Niermann was born in Bielefeld and studied philosophy in Berlin. He has lived in Berlin, to the eastern part of which he allegedly moved in late 1989. Niermann lived in New York from 2013 to 2014, before moving to Basel, Switzerland, where he is currently based.
Publications
Although mostly known for his book releases (see below), Niermann earlier contributed to German newspapers Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He has also conducted interviews for German literary magazine ''
Der Freund ''Der Freund'' ("The Friend") was a literary magazine published by Axel Springer AG. It was produced by Christian Kracht (publisher) and Eckhart Nickel (editor-in-chief) in Kathmandu, Nepal.
''Der Freund'' appeared every three months, with a total ...
'' and contributed a series of interviews labelled ''Die Beste aller Welten'' "The best of all worlds imaginable"to the German art magazine ''Monopol''.
In 1999, Niermann first contributed a short story (''10 000 Jahre'' 0,000 years to the anthology "Mesopotamia" edited by Swiss writer Christian Kracht. His debut novel ''Der Effekt'' was published in 2001. It were mainly these two publications that established a perceived link with Germany’s 1990s "pop literature" movement.
Niermann successfully veered from this perception with his acclaimed 2003 book ''Minusvisionen'' est translated as "Negative-only visions"; also a neologism in German published by Suhrkamp. The book revived the literary form of the protocol (Germa "Protokoll" , drawing on motives of interview and oral history. It chronicles the visions, projects and (economic) failure of several young German entrepreneurs.
In 2006, ''Umbauland'' appeared, also at Suhrkamp. It presents ten ideas of Niermann – partly conceived with friends and colleagues – on how Germany could be and should be radically reformed. Suggestion include the construction of a large-scale pyramid as tourist attraction and grave site in Eastern Germany, nuclear armament, or a radical re-vamping of the German language ("Rededeutsch").
Late February 2007 saw the publication of ''Metan'' Methane", misspelled the product of teaming up with Christian Kracht and climbing up Kilimanjaro. The book describes the mysterious power of methane gas. Another reviewer refers to the book as a parody of "alarmism" and suggested it should be taken as a joke: "But if this book is taken as a joke, it probably is not a bad one." It has been translated into several languages, such as Latvian and Russian.
Scholarly voices have suggested to read particularly ''Metan'' but also Niermann’s other offerings as indication of a
camp
Camp may refer to:
Outdoor accommodation and recreation
* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site
* a temporary settlement for nomads
* Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
take on public and political issues.
As a result of two stays in Beijing, PR China, Niermann published another chronicle book, ''China ruft Dich'' (China is calling you) in early 2008. The book records the stories, experiences and perceptions of German and other non-Chinese expatriates who have decided to pursue life in rapidly changing China of the 00 years. Niermann flanks these reports (or protocols) with Chinese views, for example by renowned artist Ai Weiwei.
Also in 2008, Niermann’s take on the miscellanea wave, entitled ''The Curious World of Drugs'' (''Breites Wissen'') and co-authored with journalist Adriano Sack was published by Plume (US; UK publisher: Turnaround).
Niermann's other titles include: ''David Lieske: I Tried to Make this Work'' (Montez Press, 2015); ''Concentration'' (ed.) (Fiktion, 2015); and ''Breites Wissen'' ''… nachgelegt.'' ''Die seltsame Welt der Drogen und ihrer Nutzer'' (with Adriano Sack) (Rogner & Bernhard, 2015).
Solution series
Since 2008, Niermann functions as series editor of Solutions (original publications in English), published by Sternberg press and designed by Zak Kyes.
In the series, Niermann together with Jens Thiel published ''Solution 9: The Great Pyramid,'' with contributions by
Rem Koolhaas
Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a re ...
, Ai Weiwei, Christian Kracht, David Woodard, and others. Niermann's own titles in the series include the books ''Solution 1–10:'' ''Umbauland'' (2009), ''Solution 186–195: Dubai Democracy'' (2010), ''Solution 264–274: Drill Nation'' (2015), the novel ''Solution 257: Complete Love'' (2016), ''Solution 275–294: Communists Anonymous'' (2017) and ''Solution 295–304: Mare Amoris'' (2019).
