024       Der Greif, Guest Room selection, project Forgiving
2023       Sola Journal, interview
2023       95MAG, project review, Something borrowed, something red 
2023       Broad Magazine, publication of the project Forgiving
2023       Your Local Newsstand, interview
2023       ArtDoc Photography Magazine, publication of the project Forgiving
2023       L'Œil de la Photographie Magazine, publication of the project Forgiving
2023       FK Magazine, publication of the project Forgiving
2023       Nowhere Diary, publication of the project Forgiving
2020       VII Academy, Amplifying Student Voices, Photographing Life in Times of Pandemic
2016       Novaya Gazeta, The Last Emperors, group publication