Inside the Studio: Anna Novakov
Anna Novakov’s artistic journey spans the realms of conceptual art, perfumery, and textile work, unified by a deep-rooted focus on themes of memory, identity, and cultural heritage. As a conceptual artist and certified perfumer, Anna explores how multi-sensory experiences, particularly scent, can evoke memory and collective histories, offering viewers an intimate connection to her work. With studios in New York, Limoux, and Spoleto, Anna’s practice is influenced by a range of cultural landscapes that feed into her exploration of diaspora, displacement, and utopian ideals. We spoke with Anna about her unique approach to art-making, her influences, and how her diverse experiences across languages and locations continue to shape her work.
Read on to learn more in an exclusive interview with Anna Novakov :
1. Your creative practice explores multisensory experiences, especially through olfactory installations. What drew you to the use of scent as a medium in art?
I appreciate the medium’s ability to evoke powerful, often subconscious emotional responses and memories in ways that visual or auditory media cannot. Scent operates on a visceral level, connecting deeply to personal and collective memories. This holds particular relevance for me given my background and interests in diaspora, displacement, and cultural memory. These fleeting, invisible elements of life often carry profound stories about identity, community, and place. As both a conceptual artist and certified perfumer, I was drawn to scent as a means of unpacking and presenting these stories through a multi-sensory lens.
Using olfactory installations allows me to explore both personal memories and collective histories, particularly those tied to migration and utopian societies. Scent transports viewers to other times and places, creating an immersive experience that challenges traditional art engagement. This multisensory approach helps forge intimate, emotional connections between the artwork and the audience, which has become central to my practice.
2. Having spent your life immersed in both Socialist and free speech counterculture movements, how do these political and cultural backgrounds influence your current work?
Growing up in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, I was surrounded by the ideals of collectivism and the belief that society could be engineered for the common good. Later, in Berkeley, I experienced the power of free speech and personal liberation. Although these movements are vastly different, they have shaped my understanding of diaspora, migration, and displacement—central themes in my practice.
Socialist ideals taught me to think about society on a collective level, while counterculture in Berkeley highlighted the value of individual freedom and expression. These influences manifest in my studio practice as I explore utopian spaces, whether through olfactory installations, textiles, or sensory interplay. For instance, scent becomes a tool for constructing memory, both personal and collective, that ties into real and imagined utopian ideals. Through my art, I examine how migration and displacement shape our understanding of place and belonging, drawing from my experiences in both Yugoslavia and California.
3. You’ve written extensively about art, gender, and public space. How does your writing inform your artistic practice, especially your textile and perfumery works?
When I write about gender roles and public versus private spaces, it informs how I approach the materials and themes in my artwork. In my textile pieces, for example, I often draw on traditional craft methods like embroidery, historically associated with women’s labor. Hand-stitching helps me explore how these practices, often overlooked or undervalued, can serve as a form of resistance or commentary on gendered work.
In scent design, fragrance ties into my interest in how women occupy and influence space subtly, often invisibly. Scent, like gendered labor, permeates space unnoticed yet leaves a lasting impact. This resonates with my writing on how we navigate and experience spaces, shaping my approach to materials and the body in ways that continuously challenge or reflect ideas of space, identity, and gender.
4. Can you describe the role of Utopian ideas in your work, and how you use art to explore these concepts?
Utopian ideals are significant in my work as they inspire alternate possibilities for society, space, and interaction. Through art, I explore these ideas by creating spaces or objects that suggest an idealized version of life. In my textile and installation pieces, I reimagine domestic and public spaces as sites of empathy and collaboration, particularly for marginalized groups.
Scent and tactile elements help to create immersive environments where people can experience an alternate reality, even if briefly. To me, Utopia is less about perfection and more about imagining a world that’s more equitable, inclusive, and just.
5. With studios in New York, Limoux, and Spoleto, how do these different locations impact your creative process?
Each location uniquely influences my creative process. New York’s fast pace and cultural diversity align with my exploration of diaspora and displacement, sparking inspiration from its layered history of migration. Limoux, in contrast, offers a rural, introspective setting that resonates with my textile work, where labor and time play integral roles. The region’s traditions of winemaking and craftsmanship allow me to connect with the tactile, meditative aspects of my practice, particularly in textiles and scent.
Spoleto’s ancient history and vibrant cultural festivals add another dimension to my work. Its layered historical context lets me delve into themes of utopian aspirations, architecture, and diaspora, enriching my perspective on continuity and time in art.
6. I know that you speak multiple languages. How does language affect your work?
My mother tongue is Serbian, followed by English, French, and Italian. These languages influence my identity, affecting both my approach to work and my experience of heritage. French connects me to a philosophical, poetic dimension of art, Italian brings out a tactile, grounded aspect, and Serbian links me to personal history and cultural roots. English bridges these experiences, helping me articulate concepts to a broader audience.
Each language feels like a layer of identity that mirrors the fluidity of materials in my art. This linguistic plurality allows me to explore the richness and tension of living between worlds, manifesting in art as a dialogue between tradition and modernity, intimacy and distance, the personal and universal.
7. How does your background as a professor and educator influence the way you approach art-making today?
Teaching has given me a sense of responsibility to question and expand the boundaries of art, gender, and public space, which flows into my artistic practice. Interacting with students keeps me engaged with new ideas and contemporary issues, reminding me of the importance of both historical context and emerging perspectives.
This exchange of knowledge challenges me creatively, pushing me to experiment. For instance, my work in textiles and scent ties into classroom discussions about sensory experiences and perception. Just as I make complex ideas accessible to students, I strive to create art that invites audiences into deeper conversations bridging personal and collective experience.
8. Diaspora and displacement are key themes in your work. How do you visually or conceptually explore these ideas in your olfactory and textile creations?
I have always been aware of the complexities of identity, migration, and being “in-between” places. My creative practice helps unpack these themes, drawing from the fluidity of diasporic experiences. In my olfactory work, I use scent to evoke memories tied to place, migration, and time. Scent, much like displacement, is transient yet emotionally evocative.
In textiles, I emphasize labor-intensive techniques like hand embroidery, connecting with my heritage and family lineage. These materials and methods carry symbolic weight, referencing both my Serbian heritage and the broader socio-political histories of women’s labor. By blending scent and textile, I capture the sensory and emotional nuances of displacement, crafting spaces that invite viewers into these complex ideas on a deeply personal level.
Through her multi-sensory approach, Anna Novakov invites us into a world where memory, place, and identity converge, challenging traditional notions of art and engaging audiences in profound and intimate ways. Her work serves as a bridge between individual and collective experiences, questioning and expanding the boundaries of how art can evoke memory and cultural heritage. In her unique exploration of scent and textile, Anna continues to push artistic boundaries, weaving together the threads of her own history with those of a broader, shared human experience.
You can learn more about Anna Novakov and her work via these links:
Website: https://www.annanovakov.work/
Instagram: @mala_igla
Facebook: @Anna Novakov
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