TOUCHING TIME: THE ROCKY INTIMACY — AN INTERVIEW WITH NELLY NAMINASENKO
Nelly Naminasenko is a mixed-media artist with a fascinating and unconventional journey into the art world. Born in 1983 in Novorossiysk, Russia, she graduated from a Moscow university in 2005 with a degree in International Relations. After a successful career in her field, she made a bold decision in 2020 to transition into interior design, earning diplomas from the International School of Design and the British Higher School of Design. While working on interior projects, Nelly also began creating art objects, blending her design expertise with her artistic vision.
Always eager to explore diverse visual forms and techniques, her artistic practice has evolved into a profound inquiry into time, memory, and materiality. Her latest exhibition, “Touching Time: The Rocky Intimacy”, is a culmination of these explorations, offering a deeply immersive and conceptual journey into the intersection of humanity and geology.
The exhibition, hosted at the Zazerkalie Gallery in Tbilisi, is a sensory and intellectual experience that invites viewers to reflect on the vastness of geological time and its connection to the fleeting temporality of human life. Using stones as a central motif, Nelly explores themes of memory, intimacy, and transformation, creating an evocative and thought-provoking atmosphere.
“Touching Time: The Rocky Intimacy” stands out as a poetic and immersive exploration of the tension between human fragility and the endurance of geological forms. Nelly’s ability to transform the cold, stoic materiality of stone into something profoundly intimate is nothing short of extraordinary. The exhibition resonates with the viewer on multiple levels, from the tactile to the philosophical, encouraging a deeply personal engagement with its themes.
The installation’s multisensory approach is particularly striking. The interplay of sound, texture, and imagery creates an environment that feels alive, as though the stones themselves are whispering their stories across millennia. The tent installation, with its rich auditory landscape, draws viewers into a contemplative space, allowing them to feel as though they are both inside and outside time. Similarly, the magnified images of stones reveal hidden worlds within the ordinary, suggesting that the extraordinary is always present if we care to look closer.
What sets this exhibition apart is its profound narrative structure. Each piece feels connected to the others, forming a cohesive dialogue about memory, time, and human existence. The juxtaposition of human forms with geological textures creates a poignant sense of shared vulnerability and resilience, suggesting that while we are fleeting, our touch leaves traces, just as the forces of nature leave marks on stone.
Nelly’s work not only challenges the viewer to think but also invites them to feel. The tactile and visual elements work in harmony, drawing the audience into a state of meditative awe. By emphasizing the intimacy of something as seemingly distant as stone, the exhibition fosters a sense of connection that lingers long after one has left the gallery. “Touching Time: The Rocky Intimacy” is more than an exhibition; it is an experience that stays with you, subtly altering the way you perceive the material world.
Could you share the story behind this project? How did the idea for “Touching Time: The Rocky Intimacy” come about? Were there specific sources of inspiration?
The idea for this project emerged from a convergence of personal experiences, creative reflections, and ongoing conversations with friends. It began with my fascination with stones—not just as objects but as carriers of meaning, time, and memory. Stones have always intrigued me because of their endurance and the way they seem to transcend the limits of human life. They are witnesses to vast epochs and yet feel intimately connected to us.
One pivotal moment came during a conversation with a friend about the contrast between the short span of human life and the immense scale of geological time. We talked about how stones, despite their stillness, are not static—they preserve traces of history and memory, from fossils and archaeological artifacts to the marks left by human touch. This realization led me to think of stones as companions rather than mere objects, allies that connect us to the deeper layers of time.
As I developed the idea further, I started to focus on the stone not only as a symbol but as a tangible medium. Stones hold layers of meaning: geological, cultural, historical. They are physical evidence of processes that take millions of years but also serve as repositories for human creativity, whether through sculpture, architecture, or everyday use. The exhibition became a way to explore this duality—the alien and the familiar—and to create a dialogue between human temporality and the vastness of geological time.
Throughout this process, I identified four key themes: stone, human, time, and memory. These guided my decisions as I worked to transform abstract concepts into physical installations. The project became an opportunity to engage others in this exploration and invite them to see stones not just as silent witnesses but as living presences.
