Everything is on time — do not think that you wasted time and you are still a nobody. At some points of my career, I have gotten upset because I lacked quick results. This way, I understood that art is a process. Sometimes, things do not go as planned, but at that moment something new can be born. Every step and moment is important, and recognizing this is where the power lies.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Sofia Malemina.
Sofia Malemina is a London-based multimedia artist working with video art, sound and immersive installations. A Fine Art graduate of Central Saint Martins (2023), Sofia’s practice blends digital technologies with traditional techniques to explore themes such as identity, perception and the interplay between physical and virtual spaces. Inspired by thinkers such as Jean Baudrillard and John Cage, she incorporates concepts such as silence, voyeurism and the tension between presence and absence into her work. Sofia has exhibited internationally in both solo and group shows, including exhibitions in the UK, Canada and Poland.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in 2000 in Moscow, Russia, and have been surrounded by art from a very young age. Growing up, I was always drawn to visual expression and creativity, which led me to pursue formal training. In 2016, I began my studies at the British Higher School of Art & Design. This experience played a pivotal role in helping me separate from classical drawing and explore additional approaches, such as sculpture, mixed media and even performative art.
In 2018, I moved to London to continue my education at Central Saint Martins, where I expanded my practice into multimedia; exploring video, sound, and immersive installations. I worked on various projects filming, directing and even performing myself. My passion for conceptual and tentative art has grown with me as an artist and still shapes the direction of my work today.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
A pivotal moment came when I discovered the work of Jean Baudrillard, a French philosopher and sociologist, as well as that of John Cage, an American composer and music theorist. Their avant-garde and futuristic approaches deeply influenced my artistic attitudes, and their ideas on reality, silence and absence inspired me to push beyond traditional mediums. Ultimately, this led me to develop immersive installations and video art creations that challenge conventional spectatorship.
Traits of artistic curiosity, attentiveness to mystery and exploration of the unknown are essential to my personality. During my studies at Central Saint Martins, I became absorbed by how digital tools could be used to explore complex themes like identity, perception, reality, existence, etc. In my search for answers, fascinated with the intersection of technology and the human experience, I became keen to explore the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds. This blend of philosophy and art shaped the path I’ve taken, where controversial ideas collide together in experimentation and the process itself becomes central to my practice.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I am struggling to select only one story, but I can tell you an interesting fact about modern-day artists that I have learned. Nobody realises that artistic expertise lies way beyond knowledge of painting or technical awareness. Nowadays, artists are also manufacturers, who have to understand the technicalities of electrics, construction and building things; managers, who know how to lead teams and people, and also, be adept at preparing administrative and jurisdictive documentation. The list goes on. My work has led me to study sociology, psychology and coding to the same extent I have delved into other creative solutions. I find this part of the process the most interesting and motivating. I cannot wait to explore more and continue growing within my career.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Currently, I am working on an immersive installation in collaboration with one of the biggest art hotels in London. It is an exciting opportunity for me as an artist to present solo, but also to see how the work interacts with space and the people who visit it. The project is due to be open to the public in November.
Parallel to this, I am studying creative coding to further advance my skills in immersive art and develop original forms of work. Moreover, working with various technologies led me to utilise AI tools in my art pieces. AI has both advantages and disadvantages, and given that it is a new tool, it equally creates freedom and creates constraints. I am driven by the idea of blurring the lines between spectator and technology and will continue to meticulously design multisensorial environments where this can happen.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I work with people from different backgrounds and I am always intrigued with how this affects the context. I am constantly learning from these people, from their cultural backgrounds and philosophies. Their stories become an essential part of my artistic language.
In the CCTV experiment (2020), for example, I worked with three generations — young, middle-aged and elderly participants. Over the course of 24 hours, I observed how people opened up to themselves, overcoming internal barriers and fears. They responded to the same situations in completely different and unpredictable ways, and these differences revealed many layers of understanding. This created interesting discussions about how time and experience shape our reactions and emotions, as each person brought unique knowledge to the process.
