Toma Gerzha (b. 2003) grew up in Moscow, Kolchugino, Lukhovitsy, and still speaks Russian language. Her family moved to the Netherlands in 2009.
She has successfully completed her Photography Studies at the Dutch Academy for Visual Creation in 2019. Gerzha first garnered attention in the gallery world with her project ‘.ru’, featuring photographic works generated through artificial intelligence, which was presented in 2024 at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Toma has become widely known for her animation-based reels. Currently, she is pursuing an MA in Arts and Culture at the University of Amsterdam.
Her works are in collection of Rijksmuseum Research Library, Farm Cultural Park, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Getty Library and Stedelijk Museum Library in Amsterdam.
Since 2023, Gerzha is an artist-resident at the creative studio Treehouse, located on the NDSM-Wharf in Amsterdam.
Bibliography
2024
Control Refresh, The Eriskay Connection (ISBN: 978-94-93363-04-5)
Filmography
2025
Coldplay: A Film For The Future, co-director
2024
Jogo Cruzado (01, 12), director
Rovesnik, animation department
Grants & awards
2025
Shortlist, PHotoEspaña Best Photography Book of the Year Award
2024
Student Jury Selection, De Best Verzorgde Boeken
Shortlist, Paris Photo-Aperture First PhotoBook Award
Winner, Paris Photo: Carte Blanche Etudiants
Nominee, Redkollegia Award of May
2023
Finalist, Castelfiorentino Prize for the Arts
Juror’s Pick, OD Photo Prize
Finalist, Paris Photo: Carte Blanche Etudiants
Winner, Fotografia Calabria Award
Finalist, Encontros da Imagem: Discovery Awards
Honorable mention, CitiesToBe Photo Award
Winner, Rotterdam Photo Festival: Best Exhibition Award
Winner, TPF: Social Documentary Photography Awards
Winner, Arte Laguna Special Prize’17
Residencies
2023 - 2026: Treehouse, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
2023: Farm Cultural Park, Mazzarino (Italy)
Lectures, workshops & open studios
2026
Artist Talk about Social Media and Marketing for Nearest Truth, online
Artist Talk about ‘Control Refresh’ for De Garage, Breda, Netherlands
2025
Artist Talk about ‘Control Refresh’ for Zefir7, The Hague, Netherlands
2024
Artist Talk about ‘Control Refresh’ for FOTODOK, Utrecht, Netherlands
Artist Talk about ‘Control Refresh’ and ‘.ru’ for Paris Photo, France
2023
OPEN ATELIERS AMSTERDAM-NOORD, Treehouse, Amsterdam, Netherlands
NDSM OPEN, Treehouse, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Artist Talk about ‘Family Tree’ for Inaugural Conferences of Countless Cities, Italy
24H NOORD: OPEN STUDIOS, Treehouse, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Artist Talk about ‘ctrl+r’ project for Rotterdam Photo Festival, Netherlands
Exhibitions & festivals (selected)
2026
QUICKSCAN 3: THE STATUS OF THE PHOTOBOOK, Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
GEN Z: SHAPING A NEW GAZE, Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
THE BEST DUTCH BOOK DESIGNS, De Garage, Breda, Netherlands
2025
REGENERATION Z, Photo Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland
THE BEST DUTCH BOOK DESIGNS, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
CONTROL REFRESH, De Gang, Haarlem, Netherlands (solo)
LOS MEJORES LIBROS DE FOTOGRAFÍA DEL AÑO, PHotoEspaña, Madrid, Spain
BEING TWENTY, Fotografia Europea, Reggio Emilia, Italy
PARIS PHOTO–APERTURE PHOTOBOOK AWARDS, Leipzig Photobook Festival, Leipzig, Germany; Printed Matter, New York, US
2024
YOUNG PORTFOLIO, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Kiyosato, Japan
CARTE BLANCHE ETUDIANTS, Paris Photo, Paris, France
