Meggy Rustamova (°1985) born in Georgia. ​Lives and works in Belgium. 

Meggy Rustamova is an independent artist primarily working in the audiovisual fields of photography, film and installation. Concerned with the relations between individual and collective memory, language and human behaviour, her works look for ways to translate contemporary social issues.

Together with Sirah Foighel Brutmann, Pieter Geenen and Eitan Efrat is she the co-founder of Messidor, an artists collective established in 2015 and based in Brussels. Messidor occupies a unique position in the arts field: the organisation is small-scale, non-commercial and artist-run. The four artists are active, individually as well as in collaboration, in the Belgian audiovisual sector and in other art branches such as film, installation and performance. Each of them has had its own independent practice in Belgium and internationally.

CV

EDUCATION

- Post Academic Studies, Higher Institute for Fine Arts (HISK), Ghent (2012-2013) 
- Master in Fine Arts, Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK), Ghent (2006-2011)
- Universität der Künste (UdK) Klasse Johan Lorbeer, Berlin (2010)
- Herman Teirlinck Instituut, theaterklas Dora van der Groen, Antwerp (2005-2006)
- Journalism, Erasmus Hogeschool, Brussels (2004-2005)
- Kunsthumaniora Brussel, Art & Drama, Brussels (2000-2004)

RESIDENCY
​
- Residency Unlimited, Brooklyn, New York (2018)
- ISELP, with artists collective Messidor, Brussels  (2016-2017)
- Artist in residence, KultuurKontakt Austria, Vienna (2016)

EXHIBITIONS | SCREENINGS | PERFORMANCES

2023

- 'Deda Ena’, solo exhibition, Europalia Festival, Bozar (BE)
- ‘Films’, screening, De Singel, Antwerpen (BE)
- 'Bang[Ding Dong]', solo exhibition, Fotomuseum Antwerpen (BE)
- 'Horaizon', screening, Film Festival Oberhausen (DE)
- 'Horaizon', screening, Blickfang, Filmfest Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (DE)

2022
- 'Horaizon', Screening, Liquid Structures, Batumi, Georgia (GE)
- 'Babel', Screening, Our Fluid Territories, Brussels (BE)
​- 'Horaizon', Screening, EMAF, German première,​ Osnabrück (DE). 

2021
​- 'Horaizon' avant-première and artist talk, Beursschouwburg Brussels (BE)
- 'The Constant Glitch', group exhibition, M Leuven (BE)
- Screening films & artist talk, Kunsthal Extra City, Antwerp (BE)
- Online Screenings by peer to space 'Another Person In You', screening 'Babel'.

2020
- 'Horaizon', solo exhibition, Vrienden van het S.M.A.K., Ghent (BE)
- 'Babel', screening, Kassel Dokfest, Kassel (DE)
- 'Babel', screening, Decoratelier & Argos (BE)

2019
- ​‘A Speech of Nature’, Performance, ARTER, Istanbul (TR)
- Tënk, video and documentary platform, Screening: 'Waiting for the Secret' (FR)
- 'The HISK Connection', group exhibition, KANAL - Centre Pompidou, Brussels (BE)
​- Le Musée de la Photographie, Boîte Noir, solo screening, Charleroi (BE)
- ​'The Collection | Highlights for a Future', group exhibition, S.M.A.K., Ghent (BE)
​- 'There all is order and beauty', group exhibition, Argos, Brussels (BE)

2018
​- 'Floraphilia, Plants as archives', Akademie der Künste der Welt, ​Academyspace, Cologne (DE)
- RU, 'mono no aware', group exhibition, New York (US)​
​- 'Personal, Risk Change', Kibla Portal, Maribor (SI)
- 'Un|settled' KAAP, Raversyde, Oostende (BE)
- 'Biënnale van de Schilderkunst', Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle (BE)
- ​'State of Statelessness', group exhibition, Iselp, Brussels (BE)
- 'glorious (?) FAILURE', group exhibition, Triënnale Duffel (BE)
​- 'Light Displacement', Screening, Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Oberhausen (DE)
- 'Time can tell', group exhibition, De Directeurswoning, Roeselare (BE)
- 'Never Walk Alone #3 - Japan', Cc Strombeek-Bever (BE)
- 'Light shifts, Lichte verschuiving', Art's Birthday, M hka, Antwerp (BE)

2017
- 'Light Displacement', solo exhibition, De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (NL)
-'Cosmic Words', group exhibition, Galería Municipal de Lisboa, Boavista, Lisbon (PT)
- 'Some Arguments Later', group exhibition by Messidor, ISELP, Brussels (BE)
- 'HISTORICODE: Scarcity and Supply', Nanjing Art Festival, Nanjing (CN)
- 'EUtopia 28', group exhibition, museumcultuur cc Strombeek/Gent, Strombeek-Bever (BE)
- 'Gemini', International Film Festival Rotterdam, Rotterdam (NL)
- 'Homeless Movies', Huis van Alijn, Ghent (BE)
​
​2016
- 'Drawing is Thinking, Thinking is Moving', group exhibition, CIAP, Hasselt (BE)
- 'Waiting for the secret', group exhibition, Halles St-Géry, Brussels (BE)
- 'Wewantosee', Gallery B, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (JP)
- ​Artist in residence, group exhibition, KultuurKontakt Austria and Bundeskanzleramt, Vienna (AT)
- ​​'Restart', Riga Photography Biennial, Riga (LV)
- 'From the Collection', group exhibition, S.M.A.K., Ghent (BE)
- 'Every letter is a love letter', group exhibition, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn (EE)
- International Film Festival Rotterdam, screening and group exhibition, Rotterdam (NL)
- 'L'invitation au voyage', screening, Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Stuttgart (DE)

