BIO
Sofia Melikova is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and social activist based in St. Petersburg. Sofia was born in Leningrad (former St. Petersburg, USSR) on 16 August, 1988 in an ethnic Azerbaijanian Tsakhur family. Sofia’s artistic practice is an alchemical immersion into unknown and hidden layers. Sofia uses audio-visual means of presenting information, theater, performance, butoh, ethnic and ritual practices in her works. Her main fields of interest include: indigenous peoples, marginalized communities, invisible patterns, stratification, disappearing cultures and languages.
Sofia is a graduate of the Academy of Documentary Photography and Photojournalism “Fotografika” (2022). Resident of the Tbilisi Museum of Photography and Multimedia (2021), “Alanika” international festival of contemporary art (2023), “Third Place art residence” (2024). Laureate of the International “Video Formes” Festival (2023), International “Flamingo” Film Festival (2022), International Makizhmithran Film Festival (2024).
*see more detailed artist bio & cv below.
EDUCATION
- 2020 — 2022: Academy of Documentary Photography and Photojournalism “Fotografika”, St. Petersburg, Russia (Diploma, Advanced Course)
- 2010 — 2013: University of Flensburg, Germany (MA European Studies, magna cum laude)
- 2005 — 2010: North-West Presidential Academy of Public Administration, St. Petersburg, Russia (Diploma in International Relations, magna cum laude)
- 1998 — 2004: Glinka State School of Arts, St. Petersburg (Piano/Vocal)
EXHIBITIONS
2024 Joint exhibition “Ego Constructor” at the Third Place Art Residency, 02.07. — 27.08.2024, St. Petersburg
2024 Joint exhibition “Drevo” (“Tree”) at the “Shkaf” Library and Art-Residency, 15.05. — 21.07.2024, St. Petersburg
2023 Joint exhibition “The other language” within the 16th “Alanika” international contemporary art festival, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, 01.08. — 01.10.2024, Vladikavkaz
2022 Joint exhibition “Sense of Place: The Indigenous Experience in Russia and USA” hosted by The American Center in Moscow
2021 Joint outdoor exhibition at the “Noorderlicht International Photo Festival: The Makeable Mind” in Groningen & Friesland, the Netherlands
2021 Joint online exhibition “When there is no future” on “Wall-Online”
2021 Joint exhibition “Where past remains”, “Postoronnye” art collective, St. Petersburg
2021 Joint exhibition “Worlds created by love”, Open Living Room, St. Petersburg
2021, 2020, 2019 Victory at the National Contest “Objective Charity” (by “Donors' Forum”) and Open-Air Exhibition in Moscow
2020 Solo international photography exhibition on the “Salvation” project, CIC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2019 Solo photo exhibition “Urban sketches”, “64 beans” art-cafe, St. Petersburg, Russia
2019 Victory at the International Photo Contest “Overcoming borders” and Joint Exhibition in Tbilisi, Georgia
2019 Victory at the regional photo competition and exhibition within the “Woman to woman” project at the House of Journalists, St. Petersburg, Russia
2019 Joint exhibition “This is my reportage”, Semyonovskaya Library, St. Petersburg, Russia.
ART-RESIDENCIES
- 2024 “Ego Constructor” Art Residency, Third Place, St. Petersburg
- 2024 “Drevo” (“Tree”) Art Residency, “Shkaf” Library and Art Residency, St. Petersburg
- 2023 Laboratory of theatre experiments “Pole Telo”, creative cluster “Guslitsa”, Moscow
- 2023 “Alanika” international contemporary art festival, art-residency in the Akhty village (Daghestan)
- 2021 Tbilisi Multimedia and Photography Museum Art-Residency (supported by Magic Carpets European Creative Platform)
FILM FESTIVALS
- 2025 The Archeology Channel (TAC) International Film Festival, Eugene, Oregon, USA (screening planned for 14-18 May, 2025)
- 2025 International Folklore Film Festival, Kerala, India (screening planned for 10 — 15 January 2025)
- 2024 Village Arts & Film Festival, Owerri, Nigeria (screening planned for 18 — 20 December 2024)
- 2024 Zuma International film festival, Abudja, Nigeria (screening planned for 1. December 2024)
- 2024 International multicultural film festival, Australia (screening planned for 23 November 2024 in Perth/Melbourne)
- 2024 “Rivers” International Film Festival, Senegal, 24 October 2024
- 2024 International Film Festival “Krilatiy Bars”, 13-14 October 2024, Kazan / 'BEST AUTHOR DOCUMENTARY FILM AWARD'
- 2024 Vulnerable Videoart Festival, 11-13 October 2024, St. Petersburg
- 2024 Mosfestfilm, Moscow, 21 September 2024 / 'BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM FINALIST
- 2024 International Makizhmithran Film Festival, South Tamil Nadu, India, 8 July 2024 Тамиль-Наду, Индия, 8 июля 2024 года / 'BEST EXPERIMENTAL ' AWARD
- 2023 New media art festival, 23 August 2023, Seoul, Korea
- 2023 International “Ibrida” film festival, Italy
- 2023 International “VideoFormes” festival, Clermont-Ferrand, France, 17 — 19 March, 2023 / 'Conseil Départemental du Puy de Dôme AWARD
- 2022 International 'Dos Canais' Festival (within the 'Magic Carpets Landed Aveiro' programme), Aveiro, Portugal, 15 — 26 July, 2022
- 2022 International 'Little Islands' Festival, Sikinos Island, Greece, 19 -22 August, 2022
- 2022 Flamingo Film Festival, Florida, USA, 23 April, 2022 / 'BEST EXPERIMENTAL ' AWARD
PERFORMANCES
directed:
- Solo performance “EON” within the framework of butoh workshop organized by Katsura Kan and Oddance Theatre, Alexandrisnki Theatre — New Stage, St. Petersburg, 7 October 2024
- 2024 Performance ‘A Hunger Artist’ (based on the texts of F. Kafka) presented on the 100th Anniversary of F. Kafka, Goethe Institute, St. Petersburg, 9 June 2024
- 2024 Performance ‘It will end soon’ (based on the ‘Story about seven hanged men’ of L. Andreyev), ‘Brusnitsyn’ cultural cluster, St. Petersburg (co-directed with Inanna Loo, Angelina Antipova, Gueni Ko, Roman Aiwanau”)
- 2023 Performance “Rubedo” at the “Butoh-E” festival at “Osobnyak” Theatre, St. Petersburg (co-organized with Svetlana Lenichko)
- 2023 Performance “Rubedo” at the “Sensorium” contemporary art festival, “Lastochka” club, St. Petersburg (co-authored with Svetlana Lenichko)
- 2021 Performance “The River” at the outdoor “Krasnenkaya Biennale 2021”, St. Petersburg (co-organized with Asya Bobritskaya)
- 2021 Eco-performance “Zhivye” (“Alive”) devoted to the deforestation problem at the outdoor forest exhibition “Idite Lesom” in Lisiy Nos, St. Petersburg (24 July 2021), co-organized as part of the “Postoronnye” art collective.
