BIO
Sofiya Kuzmina is a New-York based artist born in Moscow, Russia. She immigrated to the US at the age of 17, soaking in the often conflicting backgrounds of Russia and America. She obtained her BFA from the School of Visual Arts and MFA from the New York Academy of Art, where she now teaches painting continued education courses.

During her time in the US, she participated in over 40 exhibitions and won state and national awards, including grants from YoungArts, Italian “Casanova - Arts Lover" Award, SVA, NYAA, and the Society of Illustrators. Along with many works held both in domestic and international collections, she was included in the 2021 List of Top 35 Russian Artists under 35 as the youngest on the list.

ARTIST STATEMENT
In my paintings, I focus on vulnerabilities and the private moments that unite people’s experiences, embracing empathy and celebrating inclusivity. Growing up in a rather oppressive conservative environment in Russia, I became very familiar with the notion of “otherness.” Standing out based on your opinions, visual expressions, and sexuality in Russia was a negative and risky 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 works.

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 place, 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 which society so often easily ignores.