About Nik Nowak

NIK NOWAK is a German artist, musician and curator.

He focuses on the affective dimensions and potential of sound and space in his multi-media interdisciplinary work that re-engineers the formal boundaries between installations, performances, sculptures, videos or paintings.

In his artistic work he examines the use of sound as a source of identity and socially forma-tive element as well as sound systems as cultural transmitters and acoustic weapons. Known primarily for his series of large-scale mobile sound system sculptures and sound installations including Panzer (2011), Echo (2014) and The Mantis (2019), Nik Nowak ́s interdisciplinary projects are concerned with the wider cultural, political and neuro-affective nuances of the sonic ambiguities and acoustic weaponry inherent in the attraction-repulsion nexus of sound.

As a graduate of the late Lothar Baumgarten’s Masterclass (2007) at Universität de Künste, (UDK), Berlin,  his work has been exhibited in an array of international contexts. In 2014 he conceived and curated the critically well-received exhibition BOOSTER Art Sound Machine in collaboration with Museum MARTa Herford, bringing together an international roster of artists all working with dimensions of sound and mobile sound systems. The exhibition was premised upon Nowak’s ongoing and long-term research into the global phenomenon of modbile sound systems and their g/local socio-political adaptations and characteristics, framed within an overarching and reverberative context of the First and Second World Wars, colonial history and the Cold War.

In more recent years Nik Nowak has dealt, in particular, with the German division and reunification notably in sound installations and performances. In this context, he shows parallel and exemplary nodes in the sound politics of the Cold War in Germany, Korea, Vietnam and Jamaica. His work, traversing the line between art, science and technology, is characterised by the examination of identity in connection with collective interdependent but national traumas, and questions regarding the possibilities for identity and social formations amidst the clamour of an increasingly digitalised and globalised world.

CV

* 1981 in Mainz, lebt in Berlin
[born in Mainz / Germany, lives in Berlin]

2002 – 2007

Universität der Künste (UDK), Berlin

2005

Stipendium des Cusanuswerks, Bonn [Scholarship by Cusanuswerk, Bonn/Germany]

2006

Reisestipendium für New York [Travel scholarship to New York]

2007

Normal University Shanghai, Bildhauerklasse von Xiang Jing [Normal University Shanghai, Sculptor class by Xiang Jing]

2007

Meisterschüler von Lothar ­Baumgarten [Masterstudent of Lothar ­Baumgarten]

2008

Georg Meistermann-Stipendium [Georg Meistermann Scholarship]

2014

Gasag Kunstpreis [Gasag Art Prize]

2019

Gewinner des VIA VUT Indie Awards in der Kategorie Bestes Experiment [winner of the VIA VUT Indie Award in the category Best Experiment]

EINZELAUSSTELLUNGEN  [SOLO EXHIBITIONS]

2021

12 TÖNE  alexander levy, Berlin

2020

SCHIZO SONICS  KINDL Center for Contemporary Art, Berlin

2019

DELETHE/MENSCH MACHT MASCHINE  Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg

THE MANTIS  CTM/ Halle am Berghain, Berlin

2018

G.O.A.T.  Kurt-Kurt, Berlin

SYMPHONY OF SILENCE  CCA Andrax/ Mallorca

12 X 12, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin

SYMPHONY OF SILENCE , Club Zero, London

2017

INFRA ULTRA  alexander levy, Berlin

2016

SOUNDPANZER PERFORMANCE  Gramps/Art Basel, Miami Beach

HALL  Galerie am Markt, Schwäbisch Hall

MOSH  Marburger Kunstverein, Marburg

2015

DELETHE  alexander levy, Berlin

TORQUE  Cruise & Callas, Berlin (text)(installationviews)

2014

ECHO  Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (PDF)

2012

PANZER   CTM Festival@Berghain/Lokdock, Berlin

2011

INTERMEZZO   Infernoesque, Berlin

2010

NUKES, SUN AND CARROTS   Regina Gallery, Moscow

2009

IGOR AND THE RATTLESNAKE   Infernoesque, Berlin, mit Thomas Chapman

2007

DOUBLE BACK   WTC Gallery, Hamburg

2005

TRACY   Galerie Nomadenoase / Golden-Pudel-Klub, Hamburg

STRAẞENBLÄSER   NBK–Studio, Berlin

GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNGEN AUSWAHL
[GROUPSHOWS SELECTION]

2020

HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE!  KINDL-Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin

TAPEMODERN NR.27  Wriezener Karree, Berlin

2019

WERTIKALWINKEL  Schaufenster, Berlin

MILCHSTRASSENVERKEHRSORDNUNG  Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

ALPTRAUM  La Estacion Arte Contemporáneo, Chihuahua/ Mexico

2018

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH  Mont Saint Aignan, France

NEUE SCHWARZE ROMANTIK  Künstlerhaus Bregenz

NEUE SCHWARZE ROMANTIK  Galerie der Stadt Backnang

BIT BY BIT, THE WORLD IS GROWING TOGETHER, alexander levy, Berlin

2017

UNBOXING  Levy Galerie, Hamburg

JAMAICA JAMAICA !  Philharmonie de Paris

NEUE SCHWARZE ROMANTIK  Stadtgalerie Kiel

NEW BLACK ROMANTICISM The National Museum of Art of Bucharest

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH  Galerie REITER, Leipzig

2016

DIE GESCHICHTE HAT EINEN FEHLER, …!  Kunstverein Kreis Gütersloh e.V., Gütersloh

ALPTRAUM  RAE space for contemporary art, Berlin

MAGIE UND MACHT  MARTa Herford, Herford

2015

WORKS IN WHITE  Schau Fenster, Berlin

WIEDERSEHEN  Kunstverein Bochum

GROUPSHOW V   alexanderlevy, Berlin

KEMNADE KLINGT!   Kunstverein Bochum

DAS MECHANISCHE CORPS   HMKV Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund

