Born in 1987 in Moscow, Russia Nika Neelova now lives and works in London, UK. Neelova obtained her Bachelor’s in Fine Art Interdisciplinary from the Royal Art Academy, The Hague in 2008 and a Master’s in Fine Art Sculpture from the Slade School of Art, London.
Through her work Nika Neelova uses reclaimed architectural materials to explore our sense of time and place. Her sculptures and installations, made often with reclaimed architectural materials, are created by employing tactics of what she calls “reverse archaeology,” bypassing straightforward means of fabrication to find modes of retrieving and revealing information within the multiplicities of human histories within inanimate things. The resulting works of art present the viewer with an alternative reading of human history by examining human evidence in found objects and architectural debris and transforming them beyond functionality and status objects to hold new meaning. In these works, the human body and touch remains as a vestigial memory. In her work Neelova attributes high importance to material transformations often inspired by the latent potency in the materials she uses. Her sculptural works are often focused on the conversions involved in translating existing objects into other mediums, decoding, and recoding their purposes, enacting the processes that were used to shape them, altering their internal structures and liberating objects from their meaning.
Neelova’s work has been presented in numerous solo and group shows. These include recent group shows such as “Hortus Conclusus” at the Fondazione 107 in Turin, Italy (2019); She sees the shadows, curated by Olivia Leahy and Adam Carr. DRAF & Mostyn, UK Prevent This Tragedy, Post-Institute London, UK (2018); “Theatre of the Absurd,” curated by Yasmin Atassi, Green Art Gallery, Dubai (2018); and “Brand New Second Hand,” Vigo Gallery, London (2014). Solo exhibitions include “Solo show” at Noire Gallery, Turin (2022); “Silt,” Brighton CCA, Brighton (2020); and “FAULTS/FOLDS/FALLS,” Vigo Gallery, London (2016).
Her work can be found in notable international public institutions, including the Celine Art Collection, New Art Centre collection, DRAF David Roberts Art Foundation Collection, London; Saatchi Gallery Collection, London; Modern Forms, UK; Noire Foundation, Turin; Fondazione 107, Turin; PERMM Museum of Modern Art Collection, Russia; Museum Biedermann Collection, Germany; Beth de Woody Collection, New York; Jason Martin Collection, Portugal; Levett Collection; Land Securities, London; Beckers Collection, Sweden. Her work is in Private collections in UK, Germany, France, Russia, The Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium.
![Nika Neelova. Exhibition "[Ъ] [Ы] [Ь]". Garage MCA](https://assets-global.website-files.com/63173e8145a41eb284e76453/640af6712e185474e1625aa4__F7A3472.jpeg)
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