Elena Nikolaeva (b. 1984) is a video and new media artist whose work documents moments of emotional intensity, longing, and desire for connection. Working primarily with video, saturated color, and temporal dislocation, Nikolaeva captures the emotional residue of time passing—constructing a public yet intimate digital space where vulnerability and self-recognition are preserved. Her practice examines the tension between external validation and self-witnessing, romantic fantasy and unmet needs, creating scenes where vulnerability & connection is performed, questioned, and reclaimed.

Nikolaeva holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (2012) and a Bachelor in Education from UTC (2008). Her background includes extensive theater and improvisational training at UTC, CTC Theater (Wakefield, Rhode Island), AND Theater (NYC), and Improv Chattanooga. Drawing on this foundation, she has taught workshops in Applied Improvisation in collaboration with Improv Chattanooga, focusing on deepened connection with ourselves and others.

Her work has been exhibited in group shows including the Salon Show at AVA (Association for Visual Artists) in Chattanooga (2025). Nikolaeva shares her practice through her Instagram profile, where documentation becomes a way to hold reality together while navigating desire, loneliness, and becoming.

Nikolaeva lives and works in Chattanooga, Tennessee.