10 Questions with Sofia Malemina

Sofia Malemina (b. 2000, Moscow) is a multimedia artist working with timed-based mediums such as video, sound, light, and immersive installations. She established her artistic career in London by blending digital technologies with traditional techniques to explore themes such as identity, perception, and the interplay between physical and virtual spaces. A Fine Art graduate of Central Saint Martins (2023), Sofia has exhibited internationally in both solo and group shows, including exhibitions in the UK, Canada, and Poland. She pushes the limits of non-profit, conceptual art, challenging traditional spectatorship and encouraging audiences to engage with her evolving, tech-driven showpieces.

www.sofiamalemina.com | @sofimalem

Sofia Malemina - Portrait with ABIOGENESIS

ARTIST STATEMENT

Sofia Malemina, a leading voice among the digital generation of artists, seamlessly integrates diverse art forms to create innovative, non-commercial work. Her practice challenges traditional notions of spectatorship by encouraging active audience engagement with installations that often blur the boundaries between digital and physical realms.

In her recent work, Sofia delves into themes of collective psychology, voyeurism, and existentialism, drawing on Jean Baudrillard’s theories of simulacra and simulation. She approaches the camera as an intricate tool for discovery—both revealing and obscuring—while exploring profound questions of capturing absence.

Evolving from objective to subjective perspectives, Sofia’s art transitions from personal expression to symbolic representation, intentionally leaving space for open interpretation by both herself and the viewer. This evolution is evident in her Nothingness series, where she experiments with abstract forms, interactive installations, and the philosophy of stillness. Influenced by John Cage’s exploration of silence, the experimental spirit of the Fluxus movement, she integrates the bold visual language of Fauvism and postmodernism, challenges audiences to engage with silence and confront the intangible. Sofia’s work invites a deeper dialogue on perception and the delicate balance between presence and absence. Through these explorations, Sofia encourages viewers to question how meaning emerges from emptiness, how silence can speak, and how the unseen shapes our perception of reality – blurring the line of what is present and what is merely imagined.

00:07:35,000 -> 00:07:37,000, LED panels, foam board, 2023 © Sofia Malemina

INTERVIEW

Please introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you first become interested in art?

Hi, my name is Sofia Malemina. I am a London-based multimedia artist working with video art, sound, and immersive installations. I was born in Moscow, Russia, in 2000, the year symbolising courage and enthusiasm. At that time, Moscow was a unique crossroads where East met West, defined by significant political and cultural shifts. Growing up in this dynamic and often unstable environment, I witnessed a technological evolution that set my generation apart from generations before me. While those around me had grown up without computers or mobile phones, I was part of an era that embraced rapid technological advancement, individuality, and a strong will to adapt – all of which expanded my perspective on art and its intersection with innovative technologies.
The diverse influences of my upbringing played a pivotal role in shaping my artistic journey. Surrounded by people from various cultural and professional backgrounds, I found inspiration everywhere. One of the most significant figures in my development as an artist was my first fine art tutor, whose guidance profoundly transformed my vision. Initially, art served as a vivid and therapeutic outlet – a way to process and relieve emotions. Over time, it evolved into something far more profound – a medium through which I could explore and reveal the unnoticed, the hidden, and the extraordinary dimensions of life. I see this process as ever-evolving, leading to new discoveries and directions as I continue to build my artistic legacy.

Your artistic journey started in Moscow and evolved in London, where you've established your career. How have these cultural and geographic shifts influenced your practice?

Moscow provided me with a foundation rooted in the discipline of classical art, where the focus was on mastering established forms and techniques. In 2016, I began my studies at the British Higher School of Art & Design, transitioning from classical drawing to a broader spectrum of creative practices such as sculpture, mixed media, and performative art, expanding my understanding of artistic expression.
In 2018, I relocated to London to study at Central Saint Martins, an experience that profoundly transformed my practice. Immersed in a dynamic environment of experimentation and innovation, I delved into multimedia art forms, including video, sound, and immersive installations. London offered me the freedom to break boundaries, to question, challenge and redefine, shaping my art into a continuous dialogue with the unknown.
Living and working in London is a key part of my artistic journey, where any unpredictable turn fuels my passion and drive to keep evolving — the place where creation itself becomes an act of liberation.

As a Central Saint Martin’s graduate, how did your time there shape your approach to conceptual and multimedia art? What lessons have stayed with you the most?

