/ 2026 / Fine Art / Portraiture

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Nika Belianina, Canada
• Date of Photograph
  Spring 2026
• Studio
  Curious Captures
• Website
  http://www.nikabelianina.com
• Instagram
  instagram.com/lifeasnika

“Distorted Not Disturbed” series explores the gap between self-perception and how others see us — especially women, often judged by appearance before actions. These aren’t portraits of disturbed souls - but of distorted truths: where the self you show, the self you feel, and the self others see, collide and splinter. These works are physically altered — refracted through the textured surface of a box of chocolates — turning ordinary into uncanny, fragmented readings. Inspired by Soviet posters and cubism, the series reveal that we’re rarely seen as we wish to be.

Nika Belianina is an award-winning filmmaker and a photographic artist based in Toronto with 35+ curated international exhibitions. Her work lives at the intersection of the wonderfully weird and the profoundly human, shaped by a deep love of nature, self-searching and experimentation. Belianina’s photography is often wrapped in magical realism with a strong cinematic component. As a visual storyteller, Nika is also known for directing fiction and documentary film projects that vary in genre and topics and travelled the world through numerous film festivals and TV channels.

Awards 2025 - 64th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair - Honorable Mention
2024 - 2nd place at the International Photo Awards (IPA) in self-portrait category
3rd at the Fine Art Photo Awards (portrait), finalist in Conceptual category
2021 People’s choice at the Re-focus Awards
2020 Honorable mentions at the ND Awards in several categories
2018 Silver medal at the Center for Photographic Art, NY
Multiple film festival awards and selections