* 1968 Santa Ana (SLV)
The son of a Swiss mother and a Salvadoran father, Nils Nova grew up in El Salvador before the family moved to Lucerne in 1981. He studied at the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) from 1997 to 2001 and was a guest professor at HEAD Genève (CH) from 2005 to 2009.
Since 2001, Nils Nova has been represented nationally and internationally with his installations, photographic works and paintings in numerous solo and group exhibitions, such as: Fundation Tapies Barcelona, The New Institute Rotterdam, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Centre Culturel Suisse Paris,Villa Cavrois Musée Nationaux de France, SESC Pinheiros Sao Paulo, Kunstverein Heilbronn, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Temporäre Kunsthalle Berlin, Museo Tamayo and Museo El Eco Mexico City, 14th Architecture Biennale of Venice and 53rd Art Biennale of Venice.
"Nils Nova's handling of different motivic approaches and his combination of different media are conceptual in nature, but nevertheless follow an instinctive and associative approach to the respective problems. His oeuvre is characterized by a pictorial way of thinking and a continuous painterly practice in which the perception of surface and spatial illusion fluctuates and representationalism and pure abstraction overlap again and again(...)" Max Wechsler
Nils Nova lives and works in Lucerne (CH).
Awards
2012 Jury Prize / Prize of the Central Swiss Cantons
2009 Sister cities Residency, Chicago
2008 Landis & Gyr Residency, Berlin
2005 Swiss Art Award
2004 Swiss Art Award
Work Grant Prize, Canton of Lucerne
Cit. International des Arts Residency, Paris
2002 Manor Art Prize Central Switzerland
2001 Swiss Art Award
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Extended Studio, Emmen
2022 Rideau de verdur,Villa Cavrois mus.e nationaux de france, Croix
Rue Mallet-Stevens, Centre culturel Suisse Paris
2021 Facing the Sun, Kunsthalle Marcel Duchamp - The Forestay Museum of Art, Cully
Keil im Raum, Opes, Emmenbrücke
2019 Kaleidoscope - Cross, Fundation Tapies, Barcelona
2018 Sunset Eco, Hans & Fritz Contemporary, London
2017 Deviations, Rayko Alexiev Gallery, Union of Bulgarian Artist, Sofia, Bulgaria
Nova Zembla in Bikini (m. Erich Weiss), Hans & Fritz Contemporary, Barcelona
Fenster Fenster, Kunstplattform akku, Emmenbrücke 2016 Eco El Eco, Museo experimental El Eco, M.xico City
2015 Interferenz, Benzeholz, Raum für zeitgen.ssische Kunst, Meggen Hilfiker Kunstprojekte, Luzern
2014 Aussicht, Galerie Mark Müller Zürich Wohnung, Winterthurerstrasse 70, Zürich
2012 Spanische Wand, Kunstverein Heilbronn Perspectives, Absolut Atelier, Stockholm, Schweden
2011 Inversion, PhotoforumPasquArt, Biel/Bienne
2010 Wald, G.stezimmer im Tropenhaus, Wolhusen
2009 Mundus Novus – Arte contempor.neo de Am.rica Latina, 53. Biennale diVenezia, Venezia (K)
Schatten voran, Kunsthalle Luzern
2008 The Eye of the Beholder, Kenworthy-Ball, Volta NY, New York, (K)
Similar Encounter, La Rada – spazio per l‘arte contemporanea, Locarno 2007 Tides, Ausstellungsraum 25, Zürich Zwielicht, Museum Bellpark, Kriens
Memory Confronted, Edizioni Periferia, Luzern
2006 Gegenüberstellung der Erinnerung, Coalmine Fotogalerie, Winterthur 2005 Translation of Reflexion, Galerie Gabrielle Maubrie, Paris
Super Natural, Galerie Urs Meile, Luzern 2004 Deep Green, Lincart Gallery, San Fransisco
Sunset Motors, Messagesalon, Zürich
2002 Nova – Manor-Kunstpreis, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern (K) 2001 Out of Frame, Galerie Urs Meile, Luzern
Group Exhibitions (Auswahl)
