Petr Nikl
Petr Nikl was born on November 8th, 1960 in Zlín, Czech Republic. He works in painting, drawing, graphic art, illustration, poetry, installation, performance art, and music. He studied at the School of Applied Arts in Uherské Hradiště (1976–80) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in the Studio of Painting under Professor Arnošt Paderlík (1981–87). In 1985 he co-founded the puppet association Mehedaha. Between 1987 and 1991 he was a member of the Tvrdohlaví art group. In 1995 he received the Jindřich Chalupecký Award for visual artists under 35. He lives and works in Prague and New York.
Prizes
2007 Golden Ribbon, Prize of the Minister of Culture for the Most Beautiful Book, Magnesia litera, Záhádky, Meander Pub.
2006 Golden Ribbon, Lingvistické pohádky, Meander Pub.
2005 Golden Angel, CD Nebojím se smrtihlava, Blackpoint muzic Pub.
2002 Prize of the Minister of Culture for the Most Beautiful Book, Rybaba and the SeaSoul, Meander Pub.
2001 Prize of the Minister of Culture for the Most Beautiful Book, illlustrations of Fairy Tales by Oscar Wilde, Aulos Pub.
1998 Prize for Absurd Humor, Ypsilon Theatre
1997 Prize of the Minister of Culture for the Most Beautiful Book, Expulsion from Paradise, Divus Pub.
1995 Jindrich Chalupecky Prize Winner
Residencies
2004 Ecole supérieure des beaux-arts, Marseille, France
2003 Mikulov Visual Arts Workshop 03, Mikulov
2001 Mikulov Visual Arts Workshop 01, Mikulov
1996 Headlands Center for the Arts, CA, USA
Selected solo exhibitions
2016 Pijavice, Vaclav Spala Gallery, Prague
Brown pictures, Gallery 8, Prague
Pro mě na, Galerie Hollar, Prague
2015 Časosběry, Plzeň Gallery
Dialogue With My Mother, Trutnov Gallery
2014 The faces from New York, Fait Gallery, Brno
The Cockroaches, Pellé Gallery, Prague
Naprášené obrazy, Galerie 1. patro, Prague.
2013 Dialogue With My Mother, Czech Center, Milano
The game of time, GhmP, Prague
2012 The faces from New York, Wortnerův dům, Alšova jihočeská galerie, České Budějovice
I am your hare, Wanieck Gallery. Brno
2011 Dialogue With My Mother, Czech Center, Paris
2010 Drawings From the NewWorld, Galerie Havelka, Prague
Dialogue With My Mother, Regional Gallery in Zlín, Star Summer Palace, Prague
2009 Faces, Galerie Via Art, Prague
Fools, Galerie Mona Lisa, Olomouc
2008 The Conches, Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France
The Labyrintes, Gallery Moderna, Prague
Automatic works, Gallery Blansko
2007 The Conches, Granary Gallery, Valašské Meziříčí
The Pleasure, Gallery of Czech Insurance Company, Prague.