One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my studies is that, in art, the process holds greater significance than the final outcome. I was immersed in an environment that prioritised exploration, experimentation and critical inquiry, and I came to understand that trial - and even failure - are integral components of the creative process. Each unsuccessful attempt still represents progress: an opportunity to learn and adapt. Embracing uncertainty, taking risks, and allowing the work to evolve organically became essential to my practice. The “plastic” mindset has shaped my approach to art, framing it as an ongoing journey of discovery rather than a pursuit of perfection.
This philosophy also enabled me to embrace unexpected creative roles, including those of filmmaker, director, and even performer, significantly broadening my creative scope. These experiences became a bridge, getting me one step closer to fully realising the immersive installation concepts I sought to explore.
Furthermore, Central Saint Martins instilled in me the understanding that the act of searching is where the truth of art value lies. Research - history, philosophy, theoretical frameworks, and the practice of the other artists - is central to my process. I view this intellectual and creative exploration not only as an enjoyable exercise but as an essential foundation for meaningful artistic work.

THE VOID_2960, Abstract video, loop, 2023 © Sofia Malemina

Your work seamlessly blends digital technologies with traditional techniques. What inspired you to explore this intersection, and how does it shape your artistic vision?

My artistic practice is deeply rooted in an exploration of polarity—the coexistence and interplay of opposites. It is a recurring theme in my work, where juxtaposed ideas are not merely contrasted but interwoven to form conceptual frameworks that invite deeper reflection. Through my art, I aim to bridge seemingly disparate worlds, turning tension into harmony and conflict into dialogue.
I see duality in traditional methods. Steeped in centuries of craftsmanship, they carry a sense of permanence, history, and the tactile intimacy of human touch. These methods often demand time, precision, and an intentional engagement with the material. In contrast, digital technologies embody fluidity and adaptability, reflecting the transient and ever-evolving nature of our contemporary reality. They are ephemeral, infinitely malleable, and reflective of a world in constant flux. Together, these approaches serve as a metaphor for the hybridity of our existence—where the physical and virtual, the past and future, coincide and reshape one another.
However, my work is not merely about the synthesis of techniques. At its core, it is a process of inquiry—raising questions while simultaneously interrogating the very act of questioning. It seeks to challenge viewers to reconsider their assumptions about art, technology, and the ways meaning is constructed in an era of rapid change. My pieces function as mirrors, not only reflecting the world’s complexities but also refracting them into new, unexpected perspectives.
Ultimately, my practice reconciles the ideologies of past and future, honouring tradition while embracing innovation. It is more than a synthesis of techniques; it is an invitation to reimagine the polarities that define us, transforming them into catalysts for growth and creation.

You've cited influences like Jean Baudrillard's theories of simulacra and simulation and John Cage's exploration of silence. How do these philosophical frameworks inform your creative process?

Jean Baudrillard’s theories of simulacra and simulation deeply resonate with my exploration of dualities, particularly the tension between reality and virtuality. His ideas about the dissolution of boundaries between the real and its representations influence my approach. I’m fascinated by how something constructed—a simulation, a hybrid—can become its own form of reality, and I try to echo that fluidity in my work. By layering physical craftsmanship with digital processes, I question what is “authentic” and invite viewers to reconsider how we define meaning in an increasingly mediated world.
Similarly, John Cage’s exploration of silence, not as an absence but as a condition full of potential parallels, is central to my understanding of space, presence, and perception. I think of my creative process as a conversation between opposites—stillness and movement, physicality and intangibility. Like Cage’s silent compositions, my work often seeks to create a space where assumptions dissolve and new interpretations emerge.
Both Baudrillard and Cage encourage me to embrace ambiguity and open-endedness, which I see as vital tools for transformation in art.

ABIOGENESIS, Immersive video installation, 12:36 mins, 2024 © Sofia Malemina

The themes of perception, voyeurism, and existentialism are prominently featured in your recent projects. What draws you to these subjects, and how do you approach translating them into visual and immersive experiences?