2023 Zentral, Kunstmuseum Luzern
2021 Tempo d ́oro, KALI Gallery, Luzern
Loodd Art Edition, Artorama, Marseille
2020 Alles echt! Werke aus der Sammlung, Kunstmuseum Luzern
Loodd Art Edition, Bar, Kunsthalle Bern
Beauty Is Everywhere After Bob Ross, Museum im Bellpark Kriens (K)
Paperwork, Zitrone Manegg, Allmendstrasse, Zürich
2019 Someone Walking Around, Cycle of performances, D.E.A.D, Fundation Tapies, Barcelona
Camera Lucida, das weisse haus, Wien
2018 Jahresausstellung Zentralschweizer Kunstschaffen, Kunstmuseum Luzern
Superstition, Marres, Maastricht, NL
Tarnen t.uschen imitieren, Altefabrik und Kunt(Zeug)Haus, Rapperswil-Jona
2017 No man’s land, Hans & Fritz Contemporery-Code Art, Kopenhagen
The Little Match Girl, Hans & Fritz Contemporery, Barcelona
2016 The Snoring Princess, Salon Schmitz, K.ln
Show Room, (m. Barbara Davi) Hirschengraben, Luzern Sammlung Bellpark, Museum im Bellpark, Kriens
2015 Dies alles gibt es also - SPAM Contemporary, Düsseldorf
Edition VFO Verein für Originalgrafik, Zürich
Ein Gipfeltreffen der Druckgrafik - John Schmid Galerie, Basel
2014 Markshmallow, Galerie Mark Müller Zürich
14th International, Architecture Exhibition-Fundamentals, La Biennale di Venezia, (K)
Surfaces Neue Fotografie aus der Schweiz, Fotomuseum Winterthur (K)
2013 Bekleidug, The New Institute, Rotterdam (K)
The ocean before me, B.timent d`Art contemporain BAC, Genf
Concrete – Photography and Architecture, Fotomuseum Winterthur (K)
Video Lounge A selection of contemporary Swiss and Indian videos – India Art Fair, New Delhi
2012 Primer Acto, Museo Tamayo, M.xico City
Jahresausstellung Zentralschweizer Kunstschaffen 2012, Kunstmuseum Luzern
2011 Zentral! Kunsthalle Luzern, Luzern
2010 Kopien und Zitate, sic! Raum für Kunst, Luzern
100 years Kunsthaus Zürich, Videoscreening, Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Winterthur
Am Anfang ist Farbe, akku Kunstplattform, Emmenbrücke (K)
Screening – Videoszene Zentralschweiz, o. T. Raum für aktuelle Kunst, Luzern
Juannio 2010, Museo de Arte Moderno Carlos M.rida, Guatemala
Free the Drawings: Sammlung Bellpark, Museum im Bellpark, Kriens
2009 Definitions, Photo Forum Pasquart, Bienne (K)
Excuse me, are you famous? Invaliden 1, Berlin
Valse Wand, Voorkamer, Lier, Belgien
Printed Matter, Fotomuseum, Winterthur (K)
All Man-Made, Video screening, Tempor.re Kunsthalle Berlin
2008 M.o Dupla, SESC Pinheiros, Sao Paulo, Brasilien Mind the Gap, Kunsthaus Glarus, Glarus
2007 Shift Festival, Videoscreening, Dreispitzareal, Basel
Elastische Zeit/Elastic Time, Haus der Kunst Uri, Altdorf (K)
Top of Central Switzerland, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern (K)
Videorama, FRAC Nord – Pas de Calais, Dunkerque, Frankreich
2006 Il Gigante Buono, CACT Centro dʼArte Contemporanea Ticino, Bellinzona
Driving fast through a slow motion landscape, CRAC Alsace, Altkirch, F & Espai Ub., Barcelona (K)
Stop Over, Fri-Art Kunsthalle, Fribourg
2. Zeit, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern
2005 Swiss Art Awards, Messe Basel (K)
2004 Sensations suisses, Place Vend.me, Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris
Swiss Art Awards, Messe Basel (K) 2003 Minifesto, Lincart Gallery, San Fransisco
Swiss Art Awards, Messe Basel
2002 Seeyouatthepremierefair, Kongresszentrum Rauchstrasse, Berlin
Bienvenue . Altkirch, CRAC Alsace, Altkirch, Frankreich Printed Matter, Fotomuseum, Winterthur (K)
Swiss Art Awards, Messe Basel
2001 Projekt Zentralschweiz, Kunstmuseum Luzern La Bella Confusione, Kunstpanorama, Luzern Swiss Art Awards, Messe Basel (K)
(K) with catalogue