2015
- 'SHE HE SHE SHE HE', solo exhibition, Bureau des Réalités, Brussels (BE)
- 'Observations', solo exhibition, Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
- 'How to gather', screening, 6th Moscow Biennale, Moscow (RU)
- 'Videoarbeiten', solo exhibition, Kunstraum für Bewegte Ideen, Düsseldorf (DE)
- 'Displacement of All Places', group exhibition, uqbar, Berlin (DE)
- The Brussels Art Institute, screening, Brussels (BE)
- Film Cologne & Flanders Moving Image, screening during Art Cologne, Köln (DE)
- 'A Space between Words and Images', screening, cinema-w-o-l-k-e, Brussels (BE)
- 'The Future of Memory', group exhibition, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (AT)

2014
- 'John Smith, the Posthuman', performance, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht (NL)
- 'Disappearing Things', group exhibition, 55th October Salon, Belgrade (RS)
- 'The centre for dying on stage', group exhibition & performance, Project Arts Centre, Dublin (IE)
- 'Een onvervalste leugen', Emergent, Veurne (BE)
- 'Out of character', group exhibition, CAB, Brussels (BE)
- 'Punctum', group exhibition, Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg (AT)
- 'Spots&Dots', Belluard Bollwerk International, Fribourg (CH)

2013
- 'Perpetual Travellers', group exhibition, SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin (DE)
- 'Coup De Ville', group exhibition, public and private space, Sint-Niklaas (BE)
- 'Home & Asylum', group exhibition, InBetween, Brussels (BE)
- '(dis)Location', screening, Beursschouwburg, Wiels, Q-O2, in the frame of Performatik, Brussels (BE)
- '(dis)Location', performance and installation, Performatik, Kaaitheater, Brussels (BE)
​
2012
- Secret Postcards, Jan van Eyck Academy, Maastricht (NL)
- Kunstenfestival Watou, group exhibition, Watou (BE)
- Performance, 'How About We Do Something Like This?', 2M3, Brussels (BE)

2011
- Coming People 2011, S.M.A.K., Ghent (BE)
- Kunstsalon, video M.A.M. (My Assyrian Mother), Circa, Ghent (BE)
- Performance & group exhibition, Croxhapox, Ghent (BE)
- Appendix 18, group exhibition, Bijloke, Kiosk pavilion, Ghent (BE)
- Videoscreening M.A.M. (My Assyrian Mother) “Les soirées Flare”, Montpellier (FR)
- Performance and videoscreening, Cinema OFFoff, Ghent (BE)

2010
- Installation 'In Cycli', Arts Festival 0090, Monty, Antwerp (BE)
- Performance invited by Danny Devos & AMVK, Club Moral, Antwerp (BE)
- Open Studios, Universität der Künste, Berlin (DE)
- Group exhibition, curated by PARK, Das Appartement, Berlin (DE)
- Curator and group exhibition, Die Verwandlung, Hotel25, Berlin (DE)
- Group exhibition, The Forgotten Bar/Galerie im Regierungsviertel, Berlin (DE)

2009
- Bâtard Festival, Performance/live installation 'In Cycli', Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
- Group exhibition, Park Spoor Noord, Antwerp (BE)
- Group exhibition 'Bild' Campo victoria, Ghent (BE)
- Performance/live installation 'In Cycli' Campo victoria, Ghent (BE)
- Performance 'How to teach a plant the alphabet' ReAct!, Gynaika, Theatergarage, Antwerp (BE)
- Group exhibition, 'Membership', Espace Ladda, Ghent (BE)
- Performance, ‘How to explain pictures to a dead fish', Nocturne Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent (BE)

AWARDS/GRANTS
​
- Project grant for ‘Bang[Ding Dong]’, FOMU and Flanders State of the Art (2023)
- VAF Filmlab, Post-Production grant for film ‘Horaizon’ (2020)
- Video prize, Nanjing International Art Festival, China (2017)
- Development grant from the Flemish Government, Ministry of Culture, Belgium (2017)
- 55th October Salon Award, Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Serbia (2014)
- Development grant from the Flemish Government, Ministry of Culture, Belgium (2015)
- Stichting René Bruynseraede-De Witte, KASK, Gent, Belgium (2011)

COLLECTIONS

- S.M.A.K., Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent
- FOMU Collection, Antwerpen
- M Leuven collection
- Argos centre for audiovisual arts, Brussels
- Belfius Art Collection, Brussels
- Collection of the Flemish Community
- University College Ghent
- Private collections​