Katja Novitskova: Eyes of the World

The Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen is showing the first monographic museum exhibition by Katja Novitskova (b. 1984 in Tallinn, Estonia, lives and works in Amsterdam) in Germany. Eyes of the World presents a comprehensive overview of her works from the last 10 years and includes a number of new pieces.

Novitskova’s concern is with digital images of nature and their influence on the way we perceive the world. She explores imaging techniques and their use in art, science and society. Her work is based on ongoing investigation of current research in biotechnology and revolves around the question of the future continuity of the organic as a component of technological processes. In this context, Novitskova is also interested in environmental issues and the extension of human technological possibilities to the micro and macro levels of our planet. In current works, she has extended her artistic enquiry to include the influence of digital data systems and artificial intelligence (AI) on our visual and spatial experience. Playfully exploring different concepts of artificial intelligence, she creates works that oscillate between human and machine, physical and digital worlds and looks for areas where human-beings, machines and the environment intersect. Her exhibitions are complex environments consisting of sculptural elements, murals, material images and projections.

Katja Novitskova was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1984. She lives and works in Amsterdam, where she has already participated in the international residency program of the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten from 2013 to 2014. Previously, she studied graphic design at the Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam, and earned a master’s degree in natural sciences at the University of Lübeck (2007).

In 2017, the artist represented her home country Estonia at the 57th Venice Biennale. Novitskova has exhibited regularly in international museums and art institutions over the past decade, including Fries Museum Leeuwarden (2023), MUDAM Luxembourg (2021); Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen (2021, solo exhibition); Belgrade Biennial (2021), Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich (2020); Sharjah Art Foundation (2020); Powerlong Museum, Shanghai (2019); Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2019); the 14. Fellbach Triennial (2019); CCA, Tel Aviv (2019); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2018, solo exhibition); Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn (2018, solo exhibition), Baltic Triennial, Vilnius (2018); the Estonian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017, solo exhibition); The Public Art Fund, New York (2017, solo exhibition), Cc Foundation & Art Centre, Shanghai (2017, solo exhibition); Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2017); The Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki (2017); Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2017). Other solo and group exhibitions include Kunstverein in Hamburg (2016, solo exhibition); the 9th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art (2016); Museum Folkwang, Essen (Nam June Paik Award 2016); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2016); Okayama Art Summit, (2016); The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2015); 13e Biennale de Lyon (2015/2016); Kunsthalle Lissabon (2015, solo exhibition); Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo (2014); Fridericianum, Kassel (2013) and the CCS Bard, New York (2012).

Supported by Ministry for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine Westphalia, the Peter Paul Rubens Foundation and the Circle of Friends of the MGKSiegen.