Erik Nieminen
Born in Ottawa, Canada in 1985. He achieved a BFA from the University of Ottawa in 2007 and an MFA from Concordia University in Montreal in 2010. He has exhibited in both Europe and North America and currently lives and works in Berlin and Montreal. His works present an independent reality, a world that is dependent on our real world yet is separate from it. He seeks to deconstruct the reality that we inhabit in order to remake reality according the logic inherent in the process. With that in mind his works cannot be identified as Realist, Photorealist, or Representational, just as they cannot be identified as Abstract, or Non-Objective. He is predominantly interested in the dissolution of space, perspective, light, and time through varying degrees of figuration and abstraction. Form is created through a responsive and adaptive process over a length of time, reworking the colours and shapes until an ideal solution is found. Thus the process itself mirrors the way time works – gradually shifting reality until what is familiar evolves into something renewed. He works in a fairly associative manner – He begins by creating a dynamic space with a potential for forthcoming development, and then allows the narrative to emerge out of that space. By working on several works simultaneously the themes and values in different works become interconnected, tying everything together. These themes then become the starting point for future works, gradually creating an increasingly complex interconnectedness to each other and to the viewer.
Ricochet, oil on linen, 160 x 210 cm (ÂŁ9100)
Lift, oil on canvas, 125 x 90 cm (£5500)
Janus, oil on linen, 160 x 180 cm (£8700)
Evening Migration, oil on linen, 110 x 160 cm (ÂŁ7400)
Light, oil on canvas, 80 x 100cm (£4800)
Pillars, oil on canvas, 145 x 105 cm (£6600)
Ladder, oil on linen, 100 x 80cm (£4800)
Untitled (Jungle I), 25 x 30 cm, oil on canvas (£1500)
Pillar-ish, 30 x 25 cm, oil on linen (£1500)
Erik Nieminen Born: 1985, Ottawa, Canada (lives and works in Montreal and Berlin)
Education: 2003-2007 2007-2010
B.F.A. (Honours) University of Ottawa, Ottawa M.F.A. Concordia University, Montreal
Solo Exhibitions: 2018 2018 2016 2011 2010 2006
(upcoming), Magic Beans Gallery, Berlin (upcoming), Galerie d’Outremont, Montreal “The Unreal”, Albemarle Gallery, London “Anonymous Reality”, Karsh-Masson Gallery, Ottawa “Anonymous” MFA Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal “Man Machine”, Gallery 115, Ottawa
Group Exhibitions: 2017 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2014 2013 2013 2012 2011 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 2006 2005 2001
"Art²√Magic+Love", Magic Beans Gallery, Berlin “Konditionalgefüge”, Kunstverein Neukölln, Berlin “I Sky You”, Magic Beans Gallery, Berlin “Open Art”, Toskana-Halle, Berlin “Around the World in 30 Days”, The Ballery, Berlin “City of Ottawa Acquisitions”, Karsh-Masson Gallery, Ottawa “Concurrent”, Winsor Gallery, Vancouver Kunsthalle Kreativstadt Weißensee, Berlin “Reflections”, Albemarle Gallery, London UK “Art” Kunsthalle Kreativstadt Weißensee, Berlin “December Choice 11”, Wallack Gallery, Ottawa “December Choice 10”, Wallack Gallery, Ottawa “Art and Technology: Intertwined Creative Ventures”, Mechtronix, Montreal “December Choice 09”, Wallack Gallery, Ottawa “Art 09”, Toronto “Time Off”, Galerie Art Mur, Montreal “Cinéma”, Calligrammes Gallery, Ottawa “Shut Up and Paint”, MFA Gallery, Montreal “Strata”, Espace Artefacto, Montreal “De-Re-Construction”, University of Ottawa, Ottawa “Painting and Source,” Gallery 115, Ottawa “2006 VASA Art Contest Exhibition,” University of Ottawa, Ottawa “2005 Mayor’s Art Festival,” Ottawa City Hall, Ottawa “Les Artistes de Calligrammes saluent les IVes Jeux de la Francophonie”, Calligrammes Gallery, Ottawa
www.eriknieminen.com Instagram: @eriknart