Carsten NICOLAI

Profile

Carsten Nicolai, born 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, is part of an artist generation who works intensively in the transitional area between art and science. As a visual artist Nicolai seeks to overcome the separation of the art forms and genres by trying to endeavor a holistic artistic approach. Thus he seeks to overcome the separation of the sensual perceptions of man, e.g. by making sound and light frequencies perceivable for both eyes and ears to sensitise the viewer to the connection of the different sensory levels. Further aspects of his works consider the integration of error and chance as well as the implementation of mathematical, physical or natural phenomenons and theories. Special interest he also puts on so-called self-organizing processes, for example the growing of snow crystals.

"In my opinion the emphasis of self-generating processes is a reaction to the claim to plan everything. Many of my works underlie a rule and introduce a model as organizing scheme to recognize chaotic movements. I am interested in both moments, they lie really close together. (...) The article Active mutations of self-reproducing networks, machines and tapes (1996) by Takashi Ikegami and Takashi Hashimoto had a major impact on my work. They wrote about loop structures and self-organisation. Loops get created by mathematical processes whose results at the same time are the source for new calculations. By constant re-calculating mistakes occur, build up changing patterns and become the origin of new intelligent processes." (CN)

After his participation in important international exhibitions like "documenta X" and the "49th and 50th Venice Biennial", Nicolai's works were shown in two comprehensive solo exhibitions at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Germany (anti reflex) and at Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany (syn chron) in 2005. In 2007 he had further extensive shows in Zurich and New York.

For several years now Carsten Nicolai experiments with sound under the pseudonym noto to create his own code of signs, acoustic and visual symbols. As alva noto he leads those experiments into the field of electronic music.

Besides performing in club and concert halls, Nicolai also presented his audio-visual pieces at museums like Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Kunsthaus Graz or Tate Modern in London. Additionally he pursues projects with diverse artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ryoji Ikeda (cyclo.), Blixa Bargeld, Michael Nyman, Mika Vainio or Thomas Knak (opto).

Biography
lives and works in Berlin and Chemnitz, Germany
1965
born in Karl-Marx-Stadt, GDR
1984
worked as a gardener
1985-90
studies of Landscape Design, Dresden, Germany
1992
co-founded Voxxx.Kultur und Kommunikationszentrum, Chemnitz, Germany
1994
founded noton.archiv für ton und nichtton
1999
label unit raster-noton.de

Prizes / Scholarships
2007
Villa Massimo, Rome, Italy 
Zurich Prize, Zurich, Switzerland
2003
Villa Aurora, Los Angeles, USA
2001
prize ars electronica, golden nica, Linz, Austria (polar-installation with marko peljhan)
2000
f6-philip morris, graphic prize, Dresden, Germany 
prize ars electronica, golden nica, Linz, Austria (20' to 2000-project)
1990
Jürgen Ponto prize, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

Artworks in Public Space
2009
poly stella, Kasumigaseki Buidling Plaza, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
2006
polylit, Kleiner Schlossplatz, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany

