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Prés du Goualoup

21. Nils-Udo

"Volcan"

published at 12/02/2018
Volcan, installation de Nils-Udo à Chaumont-sur-Loire, 2018 - © Éric Sander

“Whatever the chosen site for his installations, in our part of the world or in far-flung lands, whatever the scale of the work – infinitely large or infinitely small – which he constructs with infinite patience, Nils-Udo, who started out as a painter as is now one once again, has always “worked with and on nature”.

As a carver of glimpses of eternity, this sensitive, precise and meticulous artist of scenes steeped in absolute grace and power has never tired of this dialogue with nature, which he first struck up back in the 1970s following his graphic art studies in Nuremberg and the long stint he spent in Paris, which he has since built on by touring all seven continents.

Whether experimenting with immense pine trunks or bamboo, interwoven to form one of these giant nests, the shape of which fascinates him so obsessively that he erects them everywhere, or one by one arranging tiny berries, slender flowers, fine branches or delicate roots gathered during his walks, he transforms the simplest of materials into a truly poetic vision, which he hurries to capture through photography before it vanishes.

Nils-Udo’s enduring passion for nests, a fundamental form he is endlessly recreating, a symbol of his obsession over a paradise lost, a wild matrix, a shelter, is well-known. The nest represents the shelter, the start and end point of procreation.

Nils-Udo’s œuvre also displays series of arches, porches and doorways, such as in his “water houses” or those opening out onto the horizon.

These doorways are openings onto a space beyond the initial perception, towards something invisible, a depth glimpsed through beauty, the sublime and “utopia” which Nils-Udo sees “under every stone”, “on each leaf”, “behind each tree”, “in the clouds and the wind””. Chantal Colleu-Dumond, Nils-Udo, éditions Gourcuff Gradenigo

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Nils-Udo
GERMANY
 
 
Born 1937. Lives and works in Germany.
 
Nils-Udo is a historic artist. Spearheading the Art in Nature movement, he created his first major installations in the early 1970s. His unique images of a nature recomposed are an authoritative benchmark in the realm of contemporary photography. In his installations commissioned all over the world, he interacts with the landscape without ever desecrating it. From Connemara to Reunion Island, Vassivière Island to Central Park, this tireless globetrotter designs each piece separately, guided by the “spirit of the places” and the materials collected on-site. The project can then begin under his watchful eye and shape nature as he sees it.
 
His compositions of unsettling proportions, sometimes gigantic and at other times Lilliputian, relentlessly pursue the perfect balance, that moment of infinite grace captured just before it dissipates. Once the installation is complete, photography fixes it for all eternity and becomes the work in itself.
 
“Sketching with flowers. Painting with clouds. Writing with water. Tracing the May wind, the path of a falling leaf. Working for a thunderstorm. Awaiting a glacier. Directing water and light.... Counting a forest and a meadow...”. Nils-Udo

NILS-UDO

AWARDS

1985
First prize of the international competition, Parc d'Éole, Brest, France
1980
First Prize of the International Triennial of Photography, Freiburg, Germany

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Artothèque d’Angers, France
Artothèque d’Annecy, France
Bradford Museum, Cartwrigth Hall, UK
Centre d’Art Contemporain de Vassivière en Limousin, France
Centre de la Photographie, Montpellier, France
Collection de la Grande Arche, La Défense, Paris, France
Fond National d’Art Contemporain, Paris, France
Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain de Basse Normandie, France
Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain de Bretagne, France
Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain de Haute Normandie, France
Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain de la Martinique, Antilles, France
Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain de Lorraine, France
Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain du Pas de Calais, France
Gastheig Kulturzentrum, Munich, Germany
Graphothèque, Brême, Germany
Graphothèque, Erlangen, Germany
Herrmanndorfer landwekstätten, Schweisfurth-Stiftung, Glonn, Germany
Landesnervensklinik, Salzbourg, Austria
Ludwig Forum für Intenationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany
Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France
Musée d’Art et d’histoire, Fribourg, Switzerland
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France
Musée d’Art Moderne, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Musée d’Art Moderne, Skopje, Macedonia
Musée D’Aurillac, France
Musée de la Roche sur Yon, France
Musée de Tournus, France
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, France
National Museum, Łódź, Poland
National Museum, Warsaw, Poland
Sammlung Groupa Junij, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Université Bayreuth, Germany
Université d’Augsburg, Faculté de Droit, Germany
Complete Biography

