Carsten Nicolai, born 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, is part of an artist generation who works intensively in the transitional area between art and science. As a visual artist Nicolai seeks to overcome the separation of the art forms and genres by trying to endeavor a holistic artistic approach. Thus he seeks to overcome the separation of the sensual perceptions of man, e.g. by making sound and light frequencies perceivable for both eyes and ears to sensitise the viewer to the connection of the different sensory levels. Further aspects of his works consider the integration of error and chance as well as the implementation of mathematical, physical or natural phenomenons and theories. Special interest he also puts on so-called self-organizing processes, for example the growing of snow crystals.
"In my opinion the emphasis of self-generating processes is a reaction to the claim to plan everything. Many of my works underlie a rule and introduce a model as organizing scheme to recognize chaotic movements. I am interested in both moments, they lie really close together. (...)
The article Active mutations of self-reproducing networks, machines and tapes (1996) by Takashi Ikegami and Takashi Hashimoto had a major impact on my work. They wrote about loop structures and self-organisation. Loops get created by mathematical processes whose results at the same time are the source for new calculations. By constant re-calculating mistakes occur, build up changing patterns and become the origin of new intelligent processes." (CN)
After his participation in important international exhibitions like "documenta X" and the "49th and 50th Venice Biennial", Nicolai's works were shown in two comprehensive solo exhibitions at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Germany (anti reflex) and at Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany (syn chron) in 2005. In 2007 he had further extensive shows in Zurich and New York.
For several years now Carsten Nicolai experiments with sound under the pseudonym noto to create his own code of signs, acoustic and visual symbols. As alva noto he leads those experiments into the field of electronic music.
Besides performing in club and concert halls, Nicolai also presented his audio-visual pieces at museums like Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Kunsthaus Graz or Tate Modern in London. Additionally he pursues projects with diverse artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ryoji Ikeda (cyclo.), Blixa Bargeld, Michael Nyman, Mika Vainio or Thomas Knak (opto).
| 2010 | autor, Temporäre Kunsthalle, Berlin, Germany |
| | moiré, The Pace Gallery, New York, USA |
| | anti reflex, La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain |
| | rota, Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig, Germany |
| 2009 | pionier II, Piazza Plebiscito, Naples, Italy |
| | aoyama space, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria |
| | unitxt, SKETCH, London, UK |
| 2008 | anti reflex, Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany |
| | tired light, Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin, Germany |
| 2007 | static fades, Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Switzerland / PaceWildenstein, New York, USA |
| 2006 | inver, Frieze Art Fair, London, UK |
| | inver, Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig, Germany |
| 2005 | audio visual spaces, Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (SMAK), Gent, Belgium |
| | anti reflex, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt/Main, Germany |
| | syn chron, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany / Bern, Schwitzerland / Yamaguchi, Japan |
| 2003 | funken, Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin, Germany |
| | modular re.struct, Poalo Curti/Annamaria Gambuzzi & Co, Milan, Italy |
| 2002 | WATARI-UM, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2001 | Milch, London, UK |
| 2000 | ystad kunsthalle, Ystad, Sweden |
| | polar, canon artlab 10 (with Marko Peljan), Tokyo, Japan |
| 1999 | 1% space, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 1998 | polyfoto, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig, Germany |
| 1996 | Leonhardi-Museum, Dresden, Germany |
| | The New York Kunsthalle, New York, USA |
| 1995 | Galerie Margrit Gass, Basel, Switzerland |
| | Kunstverein Konstanz, Germany |
| 1994 | Espace des Arts, Chalon-Sur-Saône, France |
| | Kunstverein Ulm, Germany |
| | Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany |
| 1993 | Städtische Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germany |
| 1992 | Galerie Springer, Berlin, Germany |
| 1991 | "Magica II", Lichtinstallation, Kunst-Werke, Berlin, Germany |
| 1986 | "Der Keller", Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig, Germany |
| 2010 | "seconde nature", Fondation Vasarely, Aix en Provence, France |
| | "Rudolf Steiner und die Kunst der Gegenwart", Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany |
| | "Biennale für Internationale Lichtkunst", Unna, Germany |
| 2009 | "see this sound", Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria |
| | "4th digital art festival taipei", Digital Arts Centre, Taipei, Taiwan |
| | "the kaleidoscopic eye", MORI Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2008 | "leben", Kunsthaus Graz, Austria |
| | "open space", NTT Intercommunication Center [ICC], Tokyo, Japan |
| | "art on air", Weserburg - Museum für Moderne Kunst, Bremen, Germany |
| 2007 | 2nd Moskow Biennale, Moskow, Russia |
| | "Konstellationen II", Städel Museum, Frankfurt/Main, Germany |
| | "MARTa schweigt", MARTa Herford, Germany |
| | "Space for your future", Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan |
| 2006 | Singapore Biennal, Singapore |
| | "Still Points of the Turning World", 6th Int. Biennale Santa Fe/New Mexico, USA |
| | "sonambiente 2006", TESLA, Berlin, Germany |
| 2005 | "Künstler.Archiv", Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany |
| 2004 | "Densité ±0", École nationale des beaux arts, Paris, France / Fribourg, Switzerland |
| 2003 | "Sommer bei EIGEN + ART", Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin, Germany |
| | La Biennale di Venezia L, Venice, Italy |
| | "Berlin-Moskau / Moskau-Berlin 1950-2000", Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany / Moscow, Russia |
| | "echigo tsumari triennial 2003", echigo tsumari region naiigata prefecture, Japan |
| | The 10th New York Digital Saloon, New York, USA |
| 2002 | "frequenzen (hz)", Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt/Main, Germany |
| 2001 | "Wild Zone", Witte de With, Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| | "Perspectives", MICAMOCA, Milan, Italy |
| | La Biennale di Venezia IL, Venice, Italy |
| | "Quobo, Art in Berlin 89-99", Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany |
| | Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey |
| | "Audible Images", The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, USA |
| 2000 | "Sound Art", NTT InterCommunication Center, Gallery A, Tokyo, Japan |
| | "Volume", PS 1, New York, USA |
| | Taktlos, Bern, Switzerland |
| 1999 | "Examining Pictures: exhibiting paintings", Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK / Museum Of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA |
| | "Empty Garden", WATARI-UM, Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan |
| | Liverpool Biennial, UK |
| 1997 | documenta X, Kassel, Germany |
| | P.S.1 reopening, New York, USA |
| 1996 | "Projektor"(with Olaf Nicolai), Städtisches Kunstmuseum Reutlingen, Germany |
| | "all+tag" (with Mika Vainio), Industriemuseum Chemnitz, Germany / u.a |
| 1994 | "Welt-Moral", Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland |
| | "Metropole und Peripherie", Museum de Arte Moderna MAM, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 1993 | "Ein Jahrhundert des Holzschnitts", Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany |
| | "Cadavre Exquis", Drawing Center, New York, USA |