FAR AWAY FROM HOME, 9:16 Gallery, Porto, Portugal (solo)
MANIFESTA’15, Barcelona, Spain
RIETVELD UNCUT, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
MUTANTX, Biennale de l’Image Possible, Liège, Belgium
2023
REGENERATE, Noorderlicht Fotofestival, Groningen, Netherlands
HEAD ON PHOTO FESTIVAL, Delmar Gallery, Sydney, Australia
EI: DISCOVERY AWARDS, Encontros da Imagem, Braga, Portugal
KVARTIRKA, Upscale Galerie, Rotterdam, Netherlands (solo)
FAMILY TREE, Farm Cultural Park, Mazzarino, Italy
PAST & PRESENT, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany
DOCA, IGUMO, Moscow, Russia
ARTE LAGUNA PRIZE’17, Arsenale Nord, Venice, Italy
CTRL+R, Rotterdam Photo, Rotterdam, Netherlands
АДРЕСА(Н)ТЫ, Pentagon, Vorkuta, Russia
2022
NAMELESS PEOPLE, NAMELESS COUNTRY, C-LAB, Amsterdam, Netherlands (solo)
Fairs
2026
SF ART BOOK FAIR, San Francisco, US
(GARDEN) BOOK MARKET, Huis van het Boek, The Hague, Netherlands
A BIGGER BOOK FAIR, Peckham 24, London, UK
GHENT ART BOOK FAIR, Kunsthal Gent, Ghent, Belgium
UNSEEN: BOOK MARKET, Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2025
TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
DRUK, Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
PARIS PHOTO: PHOTOBOOK FAIR, Grand Palais, Paris, France
POLYCOPIES, Bateau Concorde Atlantique, Paris, France
ANTWERP ACADEMY ART BOOK FAIR, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
BOOKLETTE’4, Photo Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland
BUY MY DARLINGS, NDSM-Fuse, Amsterdam, Netherlands
NY ART BOOK FAIR, MoMA PS1, New York, US
SF ART BOOK FAIR, San Francisco, US
L.A. ART BOOK FAIR, Los Angeles, US
GHENT ART BOOK FAIR, Kunsthal Gent, Ghent, BE
2024
TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
DRUK, Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
PARIS PHOTO: PHOTOBOOK FAIR, Grand Palais, Paris, France
POLYCOPIES, Bateau Concorde Atlantique, Paris, France
BREDAPHOTO FESTIVAL: BOOKSHOP, Breda, Netherlands
ANTWERP ACADEMY ART BOOK FAIR, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
UNSEEN: PHOTOBOOK FAIR, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2023
POLYCOPIES, Bateau Concorde Atlantique, Paris, France
FORMAT23: THE PERFORMING PHOTOBOOK, Derby Museum on The Wardwick, Derby, UK
Screenings
2026
COLDPLAY: A FILM FOR THE FUTURE; Fabrique des Lumières, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Atelier des Lumières, Paris, France
2025
COLDPLAY: A FILM FOR THE FUTURE; Cinema Village, New York City, USA; Lightroom, Seoul, Korea; Factory International, Manchester, UK; Lightroom, London, UK
2024
180 MEDIA ACADEMY, Porto/Post/Doc Film & Media Festival, Porto, Portugal
RENCONTRES PHOTOGRAPHIE, Marrakech, Morocco
NUR NOW, The multimedia historical park, Kazan, Russia
2023
PAST & PRESENT, ZIRKA, Munich, Germany
BECOMING MONUMENTAL, Autograph’s Gallery, London, UK
Selected publications
Het Parool, Harper’s Bazaar Italia, ELLE Italia, Rolling Stone Italia, Meduza, Aperture, Takie Dela, De Volkskrant, Marie Claire Belgique, ELLE Korea, Le Soir, British Journal of Photography
Selected clients & partners
Premier League, Aesop, Air Arabia, Die Zeit, Artlist, Polaroid, Microsoft, Kaiber, Parlophone Records, Ne naprasno, Universal Music Group, Dualtone Records, Anton tut ryadom, Warner Records, Sony Music France, Nationale Opera & Ballet
Education
MA Arts and Culture
· University of Amsterdam, 2027
BA Art History
· University of Amsterdam, 2026
BA (Hons) Photography
· Gerrit Rietveld Academie, 2024
· University of Arts London, 2023
Photography Studies
· Dutch Academy for Visual Creation, 2019
