Pomegranates grow in winter
Faded memories connect me to Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia where I lived during my early childhood. Two decades later, my curiosity led me to inquire about the lives, realities, hopes, and dreams of the girls I went to Kindergarten with. During multiple trips, I had the opportunity to connect with women who provided insights into what it means to be a young woman in Kyrgyz society today.
The post-Soviet generation in Kyrgyzstan faces the challenge of reshaping the country’s future. Despite the historical significance of Kyrgyz women holding important community positions, gender inequality remains deeply ingrained in society, mirroring global trends. Through discussions, interviews, and a collaborative approach, this project aims to document the great differences in character, appreciation of female roles, and striving for independence of Kyrgyz women.
Book published with edition clandestin in October 2023
Graphic design by sava (Zürich)
I never realized
Beauty standards intricately connect with our perception of ourselves, closely tied to our bodies. The concept of beauty is subjective, shaped by cultural, gender, and upbringing influences, and susceptible to trends. Despite the impact of globalization, beauty standards are ever-evolving, varying from one location to another. Even with the rise of body positivity movements, societal pressures persist for bodies to conform to ideals of perfection and flawlessness, a phenomenon deeply ingrained in our cultures. While historically focused on the female body, this pressure has extended to all genders in recent years.
This ongoing project features individuals who responded to an open call, sharing their stories, struggles, and or journey to self-acceptance. Through a combination of photographs, Polaroids, videos, audio and written statements, these often unspoken anecdotes are brought to light, providing an opportunity for everyone to contemplate and reflect upon.
Anna-Tia Buss is a Swiss photographer based in Zurich and Geneva. Her artistic practice questions the feeling of belonging, identity, and the experience of being a woman in our society. The projects are mainly photographically based, with touches of multimedia. In several of her works, she explores a collaborative approach, inviting the participants to get involved in the creation of the works.
Location
Contact
Awards
- 2023Pomegranates grow in winter - Book project grant Canton Zürich, City of Zürich & prohelvetia
- 2022Portfolio nominated for the True Picture award 2022
- Participation at Plat(t)form 2022 at Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
- 2021Pomegranates grow in winter Shortlisted for Riga Self Publish 2021
- Pomegranates grow in winter Shortlisted for Kassel Book Dummy Award 2020
- 2019I never realized selected in the Flash Forward 2019 competition of the Magenta Foundation
- 2018Pomegranates grow in winter Shortlisted for Lucie Foundation Award 2018
- I never realized nominated for the body section of the Photography Grant 2018
Exhibitions
- 2024Pomegranates grow in winter - outdoor exhibition in FotoforumZug, January 2024 - March 2024, Zoug, Switzerland
- 2023Pomegranates grow in winter - collective exhibition in Photoforum Pasquart , December 2023 - January 2024, Biel, Switzerland
- Pomegranates grow in winter - Exhibition and book presentation at Never Stop Reading, October 2023, Zürich, Switzerland
- Near group exhibition - Musée d’art de Pully, March-June 2023, Pully, Switzerland
- 2022I never realized - group exhibition at Jungkunst, October 2022, Winterthur, Switzerland
- I never realized - collective exhibition at Athens Photo Festival, at the Benaki Museum, June-July 2022, Athens, Greece
- I never realized - collective exhibition from the Pool Collective, OnCurating, September 2022, Zürich, Switzerland
- 2021They say time heals everything - Installation in collective exhibition "Past Perfect" at Kunstpavillion , October 2021 , Lucerne, Switzerland
- Pomegranates grow in winter - book dummy exhibited at Riga Self publish 2021 at the ISSP Gallery, June-July 2021, Riga, Latvia
- Delirium Of The Night - Commission work for the Electron Festival 21, resulting in a collective exhibition at Le Commun, April - Mai 2021, Geneva, Switzerland
- 2020Pomegranates grow in winter - book dummy international exhibition tour Kassel Book Dummy Award 2020
- I never realized - collective exhibition at Corinthian Photography Festival at Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth, November 2020, Corinth, Greece
- 2019 I never realized - collective exhibition "Positionen zeitgenössische Künstlerinnen" at Kunstpavillion ,August - September 2019, Lucerne, Switzerland
- I never realized - "print" collective exhibition of the India Photofest 2019, at the State Art Gallery, September - October 20th 2019, Hyderabad, India
- I never realized - collective exhibition during the Fotofestival Lenzburg , May - June 2019, Lenzburg, Switzerland
- 2018I never realized - collective exhibition in Photoforum Pasquart , December 2018 - January 2019, Biel, Switzerland
- Twenties - exhibited at La Grange de Dorigny , Mai 2018, Lausanne, Switzerland
Publications
- 2023Pomegranates grow in winter - Book published by edition clandestin
Awards
- 2023Pomegranates grow in winter - Book project grant Canton Zürich, City of Zürich & prohelvetia
- 2022Portfolio nominated for the True Picture award 2022
- Participation at Plat(t)form 2022 at Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
- 2021Pomegranates grow in winter Shortlisted for Riga Self Publish 2021
- Pomegranates grow in winter Shortlisted for Kassel Book Dummy Award 2020
- 2019I never realized selected in the Flash Forward 2019 competition of the Magenta Foundation
- 2018Pomegranates grow in winter Shortlisted for Lucie Foundation Award 2018
- I never realized nominated for the body section of the Photography Grant 2018
Exhibitions
- 2024Pomegranates grow in winter - outdoor exhibition in FotoforumZug, January 2024 - March 2024, Zoug, Switzerland
- 2023Pomegranates grow in winter - collective exhibition in Photoforum Pasquart , December 2023 - January 2024, Biel, Switzerland
- Pomegranates grow in winter - Exhibition and book presentation at Never Stop Reading, October 2023, Zürich, Switzerland
- Near group exhibition - Musée d’art de Pully, March-June 2023, Pully, Switzerland
- 2022I never realized - group exhibition at Jungkunst, October 2022, Winterthur, Switzerland
- I never realized - collective exhibition at Athens Photo Festival, at the Benaki Museum, June-July 2022, Athens, Greece
- I never realized - collective exhibition from the Pool Collective, OnCurating, September 2022, Zürich, Switzerland
- 2021They say time heals everything - Installation in collective exhibition "Past Perfect" at Kunstpavillion , October 2021 , Lucerne, Switzerland
- Pomegranates grow in winter - book dummy exhibited at Riga Self publish 2021 at the ISSP Gallery, June-July 2021, Riga, Latvia
- Delirium Of The Night - Commission work for the Electron Festival 21, resulting in a collective exhibition at Le Commun, April - Mai 2021, Geneva, Switzerland
- 2020Pomegranates grow in winter - book dummy international exhibition tour Kassel Book Dummy Award 2020
- I never realized - collective exhibition at Corinthian Photography Festival at Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth, November 2020, Corinth, Greece
- 2019 I never realized - collective exhibition "Positionen zeitgenössische Künstlerinnen" at Kunstpavillion ,August - September 2019, Lucerne, Switzerland
- I never realized - "print" collective exhibition of the India Photofest 2019, at the State Art Gallery, September - October 20th 2019, Hyderabad, India
- I never realized - collective exhibition during the Fotofestival Lenzburg , May - June 2019, Lenzburg, Switzerland
- 2018I never realized - collective exhibition in Photoforum Pasquart , December 2018 - January 2019, Biel, Switzerland
- Twenties - exhibited at La Grange de Dorigny , Mai 2018, Lausanne, Switzerland
Publications
- 2023Pomegranates grow in winter - Book published by edition clandestin