BOYS AND THEIR TOYS   Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien, Berlin

UNTUNE   CTM, Berlin (K)

GROUP SHOW IV   alexanderlevy, Berlin

2014

DAS MECHANISCHE CORP   Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

BOOSTER   Museum Marta, Herford (kuratiert von Nik Nowak)(walkthrough)

PITCH 2   Internationales Handelszentrum, Berlin

2013

AMBIVALENT CHRISTMAS   KWADRAT, Berlin

SONICA   MoTA, Ljubljana

THREE   SSIIEE, Berlin

GOGBOT FESTIVAL   Enschede

JUBILEE   LSD Galerie, Berlin

DER NEBEL UND DAS GLAS   Infernoesque, Berlin

BERLIN.STATUS 2   Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

HEIMAT WÜSTE HERBERGE   Grauer Hof, Aschersleben

2012

TODAYSART FESTIVAL   Theater Aan Het Spui, Den Haag

ROKOLECTIVE FESTIVAL   MNAC, Bucharest

IN ANDEREN WORTEN   NGBK/ Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin

2011

BERLINER ZIMMERGENOSSEN   Funkhaus Ost, Berlin

INFORMELLNATUR   Galerie Sabine Knust, München

2010

MUSIC STORE   Galeria Neon, Budapest

THERE IS A TEAR IN MY BEER   West Germany, Berlin

DEMOLITION MILK   KIT, Düsseldorf

LUNA / PROXY / FIRE / SNOW 1 + 2   Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, ­Dresden / Berlin

SPARKELING SPRING   Forgodden Bar Project, Berlin

NORDSCHAU 3   Sammlung HSH Nordbank, Hamburg

6 DAYS OF NEW MEDIA   Linienstraße, Berlin

TAPE MODERN 13   Tape Modern, Berlin

BERLIN MEETS VIENNA   Grauer Hof, Kunstverein Aschersleben

2009

BERLIN MEETS VIENNA   Salon Österreich, Wien

DAS GESCHEHEN   Apartement, Berlin

NORDSCHAU 2   Sammlung HSH Nordbank, Hamburg

ARCHITEKTURSOMMER   White Trash Contemporary, Hamburg

WE MOVE   Wilde Gallery, Berlin

2008

AFFINITY   OV Gallery, Shanghai

BITTE SCHÖN!   AZKM, Münster

AD ABSURDUM   Städtische Galerie Nordhorn

2007

EURASIA ONE   Island 6, Shanghai

INFERNESQUE GRANDE   Heidestraße, Berlin

DOCKVILLE   Hamburg

2006

WUCHERUNGEN UND WANDNAHMEN   Städtische Galerie Nordhorn

2005

VIDEO NOW!   White Trash Contemporary, Hamburg

PERFORMANCES

2019

SOUND TANK CLASH  The Only Good System is a Sound System, Radialsystem, Berlin

THE MANTIS  CTM/ Halle am Berghain, Berlin

2018

ENDLICH KRIEG  Superbooth18, Berlin

2017

SYMPHONY OF SILENCE  DMZAcademy, Pyongyang, North Korea

2016

NIK NOWAK/ SCHOCKGLATZE  CTM X Ableton, Volksbühne, Berlin

SOUNDPANZER  Krake Festival, Berlin

PANZERPARADE  Intervention in public space, Berlin

PROPAGANDA  M4MUSIC -Festival, Zürich

SOUNDPANZER  Electron Festival, Genf

SOUNDPANZER MEETS BASS MEKANIK  Art Basel Miami, Miami

2015

ENCARNITA PROPIA Parrotta Contemporary, Stuttgart

ENCARNITA PROPIA Heidelberger Kunstverein

PROPAGANDA  HMKV Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund (Video)

ENCARNITA PROPIA  Berghain Kantine, Berlin

2014

PROPAGANDA  Museum Marta, Herford (Video)

2013

Soundpanzer SONICA, Ljubljana

Soundpanzer  Gogbot Festival, Enschede

2012

Soundpanzer  CTM/Lokdock, Berlin (Video)

Soundpanzer  TodaysArt Festival, Den Haag

Soundpanzer ROKOLECTIVE FESTIVAL, Bucharest

VORTRÄGE [TALKS]

2018

NUN, Die Kunst der Stunde, Roter Salon, Berlin (Video)

2017

THE ARTIST AS…  Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, Halle

KLANGFARBEN  Galerie Pankow, Berlin

FROM UNSOUND TO THE SYMPHONY OF SILENCE  Most Wanted: Music, Berlin

SYMPHONY OF SILENCE  Good to talk, Berghain Kantine, Berlin

SYMPHONY OF SILENCE DMZAcademy, Pyongyang, North Korea

2016

SOUND AS WEAPON  Superbooth16, Berlin (Video)

SOUND AS WEAPON  M4MUSIC -Festival/Conference, Zürich

2015

SOUND AS CULTURAL KATALYST  toa Festival, Berlin (Video)

TECHNIKEN DES VIRTUELLEN  Hfbk, Hamburg (Website)

2011

SOUND AS WEAPON  Ted X Berlin (Video)

SAMMLUNGEN [COLLECTIONS]

Montblanc Cutting Edge Art Collection

HSH Nordbank

Sammlung Museum Marta Herford

Sammlung der Berlinischen Galerie

Sammlung der GASAG Berlin

Sammlung der Städtischen Galerie Wolfsburg

DOWNLOAD CV [PDF]