My fascination with philosophy stems from a desire to interrogate how we construct and navigate reality. This knowledge allows me to explore tensions between the seen and unseen, internal and external, and the known and unknowable. The core of perception, voyeurism, and existentialism themes raise fundamental questions about the human condition: How do we perceive ourselves and others? What defines the boundary between intimacy and alienation? My work translates these inquiries into layered experiences, challenging viewers to confront their assumptions about clarity and ambiguity.
Voyeurism, particularly relevant in the digital age, becomes a tool to examine observation and exposure. By positioning viewers as both observers and participants in my short film Unknown Diary, I implicate them in the dynamics of visibility and power. This dual role creates a self-reflective loop, questioning the act of watching and being watched and its broader implications for surveillance, intimacy, and performance in contemporary society.
Existentialism ties these explorations together, confronting themes of identity, meaning, and purpose. My recent work Abiogenesis seeks to provoke introspection by creating spaces that feel simultaneously universal and disorienting, amplifying the tension between order and chaos. Through the interplay of traditional and digital techniques, I highlight the fragility of our constructs, offering transformative experiences that encourage viewers to re-examine their place in a fragmented and uncertain world.

Your work invites viewers to question the boundaries between presence and absence, particularly in how meaning emerges from emptiness. Can you share how this concept is reflected in one of your recent installations?

Yes, while the installation may feel recent to the public, it has been with me for much longer due to the extended process of conceptualisation and production. The immersive piece, EMPTINESS (2023), represents a profound exploration of presence and absence and the ways meaning emerges from what appears void. It is an installation of light and digital graphics that navigates the blurred boundaries of nonexistence, serving as both a symbolic and philosophical representation of the void.
In EMPTINESS, the interplay of physical shadow and digital projection introduces a multi-layered dimension that reflects the complexity of our hybridised world. By merging the tangible and the intangible, the installation seeks to dissolve the boundaries between being and nonbeing, crafting a space that not only invites reflection but actively generates it. The reflective projections are responsive to sound and movement, allowing participants to influence and distort the “nonbeing” as they engage with the work. In this way, EMPTINESS transforms the void into a dynamic, participatory experience that transcends human perception.

EQUILIBRIUM, Video, 0:40 mins, 2024 © Sofia Malemina

Your exhibitions span across the UK, Canada, and Poland. How has the reception of your work differed across these audiences, and how has it shaped your future projects?

The reception of my work has been deeply insightful, revealing the diverse ways audiences interpret and connect with immersive installations. These responses serve as a reminder that art truly comes alive through its engagement with others. My aim is to consistently create spaces that foster dialogue, transformation, and exploration, regardless of location.
The feedback from my debut solo exhibition Abiogenesis at Art’otel London (December 2024) was particularly impactful. Witnessing audience reactions firsthand reinforced the importance of creating works that operate on multiple levels, engaging both intellectually and emotionally. This experience has motivated me to push the boundaries of multisensory immersion and continue experimenting with mediums that provoke reflection and invite meaningful engagement.

Looking ahead, how do you see your art evolving? Are there any new mediums, themes, or collaborations you're particularly excited to explore?

I envision my artistic practice evolving through the integration of art, technology, and diverse disciplines such as everyday activities. My ambition is to craft unique, multisensory experiences that challenge traditional artistic boundaries and expand the horizons of creativity. By merging fields, I aim to foster deeper engagement and create works that resonate with contemporary audiences.
For instance, I am particularly intrigued by the potential of gastro-installations—immersive experiences that engage all the senses, where taste, aroma, texture, and sound are interwoven into a cohesive artistic statement. Similarly, collaborations with fashion brands aligned with my technology-driven creative vision could redefine fashion as a medium for immersive and boundary-pushing artistic exploration.
These interdisciplinary projects would allow for the transfer of ideas into new contexts, breaking free from conventional frameworks and offering experiences that are both relevant and inspiring in a world where art, technology, and daily life increasingly converge.
Additionally, I see tremendous potential in generative art and artificial intelligence. These tools offer the opportunity to create dynamic, evolving works that are not fixed or predetermined but instead adapt and transform in real-time. Such approaches promise to redefine the nature of artistic creation and engagement, opening new pathways for exploration and innovation.

Lastly, what are your goals for 2025? Do you have any project or exhibition you would like to share with our readers?

In 2025, I aim to embark on a year of profound experimentation, expanding the horizons of my practice through innovative approaches to space, materials, and viewer interaction. My goal is to move beyond traditional notions of art as static objects, creating immersive experiences that engage audiences on multiple sensory and conceptual levels instead. By provoking reflection and challenging conventional boundaries, I hope to offer new ways of interacting with and understanding art.
While I cannot yet reveal the specifics, I have several ambitious projects in development. These works will delve into themes of temporal fluidity, exploring how the shifting nature of time shapes perception and our understanding of existence. Through these projects, I hope to craft experiences that resonate deeply with contemporary audiences, inviting them to engage with art as a living, evolving dialogue.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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