- 2021 Solo Sound Performance “Salamalik” (ancient Tsakhur chant sung by women)
performed at:
- 2024 Theatre performance “A little woman” (based on F. Kafka) presented on the 100th Anniversary of F. Kafka, Goethe Institute, St. Petersburg, 19 October 2024 (dir. Konstantin Mollayev)
- 2024 Collective Performance “The Martian Chronicles” (based on Bradbury), “Kurt Theatre”, St. Petersburg (dir. Oleg Zhukovksy)
- 2023 Multimedia opera performance “Jeanne d’Arc Passion”, Sound Museum, “Brusnitsyn” cultural cluster, St. Petersburg (dir. Anna Mikhaylova)
- 2023 Theatre Performance “This Life of Po”, creative cluster “Guslitsa”, Moscow
- 2023 Performance “Deconstruction” at “Not A Gallery”, St.Petersburg (dir. Catherina Itova)
- 2023 Performance “Urbit” along with the painter Sergey Stepanov at “Etagi” Loft Project, Thiasos Butoh Collective. St. Petersburg (dir. Mariam Traore)
- 2022 Performance “Antidystopia” in the framework of “NoiseRoom” project at Alexandrinsky Theatre, Thiasos Butoh Collective & Ilya SymphoCat, St. Petersburg (dir. Mariam Traore)
- 2022 Performance “Evolution” at Gamma Festival, Das Gegenteil Collective, St. Petersburg (dir. Yulia Loboda & Valentin Dzin)
- 2022 Performance “Before Dew”, Thiasos Butoh Collective, YogArt Festival, St. Petersburg (dir. Maryam Traore)
- 2022 Performance “3.15”, St. Petersburg, “DK Gaza” (organized by “Postoronnye” Art Collective)
- 2021 Performance “Side effects”, Thiasos Butoh Collective, St. Petersburg, Villa Vitali (dir. Maryam Traore)
- 2021 Theatre Performance “September Amaterasu”, St. Petersburg, “DNK” Art Cafe (dir. Gaya Ananyan)
- 2021 Performance “Patch” at International Art Festival “Art Prospect”, St. Petersburg, DK Gaza (dir. Mikhail Zubov)
WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
- 2024 “NO” Theatre Master class with Katsura Kan, Oddance Theatre, St. Petersburg, 8-12 June 2024
- 2024 Kafka theatre lab with Alexander Savchuk and Viktoria Yevtyukhina (Goethe Institute, SHIKI)
- 2024 Theatre Workshop with Oleg Zhukovsky with a final Performance “The Martian Chronicles”
- 2024 Butoh Workshop with Anton Adasinsky, St. Petersburg
- 2023 New York Film Academy Documentary Filmmakers Programme in Los Angeles
- 2022 'The Factory of Lost & Found Dreams' Lab Participant
- 2021 Moscow International Experimental Film Festival (MIEFF) Lab Participant
- 2021 DocTrain Goethe-Institut Training with Arne Birkenstock and Marina Razbezhkina
- 2021 Gamma Performative Lab with Valentin Dzin and Yulia Loboda
- 2021 Improvisation Theatre Course (Youth in Action, Educatio)
- 2021 CineDOC Film Mentoring Programme
- 2021 Nikon-Noor Academy Participant with Jon Lowenstein, Pep Bonet, and Sanne de Wilde.
MEMBERSHIP
- “Thiasos Butoh” Theatre & Dance Collective
- Informal Platform of Women of Caucasus “WSolidarity with Madina” (co-founder)
- Informal Network of UN OHCHR Minority Fellows
CONFERENCES & SPEECHES
- 2024 IV Interregional Historical and Patriotic Forum “Heritage of Ancestors”, Derbent, Daghestan, 9 November 2024 // Speaker, Presentation of the immersive audio performance “Sharvili” (2023) and screening of the documentary film “Only Stones Will Remain” (2023)
- 2022 UNESCO webinar to launch the publication “State of the Art of Indigenous Languages in Research” // Speaker
- 2021 ‘RightsCon’ // Speaker & Moderator
- 2018, 2019, 2020 UN Forum on Minority Issues // Fellow and Speaker
- 2019 Global Media Forum // Speaker
- 2019, 2020 European Regional Forum on Minority Issues // Speaker