Solo Exhibitions (selection)
2010
polar m [mirrored] with marko peljhan, YCAM, yamaguchi, japan
2010
hendrik christian andersen museum, rome, italy
2010
MAGA, museo arte gallarate, italy
2010
autor, Temporäre Kunsthalle, Berlin, Germany 
moiré, The Pace Gallery, New York, USA 
anti reflex, La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain 
rota, Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany
2009
pionier II, Piazza Plebiscito, Naples, Italy 
aoyama space, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria 
unitxt, SKETCH, London, UK
2008
anti reflex, Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany 
tired light, Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin, Germany
2007
static fades, Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Switzerland / PaceWildenstein, New York, USA
2006
inver, Frieze Art Fair, London, UK 
inver, Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig, Germany
2005
audio visual spaces, Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (SMAK), Gent, Belgium 
anti reflex, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt/Main, Germany 
syn chron, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany / Bern, Schwitzerland / Yamaguchi, Japan
2003
funken, Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin, Germany 
modular re.struct, Poalo Curti/Annamaria Gambuzzi & Co, Milan, Italy
2002
WATARI-UM, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
2001
Milch, London, UK
2000
ystad kunsthalle, Ystad, Sweden 
polar, canon artlab 10 (with Marko Peljan), Tokyo, Japan
1999
1% space, Copenhagen, Denmark
1998
polyfoto, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig, Germany
1996
Leonhardi-Museum, Dresden, Germany 
The New York Kunsthalle, New York, USA
1995
Galerie Margrit Gass, Basel, Switzerland 
Kunstverein Konstanz, Germany
1994
Espace des Arts, Chalon-Sur-Saône, France 
Kunstverein Ulm, Germany 
Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany
1993
Städtische Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany
1992
Galerie Springer, Berlin, Germany
1991
"Magica II", Lichtinstallation, Kunst-Werke, Berlin, Germany
1986
"Der Keller", Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig, Germany

Group Exhibitions (selection)
2010
"seconde nature", Fondation Vasarely, Aix en Provence, France 
"Rudolf Steiner und die Kunst der Gegenwart", Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany 
"Biennale für Internationale Lichtkunst", Unna, Germany
2009
"see this sound", Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria 
"4th digital art festival taipei", Digital Arts Centre, Taipei, Taiwan 
"the kaleidoscopic eye", MORI Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2008
"leben", Kunsthaus Graz, Austria 
"open space", NTT Intercommunication Center [ICC], Tokyo, Japan 
"art on air", Weserburg - Museum für Moderne Kunst, Bremen, Germany
2007
2nd Moskow Biennale, Moskow, Russia 
"Konstellationen II", Städel Museum, Frankfurt/Main, Germany 
"MARTa schweigt", MARTa Herford, Germany 
"Space for your future", Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan 
2006
Singapore Biennal, Singapore 
"Still Points of the Turning World", 6th Int. Biennale Santa Fe/New Mexico, USA 
"sonambiente 2006", TESLA, Berlin, Germany
2005
"Künstler.Archiv", Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany
2004
"Densité ±0", École nationale des beaux arts, Paris, France / Fribourg, Switzerland
2003
"Sommer bei EIGEN + ART", Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin, Germany 
La Biennale di Venezia L, Venice, Italy 
"Berlin-Moskau / Moskau-Berlin 1950-2000", Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany / Moscow, Russia 
"echigo tsumari triennial 2003", echigo tsumari region naiigata prefecture, Japan 
The 10th New York Digital Saloon, New York, USA
2002
"frequenzen (hz)", Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
2001
"Wild Zone", Witte de With, Rotterdam, Netherlands 
"Perspectives", MICAMOCA, Milan, Italy 
La Biennale di Venezia IL, Venice, Italy 
"Quobo, Art in Berlin 89-99", Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany 
Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey 
"Audible Images", The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, USA
2000
"Sound Art", NTT InterCommunication Center, Gallery A, Tokyo, Japan 
"Volume", PS 1, New York, USA 
Taktlos, Bern, Switzerland
1999
"Examining Pictures: exhibiting paintings", Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK / Museum Of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA 
"Empty Garden", WATARI-UM, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan 
Liverpool Biennial, UK
1997
documenta X, Kassel, Germany 
P.S.1 reopening, New York, USA
1996
"Projektor"(with Olaf Nicolai), Städtisches Kunstmuseum Reutlingen, Germany 
"all+tag" (with Mika Vainio), Industriemuseum Chemnitz, Germany / u.a
1994
"Welt-Moral", Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland 
"Metropole und Peripherie", Museum de Arte Moderna MAM, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1993
"Ein Jahrhundert des Holzschnitts", Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany 
"Cadavre Exquis", Drawing Center, New York, USA

About works / performance

∞ (a project for documenta X)

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