2006 Meadow of Nostalgy, Vrchlabí Gallery
Anna and the Frog, Czech Centre in Vienna
The Conches, Gallery of Visual Arts in Pardubice
The Conches, Gallery of Visual Arts in Jihlava
Wandering Fisherman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Soul Etude, The Abbatoir, London, England
2005 Curtains, Gambit Gallery, Prague
Black paintings, Gallery of Visual Arts in Opava
2004 Freaks?, Rue Montgrand gallery, Marseille, France
My Friends, City Gallery Špejchar in Chomutov
The Garden, Gallery Šternberk
2003 Freaks, The Heardheads Gallery, Prague (together with David Walliker)
Garden, Gallery 36, Kiev, the Ukraine
2002 Broken Fairy Tale, Mustasaari Gallery, Oulu, Finland
2001 Paintings, Drawings, Neue Rathaus, Weiden, Germany
1999 Parrot Heading Out to the Cosmic Space, Vaclav Spala Gallery, Prague
1998 Broken Tale, Gallery at the White Unicorn, Klatovy
As a Butterfly, National Gallery in Prague - Veletrzni Palace
1996 My Saints, Czech Cultural Center, Berlin, Germany
Jindrich Chalupecky Prize, Vaclav Spala Gallery, Prague
1995 Little Rooms, Aspekt Gallery, Brno
1994 Sacred Mask, Window Gallery, British Council, Prague
1993 Died Toys, MXM Gallery, Prague
1992 Paintings, Objects, Sechzig Gallery, Feldkirch, Austria
1991 Time, La Coupole Gallery, Neu-Isenburg, Germany
1987 Paintings, Cultural Center Blatiny, Pragueieck
Selected group exhibitions
2015 The Heart of Europe, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
2014 Lone Rangers, Galerie 1. patro, Prague
2013 Lone Rangers, Frameless Gallery, London
2011 Fundamenty sedimenty, GHMP, Prague
80. ears, Wanieck Gallery, Brno
2010 Czech Art, Galerie Dabubiána, Bratislava
2009 14 S, My Europe, DOX Center for Contemporary Art, Prague
2008 The Stubborn after 20 years, Středočeské Muzeum Visual arts Praha
2007 The Stubborn after 20 years, Gallery of Visual arts in Ostrava
2005 And What Are You Thinking About?, Prague City Gallery
2004 Light, Museum of Applied Arts, Brno
2003 Corps inventes, Besancon, France
Art dans la ville, St Etienne, France
Prague, d‘un printemps a l’authre, l’Ecole d’art de Belfort, France
2001 New Connection, Contemporary Art from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, World Financial Center, New York, USA 2000 Stories fromtheMid-Land, Bergen, Norway
1997 The Dawn of Magicians, National Gallery in Prague - Veletrzni Palace
Biennial of Young Art, Cetinia, Yugoslavia
1995 Fly MayBug, Fly, anti-aircraft shelter, Cologne, Germany
Distant Voices, South London Gallery, London, Edinburgh, Southampton, UK
1993 New Painting of Eastern Europe, Galerie de Arte Detursa, Madrid, Spain
1992 The Stubborn, City Library, Prague
Seven Artists from Prague, Akademie, Brussels, Belgium
The Stubborn, Arhus Kunstbygning, Arhus, Denmark
The Stubborn, Grand Huit, Theatre National de Bretagne, Rennes, France
1987 The Stubborn, Lidovy dum, Prague
Conception of the interactive exhibition
2016 Orbis Pictus, Castel Zlín
2015 Orbis Pictus, Klášter na Karmeli, Mladá Boleslav
2014 Play, textil factory Veba Broumov
2013 Play, Malostranská Beseda, Prague
Play, Sladovna Písek
Krystaliza Play, Spilberk, Brno
2012 Sinnes rausch, Imookulturquartier, Linz, Austria
2011 Play, Technical Muzeum Brno, Techmánia Pilsen
2010 Play, Mánes, Prague,
Labyrinth of Light, House of Art, Ostrava
Paper Play, Czech Center, Prague,
2009 Orbis Pictus, Brussels, Belgie, Sofia, Bulharsko
Labyrinth of Light, Old Sewage Cleaning Station, Prague
Paper Play, Liberec Library, House of Artists, Moscow
2008 Mins Michal, Ostrava, Bazilic kultural center České Budějovice
Telus world of Science, Vancouver Canada
2007 Orbis Pictus, Czech muzeum of Muzic, Prague, Art Gallery Brno
Rotunda Kroměříž, Gallery of Visual Arts, Opava
Limonaia di Villa Strozzi, Firenze, Italy
2006 Orbis Pictus, Czech Centre in Paris
2005 EXPO 2005, Aichi, Japan, Pavilion ofthe Czech Republic
