LUMIA NOCITO

What’s your name, age, and preferred pronouns?

Lumia Nocito, 22, she/her.

Where are you from?

New York City.

How would you identify?

This is a funny question. Racially? Mixed. Nonracially? I am an artist, which I am reminded of through my daily experiences. It is profound.

What will Gen Z be remembered for?

Some might laugh at what I’m about to say. If I consider Gen Z in totality, I’m not sure. Partially, though, it has an essence akin to the idea of the death of the physical archive. Gen Z will be remembered for the repercussions of a widespread loss amongst humanity, the loss of knowing to value the object, to operate primarily within the physical, tangible world.

In what mediums do you express yourself?

If I must be specific: photography, objects, words. The way I designate my space – creating the potential for contexts that would not otherwise exist through furniture choice and layout. My outward appearance, my fashion, is a means to hide and protect my mind.

What colors do you think represent your aura?

Dark shades of green have been pervading my mind as of late.

We love the sense of community you have. What is something that all your friends have in common?

We are all artists that have, for reasons I feel ambivalent about, been well distinguished as “cool people” by the fashion industry.

We care about our artwork – all of us develop our work from a place of integrity. We all care to love and we relish in the closeness we have built with one another.

What do you wish you could change in the world?

More than I will ever say.

What shoes do you wear everyday?

My Balenciagas.

When did you get into the fashion world and why?

I was assisting the photographer Petra Collins and, after three years of having her as my mentor, I found myself working in fashion. Working in the fashion industry was never my directive – it was a complete accident. I didn’t know anything about the industry until I had already contributed to the works produced within it.

You have your own studio you work in, what’s it like?

It is the space for my heart and soul, my blood sweat and tears – it is where you can find the side of me that only I, and my closest friends, know. This particular experience I have of myself when I am in my studio is largely the way I understand myself. It is seldom revealed to others.

Can you share with us a project you’re currently working on?

My senior thesis is happening downtown in May. It’s a photo show.

How do you feel about success, what is success for Lumia?

Success has very a positive connotation to me, something analogous to eating the fruits of your labor.

Success is to have choice. Choice is a luxury.

Do you know what you deserve?

Who is one of your heroes and what would you say to them right now?

Doug Ashford. Call me.

When was the last time you laughed really hard?

I was in Miami eating sushi with my photo assistant after we finished shooting a job.

How did 2020 affect the way you live now in 2021?

Positively.

Lumia Nocito is a New York based artist. After graduating from The Dalton School, she currently works towards her BFA at The Cooper Union For The Advancement of Science and Art. Her expertise is in photography. Throughout her teenage years, Petra Collins mentored her in the development of her photography practice.

Her photography has been featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Basel Miami, The Cooper Union School of Art, and The International Center of Photography, to name a few.