The ninth volume in the Solution series appeared in 2013: ''Solution 247–261: Love'' (edited by Ingo Niermann, with contributions by Douglas Coupland,
Eva Illouz
Eva Illouz ( ar, إيفا اللوز ; he, אווה אילוז) (born April 30, 1961 in Fes, Morocco) is a professor of Sociology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris. She was ...
Beatriz Preciado
Paul B. Preciado (born 11 September 1970 as Beatriz Preciado), is a writer, philosopher and curator whose work focuses on applied and theoretical topics relating to identity, gender, pornography, architecture and sexuality. Originally known as a ...
,
Etel Adnan
Etel Adnan ( ar, إيتيل عدنان; 24 February 1925 – 14 November 2021) was a Lebanese-American poet, essayist, and visual artist. In 2003, Adnan was named "arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab American author writing today" ...
In 2004, Niermann together with artist Antje Majewski curated the exhibition ''Atomkrieg'' Nuclear War”at the Kunsthaus Dresden.
2007 saw the Great Pyramid Monument project as outlined in ''Umbauland'' (see above) gain momentum.
In October 2008, Niermann had his first solo exhibition as an artist entitled ''JOIN THE U.S. ARMY'' at ZERN Gallery, Berlin.
In 2010, Niermann wrote and co-produced the documentary '' The Future of Art'', followed by the book ''The Future of Art. A Manual'' published by Sternberg Press.
Vote: Gwangju folly with Rem Koolhaas (opening Sept. 2013): "Architect Rem Koolhaas and writer Ingo Niermann address public participation. Their folly is positioned in the middle of a busy shopping and entertainment district that is mainly frequented by teenagers. The street has been divided into three pedestrian lanes marked “Yes,” “No,” and “Maybe.” Votes are counted via a digital system and tallies are placed online to create a new form of direct plebiscite."
Niermann is also the co-founder (with Joachim Bessing and Anne Waak) of “waahr.de”, a free online archive for literary journalism.
In 2014, Niermann participated in the group exhibition and event series opti-Me* ' with the
artist-run space
An artist-run space or artist-run centre (Canada) is a gallery or other facility operated or directed by artists, frequently circumventing the structures of public art centers, museums, or commercial galleries and allowing for a more experimental ...
Auto Italia South East
Auto Italia is an artist-run project and studio in Bethnal Green, London, England. It commissions and produces new artwork, collaborating directly with emerging artists. Throughout its history, Auto Italia’s work has taken many forms, ranging ...
. The project saw Niermann contributing research from ''Drill Practice'', a project initiated at dOCUMTA13.
Niermann is the co-founder of the digital publishing project Fiktion, established by German- and English-language writers in cooperation with Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Fiktion experimentally rejects the economic necessities of the publishing business: all titles are digital and distributed free of charge a www.fiktion.cc
In 2016, Niermann started an ongoing art-video collaboration with filmmaker Alexa Karolinski. Their film ''Army of Love'' premiered at the 9th Berlin Biennale. It has since been included in exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, MACBA, Castello di Rivoli, as well as CCCB and the Wiesbaden Biennale. Their second installment of the series, OCEANO DE AMOR, was part of a three month exhibition Auto Italia gallery in London, and it had its world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen in March 2020. In 2020, Niermann premiered his video "Sea Lovers" at the "Countryside – The Future" exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Bibliography: original publications
* ''Der Effekt'' (Roman), Berlin Verlag, Berlin, 2001
* ''Minusvisionen'',
Suhrkamp Verlag
Suhrkamp Verlag is a German publishing house, established in 1950 and generally acknowledged as one of the leading European publishers of fine literature. Its roots go back to the "arianized" part of the S. Fischer Verlag.
In January 2010 the ...
