Mary Gelman is a VII Photo Agency Member photographer based in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
In 2016 she graduated School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc (Saint - Petersburg) and was a participant in various international and local workshops. She works as a photojournalist and teacher. The most important part of her professional life is personal projects. She combines in the projects a strong personal approach with documentary and conceptual practices. Mary focuses on a study of issues of gender and body, boundary and identity, discrimination and the human relationship with the environment.
Mary has been a winner of different competitions. She's the recipient of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Pictures of the Year, Portraits - Hellerau Photography Award, Istanbul Photo Awards, Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest.
Selected awards
2020 | The Direct Look | 1st place in problem category
2020 | Pictures of the Year International 77 | 1st place in portrait category
2020 | «Life Framer - THE HUMAN BODY» | winner of 1st place
2020 | The Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Awards | winner
2019 | Selected for the 8th annual New York Portfolio Review
2019 | Imago Photo International Contest | winner of 1st place
2019 | Portraits - Hellerau Photography Award | winner of a residency grant
2018 | Leica Oskar Barnack Award | winner of Newcomer
2018 | Direct Look photo contest, FOTODOC Center for Documentary Photography at Sakharov center | 2st place
2018 | Flash Forward Ward | winner
2018 | International photography competition «Point on the map» | 1st place
2017 | Istanbul Photo Awards | 1st place in the Portrait series category
2017 | International documentary film festival «ARTDOCFEST» | the director of the movie «Eternal memory»
2017 | The Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest | 2st place in the Portrait series category
2017 | The Photography Grant | nominee
2017 | Laureate of the Young photographers of Russia 2017
2016 | Selected for Workshop with Mads Nissen and Mads Greve, Denmark
2016 | Vilnius Photo Circle | the finalist in the «Homework» category
Exhibitions and screening (selected)
2020 | Personal exhibition in Hellerau | Dresden, Germany
2020 | Aperture Gallery | NY, USA
2018 | Paris Photo, stand Leica | Paris, France
2018 | Personal exhibition in the cinema «Pioneer» | Moscow, Russia
2018 | «Neuen Schule für Fotografie» | Berlin, Germany
2018 | Screening night of the Voies Off Festival | Arles, France
2018 | Center for Documentary Photography at Sakharov center | Moscow, Russia
2018 | Photographers Without Borders| Zahedan, Iran
2017 | International documentary film festival «ARTDOFEST» | Moscow, Russia
2017 | U.N. headquarters (New York, USA)
2017 | Cer Modern Arts Center (Ankara, Turkey)
2017 | Folkart Gallery (Izmir, Turkey)
2017 | Tophane-i-Amire Culture and Arts Centre (Istanbul, Turkey)
2017 | Lumiere Brothers’ Center for Photography | Moscow, Russia
2017 | Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2016 | Vilnius Photo Circle | Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 | Group exhibition «Now or never» | Copenhagen, Denmark
Teaching, workshops, lectures and other initiatives
2019 | Artist talk at the Arnulf Rainer Museum, Festival La Gacilly – Baden Photo | Baden (Austria)
2018 | Intensive workshop for journalists in Tomsk State University | Tomsk, Siberia
2018 | Book signing in Paris Photo | Paris, France
2018 -2019 | Teaching own course of documentary photography in a school of academic photography | Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2018 | Public lecture in a school of academic photography | Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2018 | Artist-talk in «Human Library» | Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2018 | Public lecture in «The Ribs Of Eve» | Saint-Petersburg, Russia
2017 | Workshop for journalists in Tomsk State University | Tomsk, Siberia
2017 | Public lecture on a festival of photography and design | Tomsk, Siberia
2017 | Artist - talk in Vilnius Photo Circle | Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 | Public lecture in feminist school | Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Education
2020 | 2020 Joop Swart Masterclass | World Press Photo
2017 | Summer School of Russian Reporter, workshop of documentary film
2016 | Vilnius Photo Circle | Lærke Posselt, Lithuania, Vilnius
2016 | Summer School of Russian Reporter, workshop with Andrei Polikanov Russia
2016 - 2017 | Workshop with Mads Nissen and Mads Greve | Copenhagen, Denmark
2015 – 2016 | Documentary photography and photojournalism at «DocDocDoc» school, Russia
Publications
Her works were published in The Washington Post, UNICEF, National Geographic, Медуза, Lenta.ru, Takie Dela, Bird In Flight, Colta.ru, Wonderzine, Buzzfeed (NY), Sobaka.ru, The Village, Afisha. Daily, European Photography, Internazionale, Большой Спорт, Fluter and among others.
E-mail:
gelman@viiphoto.com
gelman1917@gmail.com
TEL: +7.911.037.88.24 | Russia
(if this number is not available, I might be abroad, try to message me via Whatsapp)