How were these ideas reflected in the objects featured in the exhibition? Could you describe the key components and how they related to one another?
The objects in the exhibition were designed to reflect the intimacy and the vastness of these ideas. One of the central pieces was a tent installation shaped like a rock. This wasn’t just a structural piece but an immersive environment. The tent was covered with fabric printed with the textures of stone, and the interior was lined with dark fabric to create a sense of enclosure. Visitors who entered were surrounded by a soundscape—subtle and evocative sounds of stones rubbing against each other, against human skin, and against surfaces. This sensory experience was key to transforming the stone from a distant, abstract idea into something immediate and intimate. It allowed people to feel as though they were stepping into a world where human and geological time converged.
Another key component was a series of stones printed with images of human body parts. These were not just decorative but highly intentional—fragments of skin, hands, or other body elements. They symbolized the physical and symbolic merging of the living and the inert, suggesting that stones, despite their alienness, carry echoes of life and touch. This juxtaposition created a sense of both connection and tension, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the material world.
Magnification also played an important role. I used magnifying glasses and electron microscope images to reveal the hidden details of stones—textures, patterns, and surfaces invisible to the naked eye. These highly magnified images were juxtaposed with larger, tangible rocks in the gallery, creating a striking contrast between the microscopic and the monumental. This interplay of scales emphasized the different dimensions in which stones and humans exist, inviting viewers to see the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary.
Layering was another recurring theme. One installation featured photographs of human figures arranged in layers that mimicked geological strata, reflecting how memory and time accumulate in both human and geological contexts. I also used mesh or netting as a visual motif. For example, one photograph showed a rock wrapped in industrial mesh, while another depicted a human body similarly encased. This was a way to explore themes of containment, protection, and the parallels between organic and inorganic forms.
Were there specific challenges you encountered during the creation of the exhibition?
There were many challenges, both technical and conceptual. One of the most complex processes was printing images onto stones. This involved several steps: laser-printing the images, layering them with acrylic lacquer applied in multiple directions, and then carefully transferring the images onto the stone surfaces. The technique required patience and precision, and it took many failed attempts before I achieved the desired results.
Finding models for the photography was another hurdle. Convincing people to pose nude for the project, especially within the constraints of a modest budget, was challenging. These photographs were essential to the exhibition, as they represented the merging of human and geological forms, so it was crucial to find people willing to contribute to this vision.
Sourcing materials also required creativity and resourcefulness. For example, acquiring industrial mesh was not as straightforward as I had hoped, and there were moments when I had to improvise. Let’s just say one late-night trip to a construction site turned out to be quite productive! Beyond the logistical difficulties, there were also moments of uncertainty as I worked to translate abstract ideas into tangible forms. It was a process of trial and error, but ultimately, these challenges pushed me to innovate and refine the work.
How did the audience respond to the exhibition? Did their impressions align with your expectations?
The audience’s response was overwhelmingly positive, and in many ways, it exceeded my expectations. One of the standout reactions was to the introductory photograph displayed at the gallery entrance—a cave-like image that set the tone for the entire exhibition. Visitors described it as both evocative and grounding, as if it invited them to step into a space where time and memory unfolded differently.
The tent installation was another highlight. Many people described their experience inside as transformative, a moment of quiet reflection where they felt a sense of merging with the rocky environment. The soundscape—subtle yet immersive—seemed to resonate with visitors on a deeply emotional level. It created an atmosphere that felt meditative and otherworldly, encouraging people to contemplate their own place within the vastness of time.
The printed stones also sparked meaningful conversations. Viewers were struck by the tension between the living and the inert, the intimate and the alien. Many commented on how the stones seemed to carry traces of life, even as they embodied a scale of time far beyond human comprehension. The magnified images of rocks, with their intricate textures and patterns, added another layer of intrigue, reminding viewers of the hidden worlds that exist within even the most ordinary objects.
What touched me most was how personally people connected with the work. Some saw it as a meditation on mortality and permanence, while others felt it was about resilience and continuity. These diverse interpretations reaffirmed my belief that stones, like art, carry layers of meaning that resonate differently with each person. It was deeply rewarding to see the exhibition spark such rich and varied reflections.
Words:Dan Agbo
