Past Residents
Past Resident2014: The Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Olaf Brzeski
Olaf Brzeski’s practice is rooted in surrealist visions, which he puts into life via film, three-dimensional sculptures and installations. His comments about his own works do not so much mirror his personal interpretation, but narrate fictional stories, illustrated in the artworks or, in fact, made believable through the existence of the latter. This is the way in which Brzeski generates new worlds and their inhabitants.
Olaf Brzeski, Dream - spontaneous combustion, 2008, Bone soot, polyurethane resin and ash, 70 4/5 x 59 x 37 2/5 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, Untitled (from the little orphans series), 2009, Cast iron, chair, 35 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, Out of love for a woman, 2012, Steel, bronze, oil, paint and wood, 118 1/8 x 118 1/8 x 177 1/8 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, The fall of the man i don't like, 2012, Painted steel, 106 1/3 x 137 3/4 x 82 2/3 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Olaf Brzeski, Untitled (from the little orphans series), 2009, Cast iron, wood, glass and light, 82 2/3 x 35 1/2 x 51 1/5 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Past Resident2014: Mondriaan Fund
Melanie Bonajo
Melanie Bonajo examines the paradoxes inherent in ideas of comfort. Through her videos, performances, photographs and installations, Bonajo examines subjects related to progress that remove from the individual a sense of belonging and looks at how technological advances and commodity-based pleasures increase feelings of alienation within the individual. Captivated by concepts of the divine, she explores the spiritual emptiness of her generation, examines peoples’ shifting relationship with nature and tries to understand existential questions by looking at our domestic situation, ideas around classification, concepts of home, gender and attitudes towards value.
Melanie Bonajo’s work has been exhibited and performed in international art institutions, such as De Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam; Center for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; The Moscow Bienniale; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul and PPOW Gallery, New York and her films have played in festivals such as International Documentary Filmfestival (IDFA), Amsterdam and Berlinale. In 2012 she initiated the collective Genital International which tackles subjects around feminism, participation, equality, our Earth, ‘Politics beyond Polarity’ and ‘Revolution through Relaxation.’ She wrote for several art magazines, was creative editor of Capricious magazine and curated shows such like the QQC performance festival about pop music in visual arts at the Paradiso, Amsterdam. She published several books including: Modern Life of the Soul, I Have a Room with Everything, Spheres and Furniture Bondage. In 2013 she released an album with her band Z▲Z▲Z◎Z◎ called Inua. Her work as alter ego MatrixxBotanica has been spotted in urban and rural spaces.
Events & Exhibitions
2020Solidarity: Support ISCP
May 1–May 31, 2020
Melanie Bonajo, Diversion, 2011, HD video. Courtesy of the artist.
Melanie Bonajo, Dream Station Space, 2013, Architectural sculpture, music, performance. Courtesy of the artist.
Melanie Bonajo, Matrix Botanica: Biosphere above Nations, 2013, Performance. Courtesy of the artist.
Melanie Bonajo, Genital Panik, 2012, Participatory performance. Courtesy of the artist.
Melanie Bonajo, Progress vs. Regress, 2012, Performance. Courtesy of the artist.
Residents from The Netherlands
Past Resident2013: Foundation for a Civil Society
Veli & Amos
Veli & Amos is a Slovenian-Swiss artist duo, based between Ljubljana and Zürich. Their work uses language, codes and the energy of graffiti and activism to draw attention to problems and borders of our present-day reality. They research public space, squats and demonstrations, where they adapt their knowledge into a site-specific art practice. With public art, art on the Internet or art inside the gallery, they deal with how to transform site.
Veli Silver (born 1983, Banja Luka) studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Porto. Amos Angeles (born 1986, Zurich) studied Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich and finished his bachelor’s degree at the Zurich University of the Arts. Veli and Amos have been working as a duo since 2008. Their work has been shown at Museum of Contemporary, Ljubljana; Rotor Gallery, Graz; HVW8 Gallery, Los Angeles; P 74 Gallery, Ljubljana; Message salon, Zurich and W139, Amsterdam.
Veli & Amos, F is forever, 2013, Bands, string, paper, plastic, 471/4 × 313/16 in. (120.01 × 79.25 cm). Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Follow the Out Line, 2012, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Who the fuck is Luka Princic, 2013, Performance. Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Youtube, Let's Save the Whales International, Jew Box and Sheep, 2011, Mixed media, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
Veli & Amos, Signed by Mana Ous Bah, 2012, Street signs, lights, print, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist.
