Monica Bonvicini Born 1965 in Venice, Italy

Lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Her research is translated into works that question the meaning of making art, the ambiguity of language, and the limits and possibilities connected to the ideal of freedom. Dry-humored, direct, and imbued with historical, political and social references, Bonvicini’s art never refrains from establishing a critical connection with the sites where it is exhibited, its materials, and the roles of spectator and creator. Since her first solo exhibition at the California Institute of the Arts in 1991, her approach has formally evolved over the years without betraying its analytical force and inclination to challenge the viewer’s perspective while taking hefty sideswipes at patriarchal, socio-cultural conventions.

 

Bonvicini has earned several awards, including the Golden Lion at the Biennale di Venezia (1999); the Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst, from the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (2005); the Rolandpreis für Kunst for Art in Public Space from the Foundation Bremen, Germany (2013); the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing, Germany (2019); the Oskar Kokoschka Prize, Austria (2020).

 

Her work has been featured in many prominent biennials, including Busan (2020), Berlin (1998, 2004, 2014), Shanghai (2002), Santa Fe (1999), Istanbul (2003, 2017), Gwangju (2006), New Orleans (2008), and Venice (1999, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2015). Her multimedia shows – featuring installations, drawing, sculptures and video – have been presented in major museums around the globe, such as MoMa PS1, New York (2009), Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2002), Modern Art Oxford (2003), Secession, Vienna (2003), Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2005), Städtisches Museum, Abteiberg (2005, 2012), Sculpture Center, New York (2007),  National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik (2008), Art Institute of Chicago (2009), Kunstmuseum Basel (2009), Frac des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou (2009), Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel (2011), Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2012), BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, Newcastle (2016), Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (2017), Maxxi, Rome (2018),  Belvedere 21, Vienna (2019), National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen (2019), Kunsthalle Bielefeld (2020), Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2005, 2021), Kunsthaus Graz, Graz (2022), Art Sonje Center, Seoul (2022), Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany (2022), Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland (2023). 

 

Among others, Bonvicini’s artworks are permanently installed in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London; on the waterfront at Bjørvika, before the Den Norske Opera & Ballett House, Oslo; the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen. In 2012 Bonvicini was appointed Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

 

Monica Bonvicini studied art at UdK in Berlin and at the California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles. As a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Bonvicini led the Performative Arts and Sculpture courses from 2003 until 2017 where she helped to consolidate the city as one of the new artspot in Europe at the time. In October 2017, she assumed the professorship for Sculpture at the Universität der Künste, Berlin.