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CHRISTIAN NICCOLI

 

(b. 1976 in Südtirol, Italy. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany.)

 

Christian Niccoli was awarded the prestigious Italian Council Award in 2020-21 for his video project Zwei, which he produced together with MOMENTUM, and which was subsequently shown at: National Museum in Szczecin, Poland, Video Premiere: 11 November 2022 / Exhibition: 12 November 2022 – 16 January 2022; MOMENTUM, Berlin, Germany, in the group exhibition States of Emergency: 11 December 2021 – 27 March 2022; Belvedere 21, Vienna, Austria, Presentation: 13 May 2022 / Screening: 14 May – 12 June 2022; MAMbo Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Presentation & Artist Talk: 8 April 2022; Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy, Presentation: 10 June 2022 / Screening: 11 June – 28 August 2022; Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, Germany, Presentation & Artist Talk: 11 June 2022; Kunst Meran / Merano Arte, Merano, Italy, Presentation & Artist Talk: 25 June 2022; MAN Museo d’Arte Provincia di Nuoro, Nuoro, Italy
October 2022.

Niccoli’s works have been presented at numerous festivals, including: Transmediale, Berlin, Germany (2009); Hamburg Short Film Festival, Hamburg, Germany (2008); Oblíqua – International Exhibition of Video Art & Experimental Cinema, Lisbon, Portugal (2016); 16th WRO Media Art Biennale, Wroclaw, Poland (2015); Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Stuttgart, Germany (2015); Athens Digital Arts Festival, Athens, Greece (2015); Facade Video Festival Plovdiv, Bulgaria (2014); and Video Art Festival Miden, Kalamata, Greece (2014).

Christian Niccoli’s videos and video installations have been presented internationally in museums and institutions, among others at: Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria (2006); Phönix Art – Harald Falckenberg Collection, Hamburg, Germany (2002); Cinémathèque québécoise, Montreal, Canada (2015); Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, Germany (2012); Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany (2009,2004); 8th Baltic Biennial of Contemporary Art, Szczecin, Poland (2009); 4th Biennial del Fin del Mundo Valparaiso, Chile (2015); Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art, Yerevan, Armenia (2010); Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, France (2015), Museion – Museum für Moderne und Zeitgenössiche Kunst, Blzano, Italy (2020); Museum Kunst der Westküste, Alkersum, Germany (2020); Alfred Ehrhard Stiftung, Berlin (2021).

Christian Niccoli’s works are in several public collections, including; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Szczecin, Poland; Kunstsammlung der Autonomen Provinz Südtirol, Italy; Collezione Farnesina – Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Rome, Italy; and Museion – Museum of Modern and Conemporary Art, Bolzano, Italy.

In 2006 Christian Niccoli was an artist in residence at Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto in Biella, Italy, and in 2008-09 he participated in the International Studio Program at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany.



 

OHNE TITEL

2011, HD Video, 45 sec loop, 10 min 57 sec

 

 

A recurring theme throughout Christian Niccoli’s practice, this work tells the story of a group of people bound together in a relationship of inter-dependence. It can also be read as a social metaphor as individuals, communities and societies have always been linked to each other by a relationship of mutual dependence, where, in a conscious or unconscious way, one person’s choices and actions have an impact on the other, even if this is not always evident.

 

This video investigates the complexity of building on each other. This is shown metaphorically through a group of five people balancing on an rola-bola, a balance tool commonly known from the circus. In order to stand on it without collapsing, the group has to perfectly coordinate. Everyone is responsible in his movements for the entire group.

– Christian Niccoli

Concept and direction: Christian Niccoli
Camera: Andreas Steffan
Sound: Roman Strack
Make-up and styling: Daniela-Carolin Bähr
Set photographer: Loredana Mondora
Set design: Christian Allkämper
Assistance: Stefan Andres
Catering: Konstantin Vogas
Circus artists: Katharina Huber, Jakob Nickels, Marie Oldenbourg, Malte Strunk, Ihor Yakymenko
Realized with the support of Staatliche Artistenschule Berlin, Berlin, Germany