Alena Zhandarova, born in 1988, Russia. She holds MFA in Photography (European Institute of Design, IED Madrid, Spain). Using photography as the main instrument of interaction with the space, she creates a special atmosphere of magic, which builds on experimentation and the fresh air of ordinary things in unusual situations. She investigate the border between habitual and unfamiliar, using the visual storytelling as a tool of implementation of her inner philosophy. She is working basically through portraits, where the person or herself perform as a ground for sculptures, which she can mold and create something new, find the answers and set the new ones. She goes this way to release internal forces and wellsprings, because she believe that the universe in us is infinitely wise and knows this world better than we are.

In 2020 she was shortlisted by one of the most prestigious photography prizes – Zeiss Photography Awards and was a finalist of Lucie Foundation Scholarship, Lens Culture Student Photography Award, PhotoVisa Festival, Encontros da Imagem Photo Festival and Luceo Student Project Award winner earlier. She was nominated to Prix Pictet Award 2012 and 2019. Her works were exhibited at Fotografika Gallery (Russia, 2020), Kyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (Japan 2019, 2017, 2016), Meyrin Cultural Center (Switzerland, 2013), Aarhus Center for Contemporary Art (Denmark, 2012), Gallery 21 (Germany, 2018), Lumiere Brothers Gallery, Moscow (Russia, 2017), European Center of Arts (2017, 2016), Metenkov’s House Museum of Photography (Russia, 2016), Centre of Photography (France, 2015), Tampere Art Museum (Finland, 2012), Getty Images Gallery (England, 2011), Gallery «Captains of Industry» (Australia, 2010).

Her works were presented also during numerous festivals, including  Cortona on the Move Photo Festival (Italy, 2018), Month of Photography Los Angeles (USA, 2018), Kolga Tbilisi PhotoFestival (Georgia, 2017), FOCUS PhotoFestival (India, 2017), Suwon PASA Festival (South Korea, 2017), Encontros da Imagem Photo Festival (Portugal 2015,2013), Pingyao Photography Festival (China, 2015), PhotoVisa Festival (Russia, 2012), Copenhagen Photo Festival (Denmark, 2012). Her works can be found in the collection of Meyrin Cultural Center (Geneva, Switzerland), Kyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (Kyosato, Japan) and in many private collections.

Education:

2012	MFA in Photogarphy, Europian Institute of Design, IED Madrid, Spain

Solo Exhibitions:

2020	Puree with a taste of Triangles, Fotografika Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia (online tour)
2018	Puree with a taste of Triangles, Cortona on the Move Photofestival, Cortona, Italy
2012	Cornflower Tea and Concealing Chocolate, Aarhus Center for Contemporary Art, Aarhus, Denmark

Selected group exhibitions:

2020	Hidden Mothehood, Singapore International Photography Festival (5 November – 30 January 2020)
2019	Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Kiyosato, Japan
2018	Gallery 21 / Triennal of Photography, Hamburg, Germany Puree with a taste of Triangles, Month of Photography Los Angeles Group Show, USA
2017	The City of Brides, Photographing the Female, The Willow School, New Jersey, USA The City of Brides, Kolga Tbilisi PhotoFestival, Tbilisi, Georgia The City of Brides, Lumiere Brothers Gallery, Moscow, Russia The City of Brides, FOCUS PhotoFestival «Photographing the Female» exhibition, Mumbai, India Kyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Kyosato, Japan Puree with a taste of Triangles, European Center of Arts, Hellerau Photography Awards Exhibition, Dresden, Germany
2016	The City of Brides, Suwon PASA Festival, South Korea The City of Brides, Metenkov’s House Museum of Photography, Ekaterinburg, Russia Kyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Kyosato, Japan The City of Brides, European Center of Arts, Hellerau Photography Awards Exhibition, Dresden, Germany
2015	Puree with a taste of Triangles, Encontros da Imagem Photo Festival «Seeing is Believing», Braga, Portugal The City of Brides, «She Loves me, She Loves me Not», Centre of Photography, Clermont-Ferrand, France
2014	The City of Brides, Month of Photography in Norilsk, Russia The City of Brides, Pingyao Photography Festival, China
2013	The City of Brides, Encontros da Imagem Photo festival, Braga, Portugal Cornflower Tea and Concealing Chocolate, Meyrin Cultural Center, Geneva, Switzerland
2012	The City of Brides, PhotoVisa Festival, Krasnodar, Russia Cornflower Tea and Concealing Chocolate, Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna, Austria Copenhagen Photo Festival, Denmark Coexist gallery, Southend-on-sea, UK Cornflower Tea and Concealing Chocolate, Backlight 2011 photo festival, Tampere Art Museum, Tampere, Finland Getty Images Gallery, London, England Phodar Biennial, Pleven, Bulgaria ArteLaguna, Nappe area of the Arsenale, Venice, Italy The A.D Gallery, «Inner & outer landscape», USA
2010	Cornflower Tea and Concealing Chocolate, «Young Russian Photography 2010 2/2. Time» Fotodepartament, Saint-Petersburg, Russia Gallery «KINO», Moscow, Russia Gallery «NIU», Barcelona, Spain Cornflower Tea and Concealing Chocolate, Tashkentalle-2010, Fitfth International Tashkent Exhibition Photo Biennial Tashkent, Uzbekistan Gallery «Captains of Industry», Melbourn, Australia Gallery «Charnwood Arts», Lestershir, England

Grants and scholarships:

2020	Zeiss Fotography Awards Finalist
2014	Lucie Foundation Scholarship Finalist
2013	Lens Culture Student Photography Award Finalist
2012	PhotoVisa Festival Finalist, Krasnodar, Russia Honorable Mention of Emergentes DST 2012, Portugal Luceo Student Project Award winner, USA Nominated on Prix Pictet Award
2011	Finalist of ArteLaguna Prize, Venice, Italy Winner of «Inner & outer Landscape» International Juried Exhibition, North Caroline, USA Winner of IED Master of Fine Art Photography Scholarship, Madrid, Spain

Books:

2014 Go there I don’t know where, Bring that I don’t know what, Selfpublished handmade book, edition of 25

2013 The City of Brides, Selfpublished Handmade book, edition of 150

Collections:

Kyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Kyosato, Japan

Meyrin Cultural Center, Geneva, Switzerland

Ptivate collections

Publications:

GUP magazine, Photonews, LensCulture, L’Oeil de la Photographie, Musee Magazine, Mulieris magazine, Life magazine China, EEP Berlin, NIDO, Annabelle, Blink magazine, Zoom

Texts / Interviews

Interview by Jing Zhao, Musee magazine, 2019 [EN]
Interview by Maya Hristova «Listen to the Space», EEP Berlin 2019 [EN]
Interview by Marika Krystman, Ladnebebe.pl 2019 [PL]
Text by Helena Falabino, Escaping death: on ritual and photography, GUP magazine, 2017 [EN]
Interview by Olga Osipova, Bird in Flight, 2015 [EN] [RU]