Nikolina Petolas

There are things beneath the surface: unspoken, unseen, yet deeply felt.
I’m drawn to this, to the unknown.

My love for nature, animals, and fantastical realms has led me to create a parallel world, one that feels familiar yet distant.
My characters inhabit historical interiors and gardens.
Much like us, they yearn for love, security, and a place to belong. They wander through, seeking answers, only to find even more questions.
The world I create is anti-utopian. It appears tranquil and in harmony, but there’s a sense of something unsettling just beneath the surface.

Over many years, I’ve searched for locations and interiors that I’ve brought into my work.
I work in both traditional and digital mediums, each offering unique ways to express my vision.
Through photo collage and illustration, I combine elements from photography with animals and hybrid creatures, often transformed from my own self-portraits.
The digital medium fascinates me and opens up endless possibilities, but I also find immense joy in traditional methods, particularly painting with oils.
There’s an irreplaceable feeling that comes from the brush on canvas and the experience of working with paint.
I’m grateful to be able to embrace the best of both worlds.

The w...

AWARDS:
2025 - BBA gallery art prize, finalist
2025 - Jackson's Art Prize - extended long list
2025 - Dodho Magazine Fine art - finalist
2023 - Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Digital Renaissance, Finalist (KHM Architecture)
2023 - Jury top 5 selection, In the palace
2023 - Official selection, IPA awards
2023 - IPA awards - In the Palace, Honorable mention
2023 - London Photography Awards, In the Shadows, Special - Gold winner
2022 - TIFA awards, Gentle Giants, Honorable mention
2022 - IPA awards, In the Shadows, Official Selection
2022 - IPA awards, In the Shadows, Honorable mention
2022 - Beautiful Bizzare - Honorable Mention
2022 - LICC - Storie Di Seta - Ferragamo project - shortlisted
2021 - IPA awards, Jury Top 5 Selection, Gentle Giants
2021 - Bronze medal, IPA awards, Digitally enhanced, PRO
2021 - Muse Awards, Gold medal, In the palace, digitally enhanced
2021 - Siena awards, 'Green Tendencies' shortlisted
2021 - BBA gallery, Art prize, longlisted
2020 - Top 5 Jury selection, IPA awards, Professional, Lollipop
2020 - 2nd Place Winner, IPA Awards, Digitally enhanced
2020 -1st Place Winner Single image, 'The Smuggler of Happiness', The 15th Pollux Awards, Digital manipulation & collage
2020 - Honorable mention, The 15t...

2025

BBA gallery, Artist prize, Berlin, Germany
January, SOLO show, digital, Suburb gallery, Montréal, Québec, Canada

2024

July, SOLO exhibition, Overgrown, Artgalaxie/Artvibe, Museu de Caminha,
Municipal Museum, Caminha, Portugal

Museum Azeite - Sete Quintas, Portugal

February, National Palace Mafra, International Surrealism Now, Mafra, Portugal

2023


October - 05 - 07 - Pepe Festival, Pepes in Paris, Fakerares physical exhibition, Avant galerie, Paris, France
October - 05 - 07 - Pepe festival, Pepes in Paris, NFT Factory galerie, Paris, France
September - Art in Feminino, Galiza, municipality of Oroso, Spain

July 22 - August 20, Duality, Haven Gallery, Northport, NY, US
July 07 - 31, Art in Feminino, the Vila de Góis, Coimbra, Portugal
July 17 - 31, Ninfa gallery, digital, Milan, Italy
July 13 & 14, Artcrush gallery, digital, London, UK
July, 05 - 08, For the Culture, 6529 project, Nft Factory, Paris, France

June , 6060 Art Show, Nfc Summit Lisbon, Portugal
May - Beijing Contemporary Art Expo , Art in transformation, Beijing, China
May -' Digital Paradise' - Neal art gallery, Art-Tech Experience, Sanya, Hainan, China
April - La Lune, Haven gallery, 50 Main St. Northport, NY 11768, US
April - Fake gallery, ...