, Frankfurt/Main, 2003
* ''Atomkrieg'' (catalogue; with Antje Majewski), Lukas & Sternberg, Berlin und New York, 2004
* ''Umbauland'', Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt/Main, 2006
* ''Metan'' (with Christian Kracht), Rogner & Bernhard, Berlin, 2007
* ''Breites Wissen. Die seltsame Welt der Drogen und ihrer Nutzer'' (with Adriano Sack), Eichborn Verlag, Frankfurt/Main, 2007
* ''China ruft dich'', Rogner & Bernhard, Berlin, 2008
* ''Solution 9. The Great Pyramid'' (ed. with Jens Thiel), Sternberg Press, 2008
* ''Solution 1–10: Umbauland '' xtended and translated Sternberg Press, 2009
* ''Deutscher Sohn'' (with Alexander Wallasch), Blumenbar Verlag, 2010
* ''Solution 186–195: Dubai Democracy'', Sternberg Press, 2010
* ''The Future of Art: A Manual''(with Erik Niedling) Sternberg Press, 2011
* ''Choose Drill '' art of the dOCUMENTA(13) series “100 Notes – 100 Thoughts” Hatje Cantz, 2011
* ''The Future of Art: A Diary'' (with Erik Niedling and Tom McCarthy), Sternberg Press, 2012
* ''Solution 247–261: Love'' (ed.), Sternberg Press, 2013
* ''David Lieske: I Tried To Make This Work'' Montez Press, 2015
* ''Concentration'' (ed.) Fiktion, 2015
* ''Breites Wissen nachgelegt. Die seltsame Welt der Drogen und ihrer Nutzer'' (with Adriano Sack) Rogner & Bernhard, 2015
* ''Solution 264–274: Drill Nation'' Sternberg Press, 2015
* ''Solution 257: Complete Love'' (novel) Sternberg Press, 2016
*''Solution 275–294: Communists Anonymous'' Sternberg Press, 2017
*''Burial of the White Man'' (with Erik Niedling) Sternberg Press, 2019
*''Solution 295–304: Mare Amoris'' Sternberg Press, 2019
and
* ''Zehntausend Jahre'' (short story), in Christian Kracht (Hg.), Mesopotamia, DVA, Stuttgart, 1999
* ', with
Nicolaus Schafhausen Nicolaus Schafhausen (born 1965) is a German curator, director, author, and editor of numerous publications on contemporary art. Since 2012 he has been the Strategic Director of Fogo Island Arts, an initiative of the Canadian Shorefast Foundation to ...
, Lukas & Sternberg, Berlin, 2003
* ''On my own'', in: ''The Blind Pavilion'' by Olafur Eliasson, Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern, 2004,
* ''Die Zukunft der Literatur'', in:
BELLA triste
Bella is a feminine given name. It is a diminutive form of names ending in -bella. ''Bella'' is related to the Italian, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Latin words for beautiful, to the name Belle, meaning ''beautiful'' in French. It increased in ...
Nr. 13, Hildesheim 2005.
* ''Der Geist von Amerika'' (travelogue, with Christian Kracht), in: Christian Kracht, New Wave,
Kiepenheuer & Witsch
Kiepenheuer & Witsch is a German publishing house, established in 1948 by Joseph C. Witsch and on behalf of Gustav Kiepenheuer (who was already terminally ill). The partners initially held respectively 30% and 40% of the company's share capita ...
, Köln, 2007
* ''Una Piramide per Sempre'', in:
Abitare
''Abitare'', published monthly in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's best known design magazines. It was first published in 1961.
History and profile
''Abitare'' was launched in Milan in 1961 by Piera Peroni. The magazine was published monthly. ...
, Mailand, 2008
* ''
Erik Niedling
Erik Niedling (born 1973 in Erfurt, Thuringia) is a German artist. He is also known for his 2010 film '' The Future of Art'', a documentary on the contemporary art scene.
Life and works
Niedling was raised in Erfurt and lives in Berlin. His w ...
/ Formation'',
Hatje Cantz
Hatje Cantz Verlag (English: Hatje Cantz Publishing) is a German book publisher specialising in photography, art, architecture and design. It was established in 1945 by Gerd HatjeOfficial website of Ingo Niermann
Die Zeit
''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles.
History
The ...
taz Taz or TAZ may refer to:
Geography
*Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia
*Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia
People
* Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia
** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...