Olaf Nicolai

Yeux de Paon

February 16th - March 23rd, 2008

venue #1
„DThe Textile Mill“,
Beckerstraße 11, 09120 Chemnitz
Tuesday to Sunday (2pm until 6pm)




venue #2
Galerie im Weltecho,
Art Gallery of the Weltecho
Annaberger Straße 24, 09111 Chemnitz
Tuesday to Sunday (1pm until 9pm)

Accompanying events

March 13th, 2008, 8 pm
“Galerieclub” (gallery club)
- “gestern, morgen und egal”. (yesterday, tomorrow, whenever)
reminiscence between footage and aethetic resources – a panel discussion with Olaf Nicolai & Peter Richter (Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung)
- screening of the following shortfilms:
Nova Huta (2005) by Wilhelm Sasnal
Dammi e colori (2003) by Anri Sala


March 14th, 2008, 9 pm
„Das Versprechen der Arbeit“ (the promise of work)
- screening various shortfilm hosted by Claus Löser (Berlin)
- „Klänge weben“ (weaving sound) – performance of speech, music & image by Olaf Bender (raster-noton)


March 15th, 2008, 9 pm
live music: kammerflimmer kollektief
"Einer der horizonterweiterndsten jazzhaltigen deutschen Musikproduktionen der letzten Jahre." (translation: "German Jazz that truly broadens one’s musical horizon.")
Michael Engelbrecht, Deutschlandfunk

Olaf Nicolai, born 1962 in Halle/Saale, graduated in German studies and German literature. He has been working as an active artist since beginning of the 90's. His installations have been part of a number of renowned international exhibitions and biennales. His work creates often paradoxical spaces of thought and contemplation. Nicolai uses a variety of heterogeneous materials ranging from everyday consumer products to specific technical equipment. For example, in 1997, Nicolai’s audio-visual installation at the Documenta X in Kassel, with which he created a “natural” landscape.
The artistic work of Olaf Nicolai takes on everyday life phenomena as well as controversial philosophical questions. His central concern rests in the tension of the dichotomy between nature and culture. Nicolai aims at “sensualising” urban transition processes. Moreover, in a act of self-reference, Nicolai investigates the meaningfulness and the function of art as such in an urban society.
Nicolai differs from the other artists of TransAktion2008 in his personal involvement with the area. He grew up in Karl Marx Stadt / Chemnitz. He was amongst the founders of the VOXXX, the preceding project of Weltecho, which had existed over 13 years.
Therefore, one part of his exhibition, the part inside Weltecho’s own gallery, makes a detailed historical reference to Chemnitz. This historical reference consists of a visualized chronicle of Chemnitz’ social, industrial and political networks throughout the 20th century. The main part consists of large-scale curtains, produced by a local textile factory (Seidenmanufraktur Eschke Crimmitschau). These self-designed curtains will be displayed in an abandoned textile factory (Gebrüder Göritz AG) in Chemnitz.
It is somewhere between material aesthetics, design, the character of the venues and the naked historical facts, that we can find this cursory identity, that has sculptured both the artist and the city.