Taus Makhacheva (°1983) is a visual artist. She is part of the Avars, the largest ethnic group in Dagestan. She follows different education cycles in arts, communication and economy, both in Russia and in England. While she is still a student, she takes part in the 4th Moscow Biennial. Taus Makhacheva uses objects, movies and performances to re-position herself in a localised narrative within a context where the notion of “nation” does not exist. Makhacheva’s oeuvre questions the classical forms of history, governing cultural conventions and gender issues. With an attitude that is both humorous and critical towards contemporary society, Taus Makhacheva strives to reconcile the present-day with nostalgia, local with global, and tradition with progress. She scrutinises the complex Caucasian society and the relationship between its history, collective memory and daily reality.