Zoja Kalinovskis is a Bradford born, London-based conceptual, fine art photographer who works across digital and analogue mediums. As a genderqueer, disabled artist Zoja is interested in exploring concepts around identity, sexuality, disability, race, mental health and anything that challenges societal norms such as gender. They believe that art can and should be used as a form of activism to highlight social injustice.
Zoja recently won the Portrait of Britain Award 2022, along with the AOP Student Awards 2022 (Silver Winner) and BarTur Photo Award 2022 (Third Place Winner)
The Renaissance of Waste is an ongoing series inspired by paintings from the Dutch Masters and Caravaggio, and is a commentary on the intersection between climate change and racial injustice. It explores the over-consumption of the global north and the excessive burdens it places on the global south by exporting vast amounts of waste to landfills. As such each portrait is centred around a different item of environmental waste.
The series also highlights how people of colour, especially in the global south are disproportionately affected by climate change. It brings forth the questions of how the future might look if we don’t start to make significant changes in the areas of climate change and racial injustice. It is a complex and forthright question intended to make the audience feel uncomfortable.