INSTALLATIONS (SELECTION)

2016
J’ai des doutes, est-ce que vous en avez ?, commissariat de Julie Crenn, Galerie Claire Gastaud, Clermont Ferrand, France
 
2015
4 éléments-eau, air, terre, feu, Fondation François Schneider, Wattwiller, France
La Mousse, installation monumentale dans la forêt des Vosges, France
Peintures et photographies, Kaneko Art, Tokyo, Japan
Sur l’eau, Ile Sainte-Marguerite, Cannes, et réalisation de l’installation La Mer sur l’île, France
Das Blaue Land, Murnau, Haute-Bavière, , France Germany
Sanctuaire, installation monumentale, Abbaye de Jumièges
 
2014
Art Paris Art Fair, Grand Palais, Galerie Claire Gastaud
 
2013
Radeau d’Automne, Musée de la Vallée de la Creuze, Eguzon et Crozant, Indre et Creuse, France ; installation in situ, commande publique de l’État
Radeau d’Automne, Galerie Claire Gastaud
 
2012
Commande d’état : Création, navigation et installation d’un radeau, lac d’Eguzon (Indre), Presqu’île de Crozant, France
Photographies, Château de la Trémolière, Anglards-de-Salers, France
 
2011
Art Paris, Grand Palais, Galerie Claire Gastaud
L’adresse, Musée de La poste, Paris, France
 
2010
Photographs and installation, Domaine de Méréville, Essonne, France
Galerie Claire Gastaud
 
2009
Artparis, Grand Palais, Paris, Galerie Claire Gastaud
Gulliver's Forest, Photographs and installation, Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire, Centre for Arts and Nature, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
 
2008
Solo exhibition, Galerie municipale Borgo, Italy
Solo exhibition, Galerie Pierre-Alain Challier
Nouvelle Peinture, Paris, Centro Social Caixanova, Orense, Spain
Centro Social Caixanova, Pontevedra (Espagne),  Emon Photo Gallery, Tokyo (Japan)
Artparis, Grand Palais, Galerie Claire Gastaud
SELLA NEST, Val di Sella, Italy
Sackville, Canada
Realization of a project along the Stura River, Italy
Royal Botanical Garden, Hamilton, Canada
 
2007
Solo exhibition, Galerie municipale Bad Berleburg, Germany
Solo exhibition, au Kunsthaus Alte Mühle Schmallenberg, Germany
Solo exhibition, Galerie Claire Gastaud, Clermont Ferrand, France
Espace André Malraux, Colma, France
Development of the monumental Vulkane project for Kulturhauptstadt Essen, Germany
 
2006
Traces in Nature, Sala Picasso, Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Espagne
ARCO Madrid, Galerie Claire Gastaud
 
2005
Clemson Clay Nest, Botanic Garden, South Carolina, Clemson University, USA
Paysage avec cascade, Maison des Arts, Paris-Malakoff, France
Realization of a project in Maracaibo, Venezuela
Maison des Arts, Paris (France), Turin (Italy), Tokyo (Japan)
The Nest, BUGA 2005, Munich, Germany
Gesang des Geister über den Wassern, Wilhelmsdorf, Germany
Takamaka Project, Installations à l’île de la Réunion, France
ECO-PHOTO, Long Island, New York, USA
Musée de Châteauroux, Strasbourg, France
 
2004
Landscape with Waterfall, FotoFest, Houston, USA
 
2003
Ivry-Habitat, Charles Foix parc, Paris, France
Installations in Connemara, Galway, Galway Arts Festival, Ireland
Project for the Police of Straubing, Bavière, Germany
Pre-Cambrian Sanctuary, Mont Tremblant, Contemporary Art Center, Québec, Canada
Kunstgalerie Fürth, Bavière, Germany
ArtCurial, Paris, France
Arte Sella, Borgo, Italy
Galerie Alain Gutharc, Paris, France
Galway Arts Festival, Ireland
Ville de Grand Quéville, France
Galerie Claire Gastaud, Clermont Ferrand, France
 
2002
Habitat, monumental installation in the Neandertal Valley, Germany
Entrée, monumental installation for the University of Moncton, Canada
Works on the island of Lanzarote for the César Manrique Foundation, Spain
Exhibitions and monumental installations au Gunma Museum of Art, à Tatebayashi, Iwate Museum of Art, Morioka, et au Hokkaido Obihiro Museum of Art (Japan)
Exhibitions in Wasserburg / Inn (Germany) and Tokyo (Japan)
Artparis, Galerie Claire Gastaud
 
