Alina Sokolova interview

19 března, 2026
Redakce, PR
english, Obecné, rozhovory

Alina Sokolova, foto Valerie Maltseva

Alina Sokolova, an artist based in Vienna, is currently exhibiting in central Prague: Ambivalent Feeling of Staying Alive is her solo exhibition at RKF Gallery. Alina Sokolova is the recipient of the Erste Bank Art Award 2025.

We conducted an interview with her not only about the exhibition but also about what inspires her artistically and where she feels at ease.

Alina Sokolova, foto Valerie Maltseva

You studied art in several different countries – what was it like, encountering different approaches to teaching and probably different tasks for you? Other interviews suggest you felt best in Austria, is that so?

That is accurate. Experiencing diverse education systems allowed me to observe the complex ways an artist is shaped by their environment. Navigating the contrast between a formal, traditional art school and a more liberated art academy provided a significant creative boost. I felt most at ease in Austria because it offered the freedom to uncover the true core of my practice, allowing me to evolve at my own pace without the pressure to follow passing trends.

Your current exhibition „Ambivalent Feeling of Staying Alive” was already presented in Vienna and now we can see it in Prague. I understand it is fairly recent works, 2022 till last year. How were these years for you personally, what feelings and what situations do we encounter when we see this collection of your paintings?

Chronologically, the exhibition guides the viewer through a deeply personal journey, weaving together references to our digital age, the relentless news cycle, and the heavy emotional imprint of global conflict. It touches on political skepticism, bureaucratic exhaustion, and the profound experiences of womanhood—pregnancy and birth. Ultimately, it explores the struggle of staying present in a moment where, once again, the inherent value of human life is being questioned or dismissed. Consolidating these themes into this show has been a deeply cathartic process for me.

What was it like to receive the prestigious Erste Bank Art Award 2025 and in what ways it helped you?

Seeing my body of work unified in a solo exhibition was the most rewarding aspect of the award. It granted me the resources to experiment beyond the canvas, integrating choreographed video and original musical compositions into the space. Additionally, I am incredibly grateful for the one-month residency in Prague. I feel a unique connection to the community here; there is a lightness and an ease to the way we connect and collaborate.

Alina Sokolova, foto Valerie Maltseva

Your paintings carry a lot of emotions and thought, i felt a sort of anxiety that was almost visceral when i looked at some of them. Do you even find creating art is something that is very hard for you as the person carrying the ideas and making artworks?

On the contrary, creating is one of the most stable and effortless aspects of my life. I feel a visceral necessity to transform these emotions into tangible works. Rather than a burden, the process of externalizing these thoughts is incredibly rewarding and sustaining.

I want to continue blurring the line between the static image and the living environment.

I read that you also studied ceramics and some of your works are 3D objects. Does creating objects bring you some more possibilities to you, is it a different thing for you than painting? And do you think you will work with other media in the future?

While ceramics and sculpture were my starting points, they belong to an earlier chapter of my practice. Currently, I am fascinated by the concept of ‚moving paintings’—works that expand the canvas beyond its traditional boundaries. Looking ahead, I am very interested in cross-disciplinary collaborations, such as working with theater or opera, to see how my visual language translates to the stage

Regarding the future, do you already have some vision of what you want to work on next, regarding ideas and also technique?

Technically, I am moving toward larger-scale installations that challenge the viewer’s physical perspective. I want to continue blurring the line between the static image and the living environment. Conceptually, I am interested in exploring the ‚new intimacy’—how we maintain human connection in an increasingly automated and divided world. My goal is to keep pushing the boundaries of what a painting can do, both as an object and as an emotional space.

Alina Sokolova website: www.alinasokolova.com

Exhibition:

The exhibition Ambivalent Feeling of Staying Alive is currently on view at RKF Gallery; admission is free and it runs until April 7.

Artist talk:

Resident artist Alina Sokolova will, as part of her current exhibition Ambivalent Feeling of Staying Alive, take part in a discussion with Jaroslava Tomanová, curator of the Matters of Art Biennial, on the role of art and culture as forms of resistance against destruction and forgetting, as well as their potential to strengthen democracy, peace, and freedom.