![Olaf Nicolai 2376 Michelides](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Olaf_Nicolai_2376_Michelides.png)
Olaf Nicolai (born 1962 in
Halle an der Saale
Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the German state of Saxony-Anh ...
) is a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
conceptual art
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...
ist.
Life
Olaf Nicolai grew up in
Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt) in the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**G ...
. From 1983 to 1988 he studied
German language and literature at the universities of
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
, Vienna and Budapest, in 1992 obtaining a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
from
Leipzig University
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...
. His thesis concerned the ''
Poetics of the
Wiener Gruppe
The Wiener Gruppe (''Vienna Group'') was a small and loose avant-garde constellation of Austrian poets and writers, which arose from an older and wider postwar association of artists called Art-Club. The group was formed around 1953 under the influ ...
'', exploring the means of expression used and their strategic implementation. There exists a close relation between this group's work and his own artistic endeavours. Nicolai also holds a diploma in
applied arts
The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...
from the Technical College at
Schneeberg in
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
.
His works were shown at
documenta in 1997 and at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
in 2001, 2005 and 2015. He has been awarded various grants and fellowships, for example from
Villa Massimo
Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo ( it, Accademia Tedesca Roma Villa Massimo), is a German cultural institution in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo.
The fellowship of the German Academy in Rom ...
, Rome (1998) and from
Villa Aurora
The Villa Aurora at 520 Paseo Miramar is located in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles and has been used as an artists' residence since 1995. It is the former home of the German-Jewish author Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. The Feuchtwanger ...
, Los Angeles (2007). Since the early 1990s, Nicolai has participated in numerous international solo and group exhibitions at important crossroads of contemporary arts. Several of his works can be found in public collections, such as the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
, New York and at the
Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, Berlin.
Olaf Nicolai lives and works in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
's
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg () is a locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right. However, that year it was incor ...
district.
Work
Nicolai's conceptual approach and continuous use of diverse media and materials both question the way in which we view our everyday environment. He is constantly translating
scientific theories
A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that has been repeatedly tested and corroborated in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluatio ...
into art, into aesthetic-artistic idioms, rendering them accessible through new contexts; he refers to American sociologist,
Jeremy Rifkin
Jeremy Rifkin (born January 26, 1945) is an American economic and social theorist, writer, public speaker, political advisor, and activist. Rifkin is the author of 23 books about the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, ...
, who wrote:
Considered one of Germany’s leading artists, Olaf Nicolai takes on a range of conceptual themes, from political and cultural critiques to inquiries into human perception. A recurring subject is the aesthetic appropriation of nature by human culture and design, explored through mixed-media sculptures and images, as in his juxtaposition of plant forms with depictions of hand gestures in Italian Renaissance paintings. “Questions of form, moods, attitudes, and style are not just vain play with surfaces,” Nicolai has said. “They are questions of organizational forms of activities.”
![Wien - Denkmal für Deserteure](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Wien_-_Denkmal_f%C3%BCr_Deserteure.JPG)
In several of his works the artist confronts "socialist ideals" with its direct adversary, the "capitalistic market economy" and thus formulates the ambivalence and contradiction between aspects of utopia, pragmatism, consumerism and aesthetics. In his artwork ''Lenin: 8 qm'' the animadversion toward a redistribution of income and wealth stands in net contrast to the sequins of a brilliant and luxurious form of capitalism. ''Die Flamme der Revolution, liegend'' (in Wolfsburg, 2002)
he flame of revolutionis one of the very concrete examples of political constructivsm.
Since 2009 the
Kunstmuseum Thurgau Kunstmuseum is a German word literally translated into English as "art museum". It may refer to:
* KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, art museum in Aalborg, Denmark
* Kunstmuseum Basel, the largest art museum in Basel, Switzerland
* Kunstmuseum ...
exhibits the artist's project ''Welcome to the Tears of St. Lawrence'' at the
Kartause Ittingen. The work, originally created for the 51.
Biennale di Venezia
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
in 2005, belongs to the Collection ''Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary'' and contains the request of the artist to watch the skies and to search for silence. At its current venue this work of art is perfectly located as the ''
Order of Saint Bruno'' requests silence and contemplation as prerequisite to a spiritual life.
In 2010, the Hannover
Kestnergesellschaft
Kestner Gesellschaft (Kestner Society) is an art institution in Hanover, Germany, founded in 1916 to promote the arts. Its founders included the painter Wilhelm von Debschitz (1871–1948). The association blossomed under the management of and , ...
invited the artist to exhibit his works. Nicolai chose the French title ''Faites le travail qu'accomplit le soleil''
o the work accomplished by the sun his show and its title referred to both the institution and to
El Lissitzky
Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (russian: link=no, Ла́зарь Ма́ркович Лиси́цкий, ; – 30 December 1941), better known as El Lissitzky (russian: link=no, Эль Лиси́цкий; yi, על ליסיצקי), was a Russian artist ...
whose works were shown at the same place in 1923. The main sculpture of the exhibit was a tower of glass and mirrors accessible by the public, right unter the glass cupola of the Kestnergesellschaft.