2000 Nests of Games, Rudolfinum Gallery, Prague
Theater & Performances
1985 About 300 marionette and visual performances in theaters, galleries and alternative
2004 spaces including exteriors
1998 J. J. Ryba: Czech Christmas Mass, decoration and costumes, State Opera, Prague
1994 Opera La Serra, decoration and costumes, Archa Theater, Prague
Selected performances from recent years
2016 Swirling Cockroaches, Theater Archa, Prague
2014 Koncert of Educative, Theater Archa, Prague
2012 Vlci v srdci, Theater Archa, Prague
2011 I am your hare. Theater Archa, Prague
2010 Festive POP, With Ondřej Smeykal, Milan Cais and Jiří Hradil
2008 Rottermammer, With theater Labor and Krepsko, Bielefeld, Germany
2007 Water Dances, Dresden, germany
2006 Wandering Fisherman, Madrid, Espania
Dance of The Toys, Jelení Gora, Poland
Soul Etude, The Abbatoir, London, England, (with Balanescu quartet)
2005 Dance of The Toys, Theatre Archa, Prague
Stabat mater, Puppet´s balet, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Dreams, Theatre Brett, Wiena
Shadows, Theatre Archa, Prague
Water Dances, Theaterlabor, Bielefeld, Germany
2004 Water Dances, Arcola Theatre, London, UK
2003 Water Dances, Festival Homo Novus, Riga, Latvia
Water Dances, Espace Planoise, Besancon, France
Days of Czech Culture, Athens, Greece
2002 The White Submarine, “seeyuatthepremierefair“ festival, Berlin, Germany
Sea-Weed Dances, Oulu, Finland
Second Hand Twilight, together with artists from South Africa, Archa Theater, Prague, Zlin Theatre Festival, Hradec Kralove, Pardubice, Roznov pod Radhostem
Puppet Theatre Festival, Chrudim
Second Hand Twilight, Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., USA
1999 Behind the Mirror, together with artists from South Africa, Archa Theater, Prague
Ars Alchymia festival, Theater at Celetná, Prague
1997 Upside Down, Scorpion is Crawling over Me, Archa Theater, Prague
Solstice, Festival Arts Alive, Johannesburg, South Africa
Days of Prague in Kyoto, Japan
FLIP - series of audio-visual performances, National Gallery in Prague
1996 The Circus, Bread&Puppet Theater, Vermont, USA
PS122, Jim Henson Festival, New York, USA
1995 Distant Voices, South London Gallery, London, UK
Film
2007 Requiem , Live Puppets film for W.A. Mozart muzic, 52 minutes
Author´s books
2016 Slovohledě, Meander Publishing
2013 Kudlanka čas, noty mollové, Malvern Publishing
Foukací pohádky, Meander Publishing
The game of time, Arbor Vitae Publishing
2012 Divňáci z New Yorku, Meander Publishing
I am your hare, Wanieck Gallery
2011 The Yellow Lions, Meander Publishing
2010 Přeshádky, Meander Publishing
2009 Little Fool, Meander Publishing
2008 Stags and Similar Creatures, Meander Publishing
2007 Záhádky, Meander Publishing
2006 Linguistic Tales, Meander Publishing
2002 Rybaba and The Sea Soul, Meander Publishing
2001 A fairy tale about a Wefish named Rybitinka, Meander Publishing
2001 Atlas-salta, Aulos Publishing
1997 Expulsion From Paradise, Divus Publishing
Music recording
2016 Vosa
2013 Kudlanka čas, Malvern Publishing
2013 Noty mollové, Malvern Publishing
2008 Fish Songs, Meander Publishing
Stags and Similar Creatures, Meander Publishing
2006 Přesletec, Blackpoint muzic Publishing
2004 Don´t Fear the Deathś head, Blackpoint muzic Publishing
Representation in Collections
National Gallery in Prague, Mikolas Ales Gallery of Southern Bohemia, State Gallery in Zlin, City Gallery of Prague, Gallery of Visual Arts in Olomouc, Gallery of Visual Arts in Karlovy Vary, Moravian Gallery in Brno, the Foundation for Contemporary Art Collection in Prague, Gallery Klatovy - Klenova, Gallery of Visual Arts in Liberec, Gallery of Visual Arts in Litomerice, Gallery of visual Artsin Jihlava, Gallery of Visual Arts Hradec Králové,Gallery Audabiag and private collections both in the Czech Republic and abroad.