2001
Ligne de bambous, monumental installation, île de la Réunion, France
Pierre-Temps-Homme, monumental installation, Chemin de sculpture en forêt Wittgenstein Sauerland, Bad Berleburg, Germany
Monumental installations in Maglione (Italy) and Geneva (Switzerland)
Vallée de bambous, monumental installation, Saint Catharines, Canada
Exhibition in Paris, sur l'île de Lanzarote (Spain), Turin (Italy) and Toronto (Canada)
Galerie Claire Gastaud, Clermont Ferrand, France
 
2000
Installations in the Nambie Desert for a Guerlain perfume
Habitat, monumental installations, Jardin des Champs Élysées, Paris, France
Gazon vole !, Musée Zadkine, Paris, France
Installations on the bank of a river in Auvergne, France
Exhibitions in Bayreuth, Munich and Rosenheim (Germany), Bergamo (Italy), Colmar, Paris, Strasbourg and Sélestat (France) and Geneva (Switzerland)
 
1997
Nature-architecture-sculpture, monumental project, Troisdorf près de Cologne (Germany)
Red Rock Nest, monumental installations in California, USA
Le bosquet de Novalis, monumental installation for the University of Augsburg (Germany)
Art et Nature, Los Angeles, USA
Affinities and Collections, Escondido, USA
Exhibitions in Toulon (France), Toronto (Canada), Waldkraiburg (Germany) and Geneva (Switzerland)La Belle au bois dormant, monumental installations, Jardin des Plantes, Paris pour Parfums en Sculptures
Expositions in Aachen and Berlin (Germany), Turin (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), Reims (France), Toronto (Canada) and Tokyo (Japan)
 
1992
Exhibitions in Munich (Germany), Tokyo (Japan), Angers and Évry (France)
Installation-Plantation au pied de la Grande Arche, La Défense, Paris, France
Monumental installations for The Ludwig Forum in Aachen (Germany), Paris (France) and Brussels (Belgium)
Monumental installations in Wageningen (Pays-Bas), Cottbus (Germany) and in the Park of the Château de Lagrézette
Exhibition in Poznan, Poland
Installations in public parks of New Delhi, India
Monumental installations in Laàs near Pau (France) and on the island of Rügen (Germany)
Installations in the park of La Courneuve, Saint-Denis, Paris, France
Entrée de Ville, project for the city of Évry, France
Installations in natural space, Fujino, Japan
Exhibitions in Budapest (Hungary), Lille and Anzin (France)
Installation of the “Root- sculpture” and Exhibition in Mexico
La Fleur Bleue, Great project in Glonn près de Munich, Germany
Exhibitions in Paris (France), Tokyo (Japan) and Bombay (India)
Permanent installation in Salzburg (Austria)
Exhibitions at Odense (Denmark) and Toronto (Canada)
 
1990
Exhibitions in Reims (France), Munich (Germany) and Tokyo (Japan)
Monumental installation - Plantation in Caen, France
Installations on Reunion Island, France
Installations in Central Park, New York (USA)
Monumental installations on Martinique Island, France
 
1988
Monumental installations in Vaison-la-Romaine, Paris (France) and Fujino (Japan)
emorial "Trees" in Munich, Germany
 
1985
Exhibitions in Rennes, Paris (France) and Tokyo (Japan)
Achievements in Vassivière-en-Limousin (France), on the island of Sylt (Germany) and in Strasbourg (France)
Exhibitions in Montpellier and Montbéliard (France), Salzburg (Austria) and Tokyo (Japan)
Monumental installations in Tokyo (Japan) and Coimbra (Portugal)
 
1984
La forêt volante, monumental installation, Lyon, France
Exhibition in Lyon, France
 
1982
Maison d'eau, monumental installation, North Sea
Tour de pierres, Nordhorn, Germany
Grand autel d'eau, Pommersfelden, Germany
 
1978
Le Nid, Lüneburger Heide, Germany
 
1973
Tribute to Gustav Mahler Installation Plantation in Chiemgau, Upper Bavaria, Germany
 
View on the map
Volcan, installation de Nils-Udo à Chaumont-sur-Loire, 2018 - © Éric Sander
Volcan, installation de Nils-Udo à Chaumont-sur-Loire, 2018 - © Éric Sander
Volcan, installation de Nils-Udo à Chaumont-sur-Loire, 2018 - © Éric Sander
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