NADA Miami 2024
NADA Projects
Booth: D206
RAVNIKAR
www.ravnikar.org
www.ravnikargallery.space
Nika Kupyrova
Yaekahngai, 2024
RAVNIKAR is excited to present Yaekahngai, a solo project by Vienna- and Prague-based artist Nika Kupyrova, at our booth. Known for her storytelling-driven practice spanning sculpture, digital media, video, and writing, Kupyrova reimagines her 2021 installation with a fresh perspective, exploring intersections of digital culture, mycelium networks, generative algorithms, mythology, and psychedelia.
Protruding structures resembling tree fungi extend from the walls, supporting colorful, mushroom-like plaster forms. Each object is distinctive, its swirling hues created through a chance-based method of combining pigments and liquid plaster. Despite their organic appearance, these objects reflect algorithmic thinking—modeled after the repetition and variation strategies of digital world-building, where illusions of abundance are crafted with minimal resources.
Kupyrova works with six repeating shapes and three pigments to generate infinite combinations, assigning each piece a unique code and position within the sequence. This approach bridges the analog and digital realms, imbuing physical objects with the generative logic of virtual textures.
Yaekahngai also engages deeply with symbolism and context. Mushrooms, often associated with transitional spaces in mythology, echo today’s blurred boundaries between digital and physical realms. As digital influences seep into every aspect of life, Kupyrova’s work prompts us to question distinctions between the tangible and the virtual.
“The installation colonizes the space and introduces layered meanings: several parallel logics are present simultaneously, each equally compelling. It highlights that building the world’s infrastructures is not exclusive to humans or to the algorithms of computing technologies we invented. […] The project is a manifestation of a web of communication, with links branching out to cyberspace; a mycorrhizal network where mycelium interacts with the root systems of a forest; and the connections of neural pathways within our bodies. It is all of these things and more.” (Borbala Soos)
Nika Kupyrova
BY1-4
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 13x9x13cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
RY3-1
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and iron oxide pigments
Dimensions: 10x4,5x4,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
RB6-1
Hard-finish plaster, iron oxide and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 10x4,5x4,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
RY1-4
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and iron oxide pigments
Dimensions: 13x9x13cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
RB5-1
Hard-finish plaster, iron oxide and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 12x4,5x4,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
BY6-5
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 10x4,5x4,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
BY5-1
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 12x4,5x4,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
BY4-5
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 9x7x5,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
BY3-1
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 10x4,5x4,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
BY2-1
Hard-finish plaster, yellow orche and ultramarine pigments
Dimensions: 13x5,5x5,5cm
Price: € 1.250 incl. VAT
Nika Kupyrova
Born in 1985, Kyiv, UA
Lives and works between Vienna & Prague, AT/CZ
Nika Kupyrova studied Painting at the Edinburgh College of Art (UK), Fine Arts at the Iceland University of the Arts (IS), and Transdisciplinary Art at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna (AT). Exhibitions include venues such as Karlin Studios FUTURA (Prague, CZ), Bildraum 07 (Vienna, AT), WIELS Contemporary Art Centre (Brussels, BE), EXILE Gallery (Vienna, AT), Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art (Pittsburgh, USA), Belvedere 21 (Vienna, AT), SODA Gallery (Bratislava, SK), Kunstraum Niederoesterreich (Vienna, AT), and Meetfactory Centre for Contemporary Art (Prague, CZ).
Kupyrova's international presence extends to festivals, biennials, and art fairs, such as her participation in the viennacontemporary (ZONE 1) in 2022 and Liste Showtime Online in the same year. Her artistic contributions have earned her prestigious awards, including the Kardinal König Kunstpreis in 2023 and the Erste Bank ExtraValue Art Award in 2017, and her works can be found in the collection of the Federal Ministry of Austria in (Artothek des Bundes) in Belvedere 21, collection of Wien Museum (AT), as well as collections of Fait Gallery (CZ) and the Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art (USA).
In addition to her creative practice, Kupyrova has engaged in curatorial activities, organizing exhibitions like The Somnambulists at Kunstverein Eisenstadt in 2022. Her impact on the art scene is further emphasized through lectures and talks at renowned institutions such as the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (AT) and Kunsthalle Bratislava (SK). Kupyrova's multifaceted artistic journey encompasses not only her individual creations but also contributions to the broader artistic discourse through curation, speaking engagements, and critical recognition in various publications and media outlets.
Contact
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