Milana Khalilova was born in 1985 in Zalukokoazhe, Kabardino-Balkaria. She graduated from the College of Design at Kabardino-Balkaria State University named after H.M. Berbekov in 2004. Until recently, she resided in Nalchik. Khalilova works in various mediums, including painting, animation, traditional craft techniques, and book design. In 2017, she was a resident at the Mikhail Shemyakin Foundation in France.
Her selected personal and group exhibitions include the personal exhibition “Zhyg Guasche” at the National Museum of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in Nalchik in 2017, the International Art Symposium Alanica in Vladikavkaz in 2019, the Biennale of Contemporary Art of the Caucasus at Artplay in Moscow in 2019, “Lullaby” at the North Caucasian branch of the A.S. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Vladikavkaz in 2019, the Biennale of Difficult Heritage in Volgograd in 2021, “Habitat” in Moscow with the support of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art in 2022, and the international project “Ulyap Songs: Beyond Circassian Tradition” in 2023.
In her artistic practice, Khalilova explores her Adyghe (Circassian) identity and ethnic culture, which has experienced significant losses over the past two centuries due to the Russo-Circassian War and Soviet-era transformations. She seeks to create a new Circassian visuality by carefully interpreting and creatively reworking the foundations of Adyghe indigenous design, developing a contemporary artistic language based on these traditions. Traditional Circassian materials and techniques, such as felt, fabrics, and embroidery, serve as independent mediums for artistic expression about the current state of Adyghe culture in her work. By updating the heritage and imbuing it with new meanings, she aims to overcome the general feeling of fragmentation and destabilization of her own identity.
Her selected personal and group exhibitions include the personal exhibition “Zhyg Guasche” at the National Museum of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in Nalchik in 2017, the International Art Symposium Alanica in Vladikavkaz in 2019, the Biennale of Contemporary Art of the Caucasus at Artplay in Moscow in 2019, “Lullaby” at the North Caucasian branch of the A.S. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Vladikavkaz in 2019, the Biennale of Difficult Heritage in Volgograd in 2021, “Habitat” in Moscow with the support of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art in 2022, and the international project “Ulyap Songs: Beyond Circassian Tradition” in 2023.
In her artistic practice, Khalilova explores her Adyghe (Circassian) identity and ethnic culture, which has experienced significant losses over the past two centuries due to the Russo-Circassian War and Soviet-era transformations. She seeks to create a new Circassian visuality by carefully interpreting and creatively reworking the foundations of Adyghe indigenous design, developing a contemporary artistic language based on these traditions. Traditional Circassian materials and techniques, such as felt, fabrics, and embroidery, serve as independent mediums for artistic expression about the current state of Adyghe culture in her work. By updating the heritage and imbuing it with new meanings, she aims to overcome the general feeling of fragmentation and destabilization of her own identity.
ARTIST PROJECT:
collage artist
research project:
MILANA KHALILOVA
