artist statement
I use text, collage, sound, and live performance to explore identity and alienation in the information age. I am interested in processes of appropriation and remix, and the memetic transmission of ideas through iteration. My work is inspired by fascination with written and visual languages, constructing subversive new meaning through juxtaposition of words, images, and sounds from disparate sources.Drawing on ideas from feminism and queer theory, I explore the feminine as a performance within virtual environments, collapsing male-female and human-machine binaries. I blur the boundary between contemporary reality and speculative futures, to interrogate objectification of the feminine body, commodification of intimacy, and tension between empowerment and exploitation.
My work is informed by research into human and environmental costs of tech capitalism, combining this with an interest in eschatology and receptions of the apocalypse throughout history.
biography
Multimedia artist Tilly Hawkins (aka Nukleopatra) has recently completed an artist residency at the Minories gallery in Colchester, with a solo exhibition there scheduled for autumn 2026. Tilly has exhibited and performed internationally with arts collective Blackwater Polytechnic, including Supermarket, Sluice, and Juxtapose art fairs. Her work has appeared in exhibitions around the UK since 2020, most recently in the major exhibition Voyager 2000: Worldbeing and Wonder at Firstsite and her solo exhibtion Pure Ecstasy Upon Receiving Oblivion at Patch.Tilly is part of the 2025-26 cohort of Conditions Studio’s alternative MFA programme. She has an MA in Curating from the University of Essex, received the Art History Dissertation Prize for her work on the exhibition Lavender Menace at Art Exchange, and took part in the prestigious École du Louvre Summer School. Tilly was the SPACE Colchester Studio Bursary awardee for 2021-22, and was a mentee in the Mercury Theatre’s talent development programme for 2024-25. Tilly has a background in stage acting, appearing in leading roles in productions with Mercury Theatre Young Company.