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ABOUT

Sofiya Kuzmina was born in Moscow in 1998 and is currently based in New York City.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I focus on our vulnerabilities and the private moments that unite people’s experiences, embracing empathy and celebrating inclusivity. Growing up in a rather oppressive environment in Russia, I became very familiar with the notion of “otherness.” Standing out based on your opinions and looks in Russia was a negative experience, and now my work emphasizes the actual beauty and allure of the “other”, representing my subjects in a deeply intimate way. The sense of immigrant displacement, searching for a sense of a home, and celebration of outstanding unusual people became the dominant themes of my recent work.

 

As I moved from Moscow to New York, I found myself immersed in the creative, open-minded culture I have always longed for. Coming from a restrictive environment, I have developed an extra level of appreciation toward underrepresented, marginalized people. The subjects of my figurative paintings embody the notion of “otherness”, and are the artists from my inner circle, mostly neo-burlesque performers, art models, and painters, at the times of their private moments. I depict people from the point of compassion, not voyerism, highlighting their humanness. I create a connection between the historical Russian humanistic tradition of painting and contemporary themes of urban living in a Western megapolis.

 

I prefer oil paint as my main material due to its ability to convey light and intricate color relations through the layering of transparencies. I often use dramatic lighting in my work as it heightens the notions of intimacy emphasizing the drama of being an outsider. My work is mostly representational, and I tend to include many details in compositions to add layers of narrative to my work and allow each element to tell its own story.

EDUCATION

2021-2023

New York Academy of Art - MFA Painting

111 Franklin St, New York, NY 10013, United States

2017-2021

School of Visual Arts - BFA Illustration

209 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

 

2015-2017

Miami Arts Charter School

95 NW 23rd St, Miami, FL 33127

Institute of Contemporary Art Young Artists Initiative

4040 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33137

 

2016

School of Visual Arts Pre-College Illustration Program

209 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

 

2015

Miami International Institute of Art & Design Drawing & Illustration Course

1501 Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 100 

           

PUBLICATIONS

49ART. List of Top 35 Young Russian Artists Under 35. 49ART (online), October 31, 2021.

https://49art.ru/ru/like

 

Hapner, Emma. Untitled: How to Find a Title for Your Work. Visionary Art Collective (online), January 29, 2024. 

https://www.visionaryartcollective.com/blog/untitled

 

Alora, Julia. Artist Feature: Sofiya Kuzmina. “The Sense of Belonging in the Context of

Immigration”. Nailed Magazine (online), July 25, 2019 

https://nailedmagazine.com/art/artist-feature-sofiya-kuzmina

 

School of Visual Arts. Voices @ SVA: BFA Illustration Student Sofiya Kuzmina. SVA Press (online), July 10, 2019. 

http://www.sva.edu/features/voices-sva-bfa-illustration-student-sofiya-kuzmina

 

School of Visual Arts. My First Year: SVA Student Sofiya Kuzmina. SVA Press (online), October 17, 2018. 

http://www.sva.edu/features/my-first-year-sva-student-sofiya-kuzmina

Sofiya Kuzmina in her painting art studio

EXHIBITIONS

2024

Quotidian

Group Show, 60 Hudson Street, New York, NY

2023

Deck the Walls

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

Corpus Nexus

Group Show, Dacia Gallery, New York, NY

West Chelsea Art Festival

Group Show, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY

AXA Art Prize Show Exhibition

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

MFA Thesis Exhibition

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

Compositional Inventions

Group Show, Manhasset Public Library,

Manhasset, NY

Metamorphosis

Group Show, The Living Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Tribeca Ball

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

2022

Deck the Walls

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

The Present

Group Show, The Living Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Walls

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

Hexposition

3-Person Exhibition, The Royal Society of American Art, Brooklyn, NY

P E O P L E

Group Show, FRIEDA Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Truth or Dare

Group Show, The Living Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Carpe Diem

Group Show, Dacia Gallery, New York, NY

Hiraeth

Group Show, New York Academy of Art,

New York, NY

Immersion of Creativity

The Zverev Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia

2021

Partitions

Juried Online Exhibition, SVA Galleries,

New York, NY

 

2020

Man Made Monsters

Juried Online Exhibition, SVA Galleries,

New York, NY

2019

Mirrored Display

Juried Exhibition, SVA Gramercy Gallery,

New York, NY

Univresity of Rome Tor Vergata Exposition

Group Show, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

Art Basel Premier

Group Exhibition, Art Hood 56 Gallery, Miami, FL

3rd PCU Drawing Contest 2018

Group Show, Antwerp, Belgium

The Greenpoint Gallery Group Show

Group Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

The Lower East Side Art Show 

Juried Exhibition, Dacia Gallery, New York, NY

 

2018

The "Be" Event

Group Show, The Living Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Catalysts In The Morning Dew 

Juried Exhibition, SVA Gramercy Gallery,

New York, NY

First Offerings: A Selection Of First-Year Paintings

Group Show, SVA Flatiron Gallery, New York, NY

 

2017

Young Artists Initiative Spring Exhibition 

Group Show, Institute of Contemporary Art,

Miami, FL

Art Of Aromas Competition Exhibition

Group Show, Miami Arts Charter School, Homestead, FL

YoungArts Miami

Group Show, YoungArts Foundation, Miami, FL

Florida State Fair Juried Exhibition

Group Show, Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL

 

2016

Young Artists Initiative Fall Exhibition

Group Show, Institute of Contemporary Art,

Miami, FL

Urgent Inc Art Basel Show

Group Show, Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery, Miami, FL

Casanova Award

Juried Group Show, Flangini Palace, Venice, Italy

2016 Juried Winter Exhibition

Group Show, Miami Arts Charter Gallery, Miami, FL

End of Program Exhibition

Group Show, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY

AP Art Showcase

Group Show, Miami Dade College, Miami, FL

MAC@BAC

Group Show, Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, FL

Works in Progress

Group Show, Wynwood Building #13, Miami, FL

Scholastic Awards Regional Exhibition

Rubell Collection, Miami, FL

AWARDS & GRANTS

2023

AXA Art Prize Finalist

2021-2023

New York Academy of Art Merit Scholarship

2021

Top 35 Young Russian Artists under 35 by 49ART

Leslie T. and Francis Posey Scholarship

Eric Fischl Patrons Scholar Award

Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship

Award in Memory of Effie Bowie

Alumni Scholarship Award

School of Visual Arts

 

2017-2021

Special Presidential Grant

School of Visual Arts

2017

"Arts for Life!" Award

Scholarship award launched by Columba Bush given to 25 high school seniors in Florida for demonstrating excellence in art

Cleveland Institute of Art 2D3D Competition Award

"Doctor Aromas" Foundation Competition Award

Florida State Fair

Senior Portfolio Competition

2nd Place. out of submissions from all 67 Florida counties

 

2016

YoungArts Winner

Honorable Mention in Visual Arts

AP Art Showcase 1st Place Award

For "Pollock Cake"

"Venice in Art" International Italian "Casanova- Arts Lover" Award

For "The Fragility of a Bath Bomb Explosion"

 

2015

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention

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