Mayya Kelova is a conceptual artist working with photography and moving image. She is from Turkmenistan and is based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She seeks to explore such topics as trauma, identity, and migration. She graduated from Docdocdoc — the School of Modern Photography and has participated in international photography masterclasses, including Nikon-NOOR Academy and the VII Academy. In 2021, she became a member of Women Photograph.
Mayya’s works have been featured in L'Œil de la Photographie Magazine, Der Greif, Novaya Gazeta, FK Magazine, Nowhere Diary, ArtDoc Photography Magazine, VII Academy, Broad Magazine, and others. Her films have been showcased on such festivals as Moving Worlds in the UK (2019) and Festival of Migrant Film in Slovenia (2018) and photography work exhibited at MOFA+ in Kyrgyzstan (2022) and 139 Documentary Center in Uzbekistan (2022) among others. In 2024, she has been nominated for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass and in 2023 received a grant from the Centre de la Photographie Genève.
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
Exhibitions and Screenings
2024 Belvedere 21 Museum, group screening, project Something borrowed, something red, Vienna, AT
2024 Unseen Perspectives, group exhibition, project Something borrowed, something red, Vienna, AT
2024 Far from Home, group exhibition, Tbilisi, GE, project Stories we did not tell, secrets we did not share
2024 Pop-Up Group Exhibition, Tbilisi, GE, project Stories we did not tell, secrets we did not share
2024 JETIQARAQSHY, UK, KZ, KG, TJ, group screening, Something borrowed, something red
2023 Black Sea Photo Festival, group exhibition, Poti, GE
2023 Capri Festival, group exhibition, Capri, IT, project Something borrowed, something red
2023 A.C.T. Civic Engagement group exhibition, Tbilisi, GE film #OccupyKossuth
2022 MoFA+, Meykindik — Erkindik Exhibition, group exhibition, Bishkek, KG
2022 139 Documentary Center, NeUyat Group Exhibition, Tashkent, UZ, project “forgiving”
2022 Open Art House, Pop-Up Group Exhibition, Tbilisi, GE
2019 Moving Worlds, UK (various cities), film “ANYAK”
2018 “Love. Captured” group exhibition, Budapest, HU
2018 Researcher’s Night, Budapest, HU, film “ANYAK”
2018 Festival of Migrant Film, SI, film “ANYAK”
2018 Art IN Academia, Budapest, HU, film “ANYAK”
2013 “Hope for Cherry Blossom” exhibition, AUBG, Blagoevrgrad, BG
Awards and Recognitions
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 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
Artist Talks and 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, 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
2016 The PULS, publication of the project Power of Dedication