BIO

I was born in 1989 in Minsk, now the Republic of Belarus, but grew up in Russia and completed a degree in Journalism at the Moscow State University. My engagement with a camera originated in journalistic background: I started wondering whether journalistic efficiency of photography exceeds that of text. In 2009, I interned at the picture desk of the business daily Vedomosti, Russian subsidiary of the Financial Times. Although the following year I returned to writing for a weekly magazine, soon after that I chose to attend MA Photojournalism course at the University of Westminster where I got involved into wider range of photography practices and graduated with distinction in 2012. Presently, I work as a photo editor and freelance as a photographer, in my personal projects I take special interest in social and identity issues. My photographs appeared in such publications as The Sunday Times (UK), Financial Times (UK), 11 Freunde (Germany), and on websites of Dazed (UK), NPR (USA) and FK magazine (Latvia) among others.

EDUCATION

2015/VIII ISSP — The Narrative Portrait workshop by Alessandra Sanguinetti / Latvia
2011 — 2012 University of Westminster — MA Photojournalism (Distinction) / UK
2012/V Magnum Photos — Professional Practice (Selected) / UK
2006 — 2011 Moscow State University — BA Journalism (Distinction) / Russia

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022 Koreshki Festival — Fab.8 / Novosibirsk, Russia
2020 — 2021 Kassel Dummy Award 2020 Exhibition Tour — Croatia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, Turkey, Cambodia, Singapore, Australia
2017 Facts and Clarifications, Riga Photomonth — Von Sticka Villa / Riga, Latvia
2015 ISSP 2015 Final Exhibition — Kuldiga Arts Hall / Kuldiga, Latvia
2013 FreshFaced + WildEyed — The Photographers' Gallery / London, UK
2012 Photobook Show, Brighton Photo Biennial — Jubilee Library / Brighton, UK
2012 Degree Show Here and There — AmbikaP3 Gallery / London, UK

AWARDS & HONOURS

2020 Shortlisted, Kassel Dummy Award / Germany
2013 Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards
Deeper Perspective category (Non-Professional and Student) / USA
2012 Shortlisted, Metro Imaging One Year Mentorship Prize / UK

RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2017/VII — present
photo editor at Forbes magazine (Russia)
2016/VIII — 2017/VI
photo editor at Women’s Health magazine (Russia)
2014/XI — 2016/III
photo editor at Psychologies magazine (Russia)
2013/VI — 2014/X
assistant photo editor at Psychologies magazine (Russia)

E-mail: asya.shpilko@gmail.com

Mobile: +7 916 588 08 09