Nia Nokova

Your project Speculative Archive is described as an act of “mnemonic resignification”. What does this term mean for you personally, and how does it shape the way you build images?

To me, mnemonic resignification is the process of reclaiming the voice of the unconscious—a realm that harbors not only suppressed personal memories but also the historical truths systematically erased by institutional powers to maintain dominant narratives. When a fragment of this buried history is unearthed, it manifests in my mind as a cluster of symbols and motifs. I then use AI to externalize these internal visions, transmuting ephemeral psychic energy into a tangible visual archive.

You speak about moving from the immediacy of live performance and life drawing into a post-photographic, AI-assisted practice. What prompted this transition?

Each stage of my practice—from the physical presence of the life model to the curation of immersive performances and the composition of photographic film stills—has been a necessary precursor. I have always sensed that these mediums were waypoints rather than a destination. My transition into the post-photographic is an act of following an intuitive trajectory; I am evolving toward a medium that can keep pace with the expansive nature of my creative inquiry.

Nia Nokova | Sa Roll 01 Noa Breach

The figure of NOA appears as a digital surrogate and psychological avatar. Who is NOA, and what kind of freedom does this avatar give you as an artist?

I view NOA not as a mere avatar, but as a lived persona; she is an extension of my own being. Through her, I articulate the vulnerabilities that women are often socialized to suppress under the mandate of “resilience.” My work has always been a conduit for the marginalized or silenced voice; NOA provides the psychological sovereignty to disclose truths that were previously deemed “unsafe” to share.

Nia Nokova | Sa Roll 01 Noa Breach

Many of the works contain a strong tension between vulnerability and control. How do you balance these two states within the image?

The equilibrium is found in the realization that confronting the shadow—the vulnerable parts of the self we are taught to ignore—is the only path to true agency. By integrating these fragments, we dismantle the “simulation” imposed upon us at birth. In the image, control is not found in perfection, but in the deliberate reclamation of one’s own psyche and self-perception.

Red marks, lines, and stains appear repeatedly in the works, almost like traces of ritual, violence, or rupture. What role does the color red play in this visual language?

Red serves as the visceral threshold—the “gatekeeper” between the simulation and the authentic reality. It represents the necessary pain of rupture. It is the visual evidence of a psyche breaking free from the echoes of the past and the inherited lies that once dictated its existence.

Nia Nokova | Sa Roll 01 Noa Breach

You describe AI as a “surgical instrument” for excavating memory What can AI reveal in your practice that traditional media or photography could not?

The aperture of the unconscious remains open only momentarily. AI offers a unique temporal advantage: it allows me to visualize a realization with surgical precision at the exact moment of its arrival. Unlike traditional photography, which requires a logistical delay that often dilutes the raw intensity of the inspiration, AI facilitates an immediate translation of the psyche. This speed ensures the work remains a direct transmission of meaning rather than a mere aesthetic exercise. I am not interested in “pretty” imagery; I am interested in the uncompromising pursuit of truth.

Nia Nokova | Sa Roll 02 Noa Ritual 01

The body in your works seems to function both as a site of sacrifice and as a source of authority. How do you approach the body as a symbolic and emotional territory?

I view the body as the primary ledger upon which the ‘simulation’ writes its scripts; therefore, it must first be a site of sacrifice. The marks and ruptures in my work signify the painful shedding of an imposed identity—the visceral cost of breaking a silence that has been maintained for generations. However, through this process of ‘mnemonic resignification,’ the body is transfigured. It ceases to be a passive vessel for internal fractures and instead becomes a source of profound authority. By visually reclaiming the female form through NOA, I am repositioning the body as a sovereign territory where the unconscious finally speaks with its own voice, commanding a reality that is no longer dictated by external powers, but by internal truth.