Elza Abdulkhakova

Elza Abdulkhakova (b. 1990) is an artist and curator working at the intersection of contemporary dance, performance, and video art. Based in St Petersburg, her practice explores corporeality, movement, and the performative potential of the body in both solo and collaborative projects. Abdulkhakova has worked with key cultural institutions in Russia, including the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, V-A-C Foundation, and the N.A. Nekrasov Library. Her artistic research extends into curatorial initiatives and experimental laboratories focused on movement and identity.

Since 2020, Abdulkhakova has collaborated with artist Herman Stroganov as part of the Abdulkhakova Stroganov Dance Company (ASDC), investigating the intersection of dance and video. She is also a member of forbidden body language (since 2021) and tridevyat’, a St. Petersburg-based artistic collective (since 2024). In her choreographic and performative projects, she engages with various artistic mediums, creating dance installations, video works, and site-specific performances.

Her educational background includes studies at the IDC Professional Online Program (St. Petersburg), the New Dance Academy of Olga Tsvetkova, and the Institute of Contemporary Art (Moscow). Additionally, she has completed programs at the Higher School of Economics (Moscow) in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London, the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, and St. Petersburg State University.