TORA MAIS

Tora Mais (b. 1979) is an Azerbaijani multidisciplinary artist. After obtaining her MA in Fine Art Paintingfrom Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts, in 2002 Tora moved to Shanghai, China before Berlin, Germany,where she currently resides. Her artworks, be it a depiction of imaginary creatures populating the CaspianSea or landscapes, emit positive energy and humor. Many of Tora’s works present a female gaze on sexualitythat, rather than objectifying, playfully employs the visual language of Orientalist painting to depict scenes ofeveryday life. Her works featured in the Azerbaijani National Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007, andgroup exhibitions at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in 1999, Centre for Contemporary Art, Stavangerin 2010, Voluntary Art Liaison, Berlin in 2018 and Cyprus Museum of Modern Arts in 2019, which acquiredher works for the permanent collection. Tora took part in the travelling exhibition Fly to Baku (2011-2012) andPERMM Museum (2015), and Café Avarice & Generosity in GalerieDix9 Hélène Lacharmoise (2019) dedicated toAzerbaijan’s contemporary art scene.