| BIOGRAPHY |
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Synopsis français court
L'artiste interdisciplinaire Nikunja, né en Suisse et travaillant sur l'Ile de la Réunion, sur l'Ile Maurice et aux Pays Bas, crée des projets qui engagent dans le moment de leur création, l'autorité de plusieurs acteurs et du public et qui utilisent la confrontation entre la qualité de différent médias, comme vecteur pour des nouvelles formes de création. En outre de ces créations pour des lieux d'art contemporain part tout en Europe, il utilise le média du film dans une forme, qui correspond à ses intentions artistiques d'art plastique et d'installation. Cependant il interroge la " matérialité " du média, la qualité de la performance artistique dans le cinéma et le rôle du spectateur comme acteur. Comments on life and death (2007, 52min), Trying Paradise (2007, 10min), Ties (2006, 9'52min) Fellini Now (2005, installation, loop), fluidimpuls (2004, 20min) sont des oeuvres réalisées dans cette démarche. Synopsis english short Interdisciplinary artist Nikunja is born in Switzerland and works on Reunion Island, Mauritius and in Holland. He creates projects which engage during their creation the authority of different actors, as the public. They use the confrontation of the quality of different médias as a vector for new forms of creation. Besides his creations for contemporary art centres around Europe Nikunja uses the film media in a way which corresponds to his artistic intentions in painting and art installation. Therefore he questions the "materiality" of the media, the quality of performance in cinema and the role of the spectator as actor. Comments on life and death (2007, 52min), Trying Paradise (2007, 10min), Ties (2006, 9'52min) Fellini Now (2005, installation, loop), fluidimpuls (2004, 20min) are recent realisations of his in this research. General english NIKUNJA is born in Basel(CH) . He lives and works in Saint-Paul of La Réunion(FR), Mauritius & Rotterdam(NL). Since over 15 years he creates artwork for & in spaces of public interest & importance, in cooperation with institutions like City Councils, UNO, UNESCO, European Parliament and art institutions, art-fairs (with projects not gallery booths) & more. His fore most media is painting, for him. Essential to the creation of scripture, intellect, the evolution of the human spirit. After several years of regular art exhibitions in galleries, museums, exhibition halls, he felt the necessity to carry the media beyond this closed field, to approach the audience in a more direct way, to involve the participation of the viewer, user of his artwork. For him, the moment of creation a moment of being human in the most essential way has to be shared and created with the audience. That's why he realized Oneness World Vision Reality at the UNO in Geneva in co-operation with the City of Geneva and under the patronage of Vladimir Petrovsky, general Director (1997); then The Sky over my House in cooperation with the Sociological Department of the University of Geneva, an art performance with 14 dancers from all continents, in the main hall of the University (an interdisciplinary work like the Testament of the Wind) attended by over 800 people. There were many other smaller projects like at the UNESCO in Paris, People Begin To Fly (1998) for the conference of the 50th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration, Transforming Buddha (2000) in cooperation with film-maker Dave Tucker for Swiss Television, Maria annunciation and conception (2000) with choregrapher & dancer Nadjani Bulin, Migration (2001) with choreographer & dancer Unita Gayeg (Philipines), The Testament of the Wind, Change, Fellini Now, Silverspoon, The Work (Soweto, South Africa) are all projects, that continue this form of work. Additionally he became more involved into documentary filming as important artistic product of these projects. His work has been supported by major art funding institutions from Switzerland, Poland, Germany, France, & he received grants, work grants and guest studios in Switzerland, France, Poland and Netherlands. His work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and art institutions in Europe, Asia & Africa, works are in private and public collections in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, US, Zimbabwe, France, Netherlands, Japan. Beside this artistic work, he directed cultural events like a concert with international participation and international TV coverage under the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (1st January 1990) just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, an art exhibition with over 40 artists from 28 countries living and working in Berlin, and productions for television in Germany & Switzerland. THROUGH MY WORK OF PAINTING, installation and performance, I interrogate the authorities which share the moment of creation and thus determine the authenticity of the final artwork. By their interactive and evolutionary quality, my works often are infinite as form, and change by the influence of