In a series of art performances called ''Escalier du Chant''
taircase of Song(2011), Nicolai took over the sweeping staircase of Munich’s modern art museum,
Pinakothek der Moderne, for one Sunday of each month in 2011. Throughout the day, performers would sing the songs of twelve contemporary composers which addressed political issues that took place throughout that year, creating a new aesthetic context for the year’s political events. In 2012, at
Städel in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, he presented his sculpture ''Shutter's Lullaby'', two concentric cages in form of an ellipsis.
On October 24, 2014
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
's president
Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer Order of Prince Henry, GColIH Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI Royal Order of the Seraphim, RSerafO Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, GCollSE (; born 9 October 1938) is a former Austrian politician. He took off ...
officially spoke at the opening of Nicolai's
Memorial for the Victims of Nazi Military Justice
The Memorial for the Victims of Nazi Military Justice is located at the Ballhausplatz in the centre of Vienna, opposite the President's office and the Austrian Chancellory. The monument was created by German conceptual artist Olaf Nicolai. The i ...
at
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
s
Ballhausplatz
Ballhausplatz is a town square, square in central Vienna containing the building (with the address Ballhausplatz 2) that for over two hundred years has been the official residence of the most senior Austrian Cabinet Minister, the State Chancellor ...
. Two years earlier, the artist had won the first prize at the Memorial Competition implemented by the City Council of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. Nicolai's monument consists of a concrete sculpture in three steps and in the form of a X. The inscription on top of the monument consists of a
concrete poem by Scottish point
Ian Hamilton Finlay
Ian Hamilton Finlay, CBE (28 October 1925 – 27 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener.
Life
Finlay was born in Nassau, Bahamas, to James Hamilton Finlay and his wife, Annie Pettigrew, both of Scots descent.
He was e ...
with just two words: ''all'' (repeated several times) and ''alone'' (reproduced just once, in the center of the X).
Die Presse
''Die Presse'' is a German-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vienna, Austria. It is considered a newspaper of record for Austria.
History and profile
''Die Presse'' was first printed on 3 July 1848 as a liberal (libertarian)-bourgeoi ...
:
''diepresse.com - Blaues X als späte Ehre für Deserteure''
', Oktober 24, 2014.
Literature, catalogues
*Petra Gördüren, Dirk Luckow (ed.): ''Dopplereffekt. Bilder in Kunst und Wissenschaft'', Kunsthalle Kiel, Januar 31 to May 2, 2010. Kiel: DuMont 2010,
*Olaf Nicolai: „Show Case“; Institut für moderne Kunst Nürnberg,
*Olaf Nicolai: „The Blondes“; Artimo, Amsterdam, 2005
*Olaf Nicolai: „Rewind – Forward“; Hatje Cantz 2003.
*Olaf Nicolai: „Enjoy / Survive“; die gestalten verlag, 2001
*Olaf Nicolai: „30 Farben“; Salon Verlag 2000
*Olaf Nicolai: „Stilleben“; Berlin 1999 / 2000
*Olaf Nicolai: „bubblegram - a street surfing“;
Kunsthaus Bregenz
The Kunsthaus Bregenz (KUB) presents temporary exhibitions of international contemporary art in Bregenz, Vorarlberg (Austria).
History
Commissioned by the State of Vorarlberg and designed by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, the Kunsthaus B ...
1999
*Wolfgang Träger u.a.: ''Plateau der Menschheit. 49. Biennale von Venedig''. In: ''kunstforum international'', Vol. 156, 2001; 135
Public Collections
*
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
, New York
*
Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin
* Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna
* Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich
* Städtische Galerie, Wolfsburg
* Brandenburgische Kunstsammlungen, Cottbus
* CAAC, Sevilla
*
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With encyclopedic collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums between ...
, Denver
Accolades
* 1996 Botho-Graef-Preis
* 1999 Bremer Kunstpreis
* 2002 Kunstpreis ''Junge Stadt sieht junge Kunst'' awarded by the city of
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin.
Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's he ...
External links
*
Enjoy / Survive- On the book created for Migros Museum Zurich 2011
- Download von ''Enjoy Survive'', originally conceived for the Millennium Edition of
Die Zeit
Faites le travail qu'accomplit le soleil- Excerpts from the catalogue of
Kestnergesellschaft
Kestner Gesellschaft (Kestner Society) is an art institution in Hanover, Germany, founded in 1916 to promote the arts. Its founders included the painter Wilhelm von Debschitz (1871–1948). The association blossomed under the management of and , ...
, Hannover 2010
Die Zeit- On Olaf Nicolai's Refined Art of the Surface in Zurich (in German)
Archive of documenta
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolai, Olaf
1962 births
Living people
German contemporary artists
German sculptors
German male sculptors