In the One Day in Silence experiment, I interacted with participants from different countries. One of the participants was from Taiwan and shared how her culture’s traditions of meditation and quiet conversations shaped her relationship with silence. These discussions about silence, reflection, and inner peace have given fresh insights and a new tone of voice to my artwork. They inspire me to cultivate and open new doors, challenge unspoken topics, and see what is above the surface. I strive to reveal how circumstances can shape us and how interactions with others can change our perception of ourselves and our view of the world.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
I draw inspiration from a combination of philosophical ideas, digital culture, and the intersection between physical and virtual mediums. Like most artists of my generation, I seek inspiration from things that surround me and problems that occur in the world. I believe due to technological advances, we are moving into a new era from realism into perception-ism, where each person has their own angle of observation, which enhances duality and makes it equally interesting and complicated.
On a deeper level, I can state that all themes for my art stem from psychological analysis, which is my individual perception. My works are based on research that explores personal emotions, passions, pain, complexities and other people’s feelings, reactions, interactions and choices in different situations or settings. In simple terms, if something bothers me or is a nuisance to others, then it is a good platform for inspiration.
I like the idea of spying on people, their behaviour, and repetitive patterns, and how they reveal hidden or implicit things. Voyeurism philosophies and CCTV camera lenses can be traced in many of my projects. The idea of power and control also inspires me to seek and explore the boundaries of human limits and capabilities, using direct and indirect interaction with subjects as the main guide.
Ultimately, I find inspiration in the idea of controversies and contradictions, which I delivered by creating abstract art. For instance, in the Void_2960 video cycle I move away from the direct and the specific. In this work, I rejected the original image and transformed the sound into a new material arrangement. A contradictory balance was created between image and sound. It was subtle yet distinct, physical yet insignificant.
I continue to challenge myself and seek new perceptions for inspiration, creating spaces and experiments where art also becomes a catalyst for change. I see the true value of my work in this process.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
As an artist and individual, I bring beauty and art into the world. My art does not harm people, some of it can be seen as aesthetic and does not have to be heavy. At the same time, as we discussed earlier, one of the main goals of my pieces is to create a deep interaction with the viewers, immersing them in new experiences. I hope one day my creations will become a catalyst for change, helping people understand themselves and others better, feel more, go out of their comfort zones, and dare to challenge their perceptions in a positive way.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Nothing is impossible — you can create anything that your mind can imagine. Personally, I gained motivation every time someone told me that I wouldn’t be able to implement something or that I didn’t have a set of skills for something. I believe we can do anything we set our mind to.
2. Fear is growth. Go where the unknown is — try new things, get out of your comfort zone. Perhaps, that is where your potential or next big discovery is.
3. Don’t be afraid to be bold — think big, your uniqueness deserves to be recognised. An artist should understand that their work is capable of influencing others and therefore changing the world.
4. Constructive criticism is important. An outside perspective can be a source of important insights. Criticism is not the end of a project, but the starting point for analysis and improvement. Learn to perceive it as an opportunity to learn about your weaknesses.
5. Everything is on time — do not think that you wasted time and you are still a nobody. At some points of my career, I have gotten upset because I lacked quick results. This way, I understood that art is a process. Sometimes, things do not go as planned, but at that moment something new can be born. Every step and moment is important, and recognizing this is where the power lies.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would be happy to have an exact answer to this question and be helpful to others. Perhaps I could create an application to connect people in an authentic way, something that can trigger their positive feelings and emotions and build up their confidence. I am open to ideas and collaborations with those of you who believe my work can be of any help to others.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
If I could have breakfast or lunch with anyone, it would be someone talented and driven. I love conversations with people from different backgrounds, to get to know as many things as possible and explore how we can connect and create new, exciting things through collaborations. Marina Abramovich would be such a person. I would love to discuss her exciting career, strong perceptions, and the ideas she has on the limits of the body and the possibilities of the mind. Last but not least, talk about the advancement of technology, the new era of AI and how creativity can help shape the future of innovation.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
You can follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn and my website www.sofiamalemina.com.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Sofia Malemina: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.