each visitor, user their form (e.g. Fellini Now !, 2004-05 Reconstruction of the Tower of Babel, (2003-05). Sometimes their existence as such depend on the visitor, user (e.g. Babel - Salvation, 2005 / Art:Re:Public, 2006). Thus my works are usually site specific and in a correspondence to the cultural or social context, where they are being realised (UNO-Geneva, 1997 / UNESCO-Paris, 1998 / University of Geneva, 2001 / Muiderpoort Theatre - Amsterdam, 2005 / Centre of Contemporary Art - TENT, Rotterdam, 2005 / Museum Leon Dierx - Reunion Island, 2006 / Nyau Project, Malawi, 2007). The works often involve video or film or have an outcome as video or film as part of the final installation (e.g. Fellini Now, Bettstatt, 2004/ Mael Project:The film, 2007). I like to involve people or approach specific communities which normally are not in touch with the art world, for the realisation of the works (e.g. Oneness World, 1997 / Tower of Babel, 2005 / Art:Re:Public, 2006 / Universe, 2006-07). But as well I involve other artists from almost all media into the realisation of the projects, thus to create a transcendence and interrogation of my own and their authority (e.g. Maria, 2000/ Sky over my House, 2001 / Testament of the Wind, 2005, The Kind and the Fool, 2005). The context of a residency or work abroad helped and helps me to develop further these interrogations and open new aspects to my art research on the human condition (e.g. Poland, 1992 / Zimbabwe, 1995 / Kyoto - Japan, 1996-97 / Rotterdam, 2003-04). |
| INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS & PERFORMANCES |
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2011 2009 2007 Eagle Flight / performance interdisciplinaire, Musée Léon Dierx, Saint-Denis de La Réunion avecNadjani Bulin (Danse), Yann Costa, Sami Pageaux Waro, Nikunja (lifesound) |
| SELECTED EXHIBITIONS |
2011 THE BROKEN CIRCLE, Installation, Painting, Video and Video Installation, Objects at French Institute Mauritius 2008
2005
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| VIDEOS & FILMS |
2010 CHEIKH ANTA DIOP Documentary (90min, dv.HD, videosampling), Dakar Filmfestival 2008 2007 |
| RECOGNITION & SUPPORTS |
| Federal Fine Art Grant (Eidg. Kunststipendium,
1991), main national price for young artists in Switzerland, grant of
Swiss Cultural Institution Art-Est (Federal Cultural Office, Switzerland,
1992) Support by several public and private art-institutions,e.g. Pro
Helvetia, Federal Office for Culture, Bern; Cultural Departments of the
Cities of Basel, Basel-County, Geneva; Lottery Romande, Geneva; Cultural
Department, Cologne, Germany; Goethe Institute, Kyoto, European Council,
Strasbourg, France;Unesco, Paris, France; UNO Geneva, Switzerland; FRAC
, Ile de la Réunion, RKS, Rotterdam, CBK, Rotterdam, Alliance
Française Rotterdam and The Hague, and others Works
private and public collections and museums in Switzerland, Germany,
France, Poland, Zimbabwe, Netherlands Reports TV DRS and TV TSI, Switzerland, TV TSR, Switzerland, TV Gdansk Poland, Czech TV Cable plus, EURONEWS, France, zbc-TV, RFO, Reunion Island and
radio reports, Zimbabwe, Radio DRS 1, Switzerland, WDR radio, Germany
and daily newspapers and magazines in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Zimbabwe,
Reunion Island, Netherlands and on several web art news servers. Lectures on art & spirituality: Universities of Basel, Zurich, Vienna, Warsaw, Posnan, Bialystok European Cultural Centre, Krakow, Rotterdam Collaborations the following artists I invited for collaborations in various of my creations and I am very grateful for their important. Contributions: dance & chorégraphie Nadjani Bulin - Reunion Island, Regina Magnus - Germany, Sato Endo - Japan, Katarina Bakatsaki - Netherlands, Lucia Baumgartner - Switzerland, Susanne Bentley - New zealand & Belgium, Perdro Carvalho - Portugal, Verena Fleissner - Germany, Unita Gayeg - Philippines, Anne Juren - France, Angela Koehnlein - Germany & Netherlands, Céline Respinger - Switzerland, Peter Mc Coy - United States, Parimal Phadke - India, Mariko Takayasu - Japan, Julieta Valero - Venezuela & United States and many others.. Contributions: installations Ali Lagbaa - Switzerland & Canada, Andreas Spitteler - Switzerland, Ivar Tjon Sack-Kie - Netherlands. Contributions: performances Alain Noêl - Reunion Island, Rita Vilhena - Netherlands & Portugal, Jennifer Delano - Netherlands, Diego Sanchez - Switzerland, Nathalie Natiembé - Reunion Island, Christian Jalma - Reunion Island. 100's volunteers participants, public Video, film-making & photography: Rick Messemaker - Netherlands, Bob de Jong - Netherlands, Jean Lou Steinmann - Switzerland, Dave Tucker - Switzerland, Rene Paul Savignan - Reunion Island, Jerome Picard - Reunion Island, Laurent Zitte - Reunion Island, Jeanne Quattropani, Alexander Barrymore, Andreas Spitteler - Switzerland, Minggus Lassatira, Demetrios Estdelacropolis, Netherlands & Canada Music & sounds: Alain Perret, Benoit Saillet - Switzerland, Yann Costa, Sami Pageaux-Waro - Reunion Island. |
| RESIDENCY |
2007/2009 2003/2004 |