CV

About Elli Asker

Elli Asker (short for Elnara Askerova) is an Azerbaijani-Swedish photographer and a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Through her lens, she creates images that both reveal and question norms surrounding identity, sexuality, and human complexity. With roots in Baku, her work carries a strong sense of storytelling — subtle yet powerful depictions of queer lives, centered on dignity and strength.

Internationally recognized, Elli has received prestigious awards such as the Sony World Photography Organization’s Alpha Female Award and the Prix de la Photographie. Her work has been exhibited globally, and she is currently featured in an ongoing show at Liljevalchs, with an upcoming exhibition at Hasselblad Fotosalong.

In addition to her artistic practice, Elli leads photography courses and workshops, sharing her knowledge and passion with new generations of image-makers. She is also the initiator of the upcoming exhibition Pride Art — a community-based project focused on queer artistry and storytelling.

Elli works from her studio at Saltskog Gård Cultural Association and is a member of the Swedish Photographers’ Association (SFF) and the Centre for Photography (CFF). Through her artistic practice, she highlights the power of photography — to make the invisible visible, to challenge the viewer’s gaze, and to create dialogue between different human experiences.

Education

• 2023 — MYPH — The school of conceptual and art photography  — Course in Conceptual Photography with Roman Pyatkovka.
• 2021 — 2022 — Kyiv Photography School (KFS) —  Photography Courses of  Dimitri Bogachuk: Composition, Colors I & II, Art Project, Contemporary Photography.
  
• 2016 — 2019 — Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, Södertörn University, Sweden.

Solo vs Group Exhibitions

2025 — Pride Art, Kretsen Art Gallery (upcoming) — group exhibition

2025 — Photosalong Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg (upcoming). Jury: Pauline Benthede, Global Vice President of Exhibitions, Fotografiska, Eva Dahlgren, renowned Swedish musician and dedicated photographer, Paul Hansen, award-winning photojournalist, Dagens Nyheter, Dragana Vujanovic Östlind, Jury Chair and Chief Curator at the Hasselblad Foundation

2025 —  Liljevalchs Spring Salon, Stockholm (14/2 — 27/4). Jury: Daniel Youssef, Marcia Harvey Isaksson, curator Sandra Weil, and Joanna Sandell Wright, Director of Liljevalchs, serving as jury chair.

2025 —  Kretsen Art Gallery, “Climate” — Members' Exhibition, Södertälje (February 8-24)

2024 — Centrum for Photography members exhibition

2024 — “The Echo of Time”: Elli Asker & Rolando Pérez, Saltskog Gård, Sweden 

2024 — Pride House, Stockholm 

2024 — Solo exhibition “Water in Diverse Forms: A Visual Exploration” Kretsen Art Gallery, Sweden 

2024 — Solna Art Gallery. Jury-judged Vårsalong 

2024 — Strängnäs Art gallery, Jury-judged photography exhibition, Sweden 

2024 — Stockholm’s Art Gallery. Jury-judged Vårsalong. 

2024 — Zebra Art Gallery, Vårsalong, Sweden.

2023 — Kretsen Art Gallery, “MINI”, Sweden 

2023 — Strängnäs Art gallery, Sweden. Jury-judged Autumn salon 

2023 — Art Bias, San Carlos, CA, USA. 2023 — Kretsen Art gallery, “New Artists Members”, Sweden 

2023 — Sony World Photography Awards 2023 — Somerset House, London, UK 

2022 — Paris Photo Prize (PX3) exhibition State of the World, Paris, France 

2022 — Trees, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, Vermont, USA /Juror: Wendi Schneider (online) 

2022 — Shadows & Light, The Glasgow gallery of photography, Glasgow, UK (online) 

2022 — Quiet Landscape, PhotoPlace Gallery, Vermont, USA / Juror: Jacob & Alissa Hessler 

2022 — International Photography. The Glasgow gallery of photography, Glasgow, UK 

Awards & Mentions

2024 — Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) — Brons Winner 

2024 — Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) — 2 Honorable Mention

2024 — Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) — Honorable Mentions 

2024 — International Photography Awards (IPA) — Official selection

2023 — Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) — Gold Winner 

2023 — Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) — Honorable Mentions 

2023 — International Photography Awards (IPA) — Honorable Mention 

2023 — Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) — Shortlist 

2023 — Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) — Alpha Female Award 

2022 — Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) — Silver Winner 

2022 — Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) — 2 Honorable Mentions 

2022 — Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) — 2 Honorable Mentions 

2022 — ND Awards — 2 Honorable Mentions 

2022 — Prix de la Photographie (PX3) — State of the World, Curator Selection Winner 

2022 — International Photography Awards (IPA) — 3-rd Winning Placement 

2022 — International Photography Awards (IPA) — Honorable Mention 

2022 — reFocus Awards, One Shot Photo Contest, — Honorable Mention and People’s Vote 

2022 — International Photography Awards (IPA) — Official Selection 

2022 — MonoVisions Photography Awards — 4 Honorable Mentions 

2022 — International Photography Awards (IPA) One Shot — Color — Jury Top 5, Honorable Mention

Curatorial Work

2025 — Curator for Pride Art, Kretsen Art Gallery (upcoming)

Membership

• Member of Swedish Centrum for photography (CFF)  
• Member of Swedish Association of Professional Photographers (SFF)
  
• Member of “Saltskog gård Studio and Culture Association”, Sweden
• Member and curator of Art Association “Södertälje Konstnärskrets”, Sweden 
• Former member of European Press Agency (EUPA) 2022-2023.