Uldus Bakhtiozina

Bakhtiozina Uldus Vildanovna is a Russian artist, film director, and photographer.

Early life and education
Uldus was born in Saint Petersburg, (former Leningrad of USSR), in a family with mixed religions and nationalities: a Muslim tatars father, a Christian half Ukrainian mother and a Jewish step-sister. Uldus considers herself as a "child of rebuilding time" Perestroika in Russia, with open minds and free from stereotypes.

She gained her first degree in politics in Russia at West-North Academy of public administration. She left Russia when she was 21 years old and started a new life in London. Her first professional work as a photographer was series of ironic self-portraits, while she was studying in London, at University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins and London College of Communications

At the beginning of her career she directed videos for German musicians Popnoname – Anna, Change, and Russian singer Ilya Lagutenko Keta's project KETA – Clown.

Career
Despite the modern technology level, she prefers an analog camera instead of digital to catch the nature of an object, show its deepest edges and soul beneath them. For that purposes she uses medium format camera 6x7 and 120 film Kodak and old 35 mm film Leica R3 camera.

In 2014 Uldus became the first Russian speaker at a TED conference, giving a talk in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada about her photo project Desperate Romantics. She gave her second TED talk in 2017.

Uldus also spoke at Conference CDI conference in Mexico, as a finalist of Gifted Citizen Prize.

In October 2014 Uldus was named one of the strongest women of the year, according to the BBC, and took part in BBC debates and TV program 100 women, there her works were shown published at BBC channel. Uldus's photography was published in Vogue Italy, Aesthetica Magazine, C-41 Magazine, and many other international publishers. Bakhtiozina's works widely exhibited in Russia, England, Berlin, Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Milan.

One of her works is now in the collection of Ruya Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Iraq.

In April 2015 Uldus's artwork was selected and nominated in Leica + Vogue Italia with an exhibition in Milan.

Since 28 May 2014 Uldus's photographs have been exhibited in Anna Nova Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Four of her works were included in Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia collection.

Also, Uldus was awarded as a winner in May 2015 in TOP-50 Noble People of Saint-Petersburg by Sobaka.ru as an artist. In 2021 Uldus was awarded as a film director.

Uldus is author and photographer of serial of photos for the movie "He is dragon" poster (original "Он-дракон". )

In the 2019/20 Season, Uldus made her debut at Royal Opera House as a costume and make-up designer and style supervisor for Aisha and Abhaya, a co-production between The Royal Ballet and Rambert.

In 2020 she has completed her work as a film director, scriptwriter, costume designer and producer for her feature film debut Tzarevna Scaling (original "Дочь рыбака" )

Film's premiere took place at Zerkalo International Film Festival under the name of Andrei Tarkovsky.

In 2021 Uldus's debut feature film Tzarevna Scaling (original "Дочь рыбака") was selected for Berlinale at Berlinale Forum section.

During 2021 the film Tzarevna Scaling took part at Shanghai International Film Festival,Riga International Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival and also New Horizons IFF (Poland), /slash film festival (Austria,)Luststreifen Basel Queer-Feminist FF (Switzerland), Olhar de Cinema Curitiba International Film Festival (Brazil), Festival Nouveau Cinéma (CA).

Exhibitions

 * Best of Russia 2011, awarded in "Style" category, group exhibition, Vinzavod, Moscow
 * Self universe, Gaze Gallery, Berlin, Germany, May 2013
 * Desperate Romantics, Anna Nova Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, September 2013
 * Mysterious Russian soul, part of Vogue Italia + Leica Exhibitions, announced in April 2015
 * Russ Land Anna Nova Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, May–August 2015
 * The Artist Knight, group exhibition, Kasteel van gaasbeek, Brussels, Belgium, July 2017
 * Conjured life, Anna Nova Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, May–June 2017
 * Circus 17, Anna Nova Gallery, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, November 2017
 * The Artist Knight, group exhibition with Marina Abramović, Jan Fabre, Damien Hirst at Gaasbeek Castle, July 2017
 * Film screening exhibition, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, November 2017
 * Miss Future, the exhibition at Seen gallery, Brussels, Belgium August 2019
 * Русская Сказка. От Васнецова До Сих Пор, the exhibition at Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

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Publications

 * BBC 100 Women 2014: Exploring stereotypes across Russia
 * BBC Who are the 100 Women 2014?
 * TED Talk Wry photos that turn stereotypes upside down
 * Vogue Italia Arts, interview Uldus Bakhtiozina
 * TED blog Of masks & magic: Uldus Bakhtiozina makes images that poke fun at stereotypes
 * TED Blog A recap of the TED2014 Fellows Talks, Session 2
 * Creative Review
 * DeMilked
 * The daily beast
 * The culture trip Desperate Romantics
 * C-41 Magazine Photographer ULDUS BAKHTIOZINA
 * Aesthetica Magazine Interview with Photographer Uldus Bakhtiozina
 * Worbz Magazine Photographer Uldus Bakhtiozina
 * Russia Beyond headlines Russian fairy-tales through the prism of post-modernism
 * BRIC + Breaks stereotypes with Magic
 * CNN What is going on in these surreal photos of twisted Russian fairy tales?
 * About shooting for the poster "He is a dragon"
 * Interview for ID magazine
 * Postmodern Fairy tales
 * Meet 12 women breaking new ground in the arts
 * 100 women
 * Three sisters
 * Interview for Sobaka Magazine
 * "Tsarevna Scaling" movie announcement
 * Interview for The Blue Print Magazine
 * Born in fairy tale family
 * Visioner Uldus Bakhtiozina for Buro247
 * Interview for Vogue Russia
 * Interview for Delart Magazine
 * Interview for Business Magazine
 * Aisha and Abhaya cast -->
 * Raindance Review on Tzarevna Scaling https://raindance.org/festival-programme/tzarevna-scaling/
 * Художник Мариинского Театра https://www.mariinsky.ru/company/costume_designers/bakhtiozina/
 * InStyle Interview https://instyle.ru/lifestyle/culture/intervyu-yuldus-bakhtiozinoy/
 * Царевны International: «Дочъ Рыбака» – Кокошный Филъм О Постсоветской Женственности https://kinoart.ru/reviews/tsarevny-international-doch-rybaka-kokoshnyy-film-o-postsovetskoy-zhenstvennosti
 * Юлдус Бахтиозина стала художницей по костюмам трех сочинений Стравинского в Мариинском театре https://topspb.tv/news/2021/08/9/hudozhnik-po-kostyumam-mariinskogo-teatra-debyutirovala-kak-rezhisser-kino/
 * Calvert Journal https://www.calvertjournal.com/features/show/12657/tzarevna-scaling-uldus-bakhtiozina-berlinale-2020-russian-folk-film-coming-of-age