Elvira Akzigitova

Artist's country of origin: Estonia

Elvira Akzigitova is a photo-based analogue artist and printmaker who participates in international exhibitions, festivals, and workshops. With a deep admiration for technique, process, and intuition, she employs various methods to enhance her handcrafted optical themes with new layers of meaning. Her cameraless light designs, known as light graphics, originate in a photographic darkroom directly on light-sensitive paper. These abstract impressions are then transferred to a UV-sensitive intaglio plate, etched onto fine art paper, and passed through a printing press. Scraping, scratching, and rubbing into the paper to create intricate incised designs, she finds the tactile surfaces and the musky ink aroma of the printing facilities consoling.

Her body of work periodically undergoes alterations, experimenting with color placement and multi-layering techniques. Through the incorporation of chine-collé, a la poupée, embossment, and repurposed materials, Elvira elaborates on her pieces, giving each art print an authentic, honest, and contemporary quality.

This collection of experiments, created between 2020 and 2024, showcases the artist's technical skills and the poetic depth present in her image-making. By presenting this series, Elvira aims to provide an engaging experience for those who appreciate diverse artistic expressions in complex printmaking, durational photography, and film. Her alternative and abstract, inward-looking images decisively replace humanist documentary photography with photographs presented as optical themes in themselves.