Inside

• Prize
• Photographer
  Maria Pleshkova, Russian Federation
• Socials
• Website
  https://www.mariapleshkova.com

“Inside” is a series of surrealistic self-portraits. No post-
production tips and tricks were used here – I work only with light
and the body.

A woman's body is supposed to be beautiful. Nudes have always
been a pretty and attractive thing.

People I love usually love my body. It is nice, it can be regarded as
a sexual object. But it is not the person I am, actually. That’s why
one day I began to hate my physical self. I wanted to crush it up.

For this series, I used my own body as a clay. I didn’t aim to depict
my physical appearance but I wanted to show my inner world in a
graphic manner. It’s an eternal conflict between the exterior and
the inward. Psychologists, sociologists and philosophers explore
the intrapersonal conflict in their work. And I’m exploring it in my
photographs.

• Biography
  Maria Pleshkova (b. 1986) is a multidisciplinary artist working in photography, video, and writing. In her work, Pleshkova explores the boundaries of self-portraiture. Her life and her art are inseparably connected: she lives her life through her art, making intimate and self-revealing projects. She explores the Microcosm, the human universe, and certain moments of the highest intensity of life. Pleshkova’s projects are always autobiographical, but the autobiography is just an excuse to talk about things that are universal and common to all humankind.
• Awards
  2017 Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3): Bronze Prize - Professional Fine Art Digitally Enhanced 2016 Dostoevsky Photography List (the list of 50 most interesting contemporary photographers of Russia and Ukraine according to Dostoevsky Photography Society, Netherlands) 2015 Photovisa, International Festival of Photography: First Prize in Multimedia Section 2015 Young Russian Photographers 2015: Laureate 2015 Photo Annual Awards: Honorable Mention 2014 International Photography Awards: Honorable mentions 2014 Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3): Silver Prize - Fine Art 2014 Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3): Bronze Prize - Portraiture 2014 Photo Annual Awards: Honorable Mentions 2013 La Quatrième Image. Photo fair prize: 2nd prize 2013 International Photography Awards: Honorable mentions 2013 American Photography 29 2013 China International Press Photo Contest: Honorable mention - War & Disaster News Stories 2013 China International Press Photo Contest: Honorable mention - General News Stories 2012 International Photography Awards: Honorable Mention 2012 The Inge Morath Award: Finalist 2012 Young Russian Photographers 2012: Laureate 2012 China International Press Photo Contest: Gold prize - Nature & Environment News Stories 2012 China International Press Photo Contest: Bronze prize - Art Culture & Entertainment News Stories