Sofi Mdivnishvili
Photographer
I was born in Tbilisi (Georgia) on 27th march, 1996. I’ve finished Tbilisi State University – faculty of English philology. My interest in photography started 3 years ago, because of the analogue cameras and since then I use only them for my photos. In the process of shooting film taught me how to think and chose something that is more important for me. I have tried several genres and I felt myself more comfortable at nudity, so it is already 6 months I shoot only nudes. At the same time I found out that there are particularly no women photographers in Georgia at this field. And because of no trust from girls to men photographers this genre is dead here. So I used my gender as a weapon which connected me to many brave girls.
As in most post-soviet countries also in Georgia nudity is still regarded as a shame and it is not considered as a part of art. I never identify my models and it is particularly impossible from photos because I never take their faces, or they are always covered. This problem takes place from the society who lived in USSR for a longtime and even today some young people stick you sort of a bad label when you are different or want to express yourself as you are. At first I had resistance from my mom, but with the long talks and explanation she is one of my fans today.
It is easy to memorize someone with a face, but in my case it is like introducing to someone with body parts. Every body is a new story, with its own lines and marks and I always try to read them correctly to retell these stories to others with the help of photography. The process is really interesting because when I shoot someone it is my first appointment with her. So my pictures are the result of my first expression about their body as it is for the viewer of my pictures.
I want people to see that bodies can be non-sexualized that with keeping nude pictures we make them to be considered as something special, then that causes over-sexualization stranger’s bodies.
Body is a domain of exploration which is the shell of the soul at the same time and everyone must feel themselves comfortable in this zone.
I can firmly say that I changed some peoples’ opinions about this theme at least around me but I believe that with the help of me even time will change everything.
Sofi Mdivnishvili
Photographer
I was born in Tbilisi (Georgia) on 27th march, 1996. I’ve finished Tbilisi State University – faculty of English philology. My interest in photography started 3 years ago, because of the analogue cameras and since then I use only them for my photos. In the process of shooting film taught me how to think and chose something that is more important for me. I have tried several genres and I felt myself more comfortable at nudity, so it is already 6 months I shoot only nudes. At the same time I found out that there are particularly no women photographers in Georgia at this field. And because of no trust from girls to men photographers this genre is dead here. So I used my gender as a weapon which connected me to many brave girls.
As in most post-soviet countries also in Georgia nudity is still regarded as a shame and it is not considered as a part of art. I never identify my models and it is particularly impossible from photos because I never take their faces, or they are always covered. This problem takes place from the society who lived in USSR for a longtime and even today some young people stick you sort of a bad label when you are different or want to express yourself as you are. At first I had resistance from my mom, but with the long talks and explanation she is one of my fans today.
It is easy to memorize someone with a face, but in my case it is like introducing to someone with body parts. Every body is a new story, with its own lines and marks and I always try to read them correctly to retell these stories to others with the help of photography. The process is really interesting because when I shoot someone it is my first appointment with her. So my pictures are the result of my first expression about their body as it is for the viewer of my pictures.
I want people to see that bodies can be non-sexualized that with keeping nude pictures we make them to be considered as something special, then that causes over-sexualization stranger’s bodies.
Body is a domain of exploration which is the shell of the soul at the same time and everyone must feel themselves comfortable in this zone.
I can firmly say that I changed some peoples’ opinions about this theme at least around me but I believe that with the help of me even time will change everything.
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Richard Serra: TransmitterOngoing“I consider space to be a material. The articulation of space has come to take precedence over other concerns. I attempt to use sculptural form to make space distinct.” –Richard Serra (more…)
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The American Document / Part IIFractured States / Peter van AgtmaelAfter returning from years of war coverage, Peter van Agtmael tries to piece together the memory, identity, race, class, and family, in a landscape which has become as surreal as the war he left behind. (more…)
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Mark RothkoArtist / PainterMark Rothko was born Marcus Rothkowitz on September 25, 1903, in Dvinsk, Russia. In 1913 his family left Russia and settled in Portland, Oregon. Rothko attended Yale University, New Haven, on a scholarship from 1921 to 1923. (more…)
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Sons of CainDirected by Keti StamoSons of Cain, written and directed by Keti Stamo, is set in a small village in northern Albania. In this place, time is suspended and the severe rules of an old code, Kanun, still dictate the life and death of the inhabitants.. (more…)
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Katharina FritschJun 18, 2022 – Mar 31, 2023The German sculptor Katharina Fritsch has made a significant contribution to visual art since the early 1980s. With distinctive cast forms painted in vivid colors, she has developed a specific sculptural lexicon encompassing a typology of everyday objects, animals, and humans, as well as installations (more…)
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William EgglestonPhotographerWilliam Eggleston is one of the most influential photographers of the latter half of the 20th century, credited with pioneering fine art color photography in his iconic depictions of the American South. (more…)
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Jannis Kounellis in Six ActsOct 14, 2022 – Feb 26, 2023The wide-ranging work of artist Jannis Kounellis is the subject of this major exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and Museo Jumex, Mexico City. This presentation is the first retrospective to be presented in North America in more than 35 years. (more…)
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Simon HantaïMay 18 – Aug 29, 2022To celebrate the centenary of Simon Hantaï’s birth (1922–2008), Fondation Louis Vuitton is organising an unprecedented retrospective exhibition, in collaboration with the Hantaï family, curated by Anne Baldassari. (more…)
