Photography allows one to capture the delicate boundary between reality and illusion, where the artist becomes part of the narrative. Lina Alimbekova, known professionally as Lina A., is a multidisciplinary artist working with experimental analog photography, artificial intelligence, and archival materials. Her work teeters on the edge of the tangible, guiding the viewer into the realm of the subconscious and the irrational. Her photographs resemble mystical artifacts from a forgotten past—ephemeral, blurred by mist, and frozen in time. Looking at them, one finds oneself at the threshold of reality and fantasy, immersed in a world of elusive, unsettling dreams.
These enigmatic images emerge through her use of the unique “film soup” technique, which alters the properties of film by soaking it in various chemicals, resulting in unpredictable visual distortions. This process dissolves the boundaries between representation and abstraction, drawing the viewer deeper into Lina A.’s somber, otherworldly landscapes.
In 2023, Lina A. earned a Master’s degree in Photography from the Royal College of Art in London. Her work has been exhibited internationally, from London to Milan, including the Art Graduate Prize in London, the summer group exhibition Patterns and Structures in Cambridge, and the RCA group show at the Rencontres d’Arles.
She began working on her series Project Boil in 2022, but it was not until 2023 that the project made its debut at the Patterns and Structures exhibition at Gallery V in Cambridge.
The Supremacy of Chance: How the Elusive Becomes Method
Project Boil explores chance as a method, revealing the interplay between destruction and creation. These opposing forces are fundamental to both universal and personal understandings of existence. Lina A. articulates this concept through film soup, a technique where outcomes remain entirely random until the process is complete. This unpredictability strips the artist of control, embedding chance into the artwork itself and shifting the dynamics of authorship.
This relinquishment of control fosters conditions for the emergence of singular imprints of the present—places that do not exist in reality but manifest through the textures of analog film and chemical reaction. Lina A.’s rejection of full artistic control is not merely an act of surrender but a transformation of her role into both creator and observer. She becomes an unreliable narrator, co-authoring her work alongside the forces of chance.
Photography is always an encounter with reality, an accidental extraction from context. In Lina A.’s practice, the role of chance is deliberately amplified. Project Boil reminds the viewer that art is not merely perception but experience—an evolving process shaped by the artist’s confrontation with reality. Drawing from Gustav Metzger’s manifesto on auto-destructive art, Lina deliberately relinquishes aspects of control over the final image. Each piece, though subject to chance, emerges as a complete and self-sufficient world where imperfections acquire meaning, reconstructing reality itself.
Lina A. observes the details of reality, exposing its inherent layers—whether emotional, visual, or conceptual—elements that often remain unseen. Moving forward, she aims to expand her practice through pedagogy, transforming her work into a space for dialogue where authorship transcends personal ownership. Her masterclasses promise to be platforms for bold experimentation, uninhibited self-expression, and the exchange of ideas, enabling each participant to enrich their creative potential and discover a unique artistic voice.
By Sofia Shubina
