Nik Nowak - DOUBLE BACK

9.06. - 14.07 2007
Vernissage Fr. 8.Juni, 19.00h


Nik Nowak rocks: This young German artist with a MD in Fine Arts from Berlin University UdK, who studied with Prof. Lothar Baumgarten, creates dialogues between painting and music, drawing and object. His sculptures are high tech hermaphrodites: toy tanks posing as mobile boom boxes and sound machines on motorcycle wheels are producing robust beats, but can also function as seductive propaganda tools - all depending on the very intention of its users.

With their mobility and interchangable software these “mobiile boosters” play with the innovative notions of mass produced industrial design. The constant flow of sound and images via radio,TV and the internet suddenly becomes an energy source to reclaim public space.

Besides mobile sound objects Nik Nowak presents a large (13 x 4 meter) mural at the gallery. The “wall drawing” is made from duct tape, another quintessential industrial mass material often used as an allround tool in the music industry. As the main material for a series of wall drawings it also brings up references to traditional street street art techniques and other free style elements.

What unites all works is a form of positive aggression that plays with common juvenile obsessions. At the same time it brings into focus global political conflicts, especially evident in the sculpture “Pressurizer”. Here the artist who recently returned from an travel grand program in China combines low and high tech strategies of international conflict mangagement: a stream line shaped rocket is mounted for lift off on a primitive Chinese peasant hand cart. Let’s rock!

Nik Nowak, born 1981 in Mainz, studied Fine Arts at Universität der Künste (UdK), lives and works in Berlin.

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