ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MARIA ELENA BONET
Artist / Photographer / Filmmaker
Based in Gdansk, Poland. Represented by Galería F&deO, Madrid, Spain.
• 1986/ was born in Minsk, Belarus
• 2009/ graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Art
• Since 2007 focuses on black&white film photography. Creates artworks using alternative photographic processes: gum-bichromate process, tin process, cyanotype and classical gelatin-silver process
• 2008–2009/ took the author’s individual course on analog photography in the studio of Albert Tsekhanovich
• 2011–2012/ took the author’s individual course on alternative photographic printing techniques in the studio of Andrei Voskresenski
• 2014/ six original photographs from the Home project were included in the collection of the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO in St. Petersburg. Publication of artworks in the catalog “Minsk School of Photography. 1960s - 2000s.” 2014, St. Petersburg
• 2017/ the photography by Maria is among the 100 best original photographs of the 19th and 21th centuries according to the version of the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSPHOTO in St. Petersburg.
• Since 2017 is leading Cyanotype and Gum Bichromate Process workshops
• Since 2019 / makes short films (camera and director) in addition to her photographic projects
• 2019 – 2022 was represented by La Galerie Rouge (Paris). Since 2021 represented by Galería F&deO (Madrid)
• 2020/ the winner in the National Competition “Art of the Book” (design), Minsk
• 2020/ nominated for the National Fine Arts Award in Belarus – Art photography, Maria withdrew her candidacy from the competition as a sign of solidarity with the censored artist and with the victims of the violence of the current government in Belarus.
• 2021/ the recipient of the Gaude Polonia scholarship in Poland (Program of the Ministry of Culture of Poland)
• 2021/ The My River project was broadcast on the walls of the White Church, accompanied by an orchestra OKO. Festival SPRAVA, Belarus
• 2021/ The movie My River was selected for the ValdarnoCinema Film Festival in Italy and was shown in the short film competition at the Cinema Masaccio di San Giovanni Valdarno.
• 2021/ Source series from the My River project is among the winners of Le Mois de la Photo in Grenoble, France
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
My River
- Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art / Warsaw, Poland, 2022
- ZAl#2, Palace of Art / Minsk, Belarus, 2020
Home
- La Chapelle de Rosaire, le festival Promenade Photographique de Yenne / France, 2021
- National Historical Museum / Belarus, Minsk, 2012
There is nothing that could not be a cloud
– ROOMS / Minsk, Belarus, 2019
Marionetta
– Gallery "Art-Belarus" / Minsk, Belarus, 2017
Night and Day
– Museum of Contemporary Art / Minsk, Belarus, 2015
the MAIN COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS
• Prizewinner of Le Mois de la Photo – Ancien musée de Peinture / Grenoble, 2021
Long list in 2020
• Promenade Photographique de Yenne – la Chapelle de Rosaire / Yenne, 2021
• Photo-Art Festival MOST-21 – Palace of Arts / Minsk, 2021
• "Hostages" – New Belarus Art project – Hauptkirche St Petri / Hamburg, 2020
• "Correspondances" – La Galerie Rouge / Paris, 2020
• International Art festival “Art-Minsk” – Palace of Arts / Minsk, 2020 – 2018
• “Libros-objeto/Cajas de autor” – Desvan Blanco space gallery / Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 2019
• “Autumn salon with Belgazprombank” – Palace of Arts / Minsk, 2019 – 2016
• “La Passeggiata” – Galerie Agathe Galliard / Paris, 2019
• “Lyubchansky region. People and time” – The National Historical Museum / Minsk, 2019
• “Today and tomorrow” – Arka gallery / Vilnius, 2018
• “ROSPHOTO’s 15th Anniversary Exhibition” – the best original photos, received in the collection from 2002 to 2017 – the State Russian Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSPHOTO / Saint-Petersburg, 2017
• “Open Youth” – Palace of Arts / Minsk, 2017
• Photo project "The Odyssey" – National Center for Contemporary Arts / Minsk, 2017
• “Photogram and gum arabic” – Mastatski Mayontak / Minsk, 2016
• International exhibition dedicated to the 155th anniversary of the first color photography “Aspiration for color” – the State Russian Museum of Photography / Nizhny Novgorod, 2016
• Project “Likht-art” – Gallery of the Belarusian Union of Designers / Minsk, 2015
• International Festival of Pinhole Photography “Playing Classics” – Museum of the Belarusian Cinema History / Minsk, 2015
• “Polonaise” – Republican exhibition dedicated to the 250th anniversary of Michal Kleofas Oginsky – Palace of Arts / Minsk, 2015
• “Steps” – Gallery” University of Culture” / Minsk, 2015
• “The Minsk School of Photography. 1960’s–2000’s” – The State Russian Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSPHOTO / Saint-Petersburg, 2014
• VI International Photographic Festival “Volga Biennale” – the State Russian Museum of Photography / Nizhny Novgorod, 2014
• International Exhibition “Photo Project” – Cultural and Exhibition Center The Tenishevs / Smolensk, 2014
• Photo project “Metamorphosis” – The State Russian Museum of Photography / Nizhny Novgorod, 2013
The National Historical Museum / Minsk, 2012
• “Photomania” – International Photographic Biennale / Kaliningrad, 2011
• Photo project “Continuation” – Museum of Contemporary Art / Minsk, 2010
• Prizewinner of the republican project “Minsk Pictures: Private Life” (II place) – NOVA Gallery / Minsk, 2009
PUBLICATIONS
• The work from the My River project was selected for the cover of poetry book "Music for the Dead and Resurrected" by Valzhyna Mort / Swedish edition, 2021
• The work from the Mistletoe series was selected for the cover of book “Aquarium” by Siarhiej Kalenda / Minsk, 2020
• catalog of the international art festival “Art-Minsk” / 2020 – 2018
• “Bolshoi” magazine / Minsk, 2019, 2010
• catalogues “Autumn Salon with Belgazprombank” / Minsk, 2019 – 2016
• album-catalogue “The local design. Persons and objects” / Minsk, 2016
• album-catalogue “The Minsk School of Photography. 1960’s–2000’s” / Saint-Petersburg, 2014
• album “Metamorphoses” / Minsk, 2014
• album-catalogue “Volga Biennale” / Nizhny Novgorod, 2014
• album “Continuation” / Minsk, 2010
• album “Minsk photos. Private life” / Minsk, 2009
Maria's works are in collections of: National Center for Contemporary Arts (Minsk), Art-Belarus Gallery (Minsk), The State Russian Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSPHOTO (Saint-Petersburg), The State Russian Museum of Photography (Nizhny Novgorod) and in private collections around the world.
INSTAGRAM