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
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
https://nailedmagazine.com/art/artist-feature-sofiya-kuzmina/?highlight=sofiya
School of Visual Arts
http://www.sva.edu/features/my-first-year-sva-student-sofiya-kuzmina
http://www.sva.edu/features/voices-sva-bfa-illustration-student-sofiya-kuzmina
AWARDS & GRANTS
2022
Eric Fischl Patrons Scholar Award
New York Academy of Art Merit Scholarship
2021
Leslie T. and Francis Posey Scholarship
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
Honorable Mention
Doctor Aromas Foundation Competition
Honorable Mention
2nd Place
2016
Honorable Mention in Visual Arts
AP Art Showcase 1st Place Award
For "Pollock Cake"
"Venice in Art" International Casanova- Arts Lover Award
For "The Fragility of a Bath Bomb Explosion"
2015
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention
EXHIBITIONS
2023
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
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
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
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