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Yngve Holen

Yngve Holen’s sculpture dissects the technologies reshaping contemporary life. While his work is characterised by his use of machines, systems and industrial spare parts used for, around, and by the human condition - in transportation, communications, waste, medicine, manufacturing or industrial food production - the body itself is almost always evoked only in its absence. Material remnants of frenzied aspirational living: the desire to live longer, to travel further and faster, or to enhance intelligence, are all folded into Holen’s works. The resulting objects short-circuit and contradict themselves to highlight the fraught subjectivities and troubled moral landscapes of today. Spanning classical to state-of-the-art industrial processes, Holen’s works complicate the conceptual functioning of the technologies at stake, reframing them as ornamental, or – despite their futuristic constitutions – delivered with a flat, unnerving humour, as future relics of a bygone era. Yngve Holen was born in 1982 in Braunschweig, Germany, and lives and works between Oslo and Berlin. He studied architecture at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and sculpture at the Städelschule in Frankfurt. His work has been the subject of recent solo exhibitions at Galerie Neu, Berlin (2023); Spazio Maiocchi, Milan (2022); X Museum, Beijing (2021); Modern Art, London (2019); Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo (2019); Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2018); Converso, Milan (2018); and Kunsthalle Basel (2016). He has participated in recent group exhibitions at Modern Art, London (2024); Bundekunsthalle, Bonn (2022); Gropius Bau, Berlin (2020); Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2020); Kunstmuseum St. Gallen (2020); Kistefos, Oslo (2019); and mumok, Vienna (2018); among other venues. Holen has been the recipient of prizes including the Overbeck Prize (2020); the Robert Jacobsen Prize (2017); and ars viva (2014/15). His sculptures are held in collections including Aïshti Foundation, Lebanon; The National Museum of Art, Oslo; Lafayette Anticipations, Paris; Museo Jumex, Mexico City; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; and Sammlung Boros, Berlin.

Press
Biography
VERTICALSEAT, Kunsthalle Basel, 2016
FOD, 2021
carbon fiber, foam core, 101 x 270 x 29 cm, 39 3/4 x 106 1/4 x 11 3/8 in
1/3
Anthroposophic Architecture, 2021
cross-laminated timber (CLT), wood stain, 200 x 200 x 43 cm, 78 3/4 x 78 3/4 x 16 7/8 in
1/3
CAKE, 2016
mixed media (Porsche Panamera), 4 parts, each: 145.1 x 96.5 x 250.7 cm, 57 1/8 x 38 x 98 3/4 in
1/5
Heart, 2021
headlight, steel, 65 x 33 x 27 cm, 25 5/8 x 13 x 10 5/8 in
1/4
VERTICALSEAT, 2016
aluminium, 261 x 268 x 90 cm, 102 3/4 x 105 1/2 x 35 3/8 in
1/3
Headache, 2019
bronze, 37 x 23.5 x 24 cm, 14 5/8 x 9 1/4 x 9 1/2 in
1/3
Leichtmetallrad, 2016
light alloy wheel, plastic, 48 x 48 x 12 cm, 18 7/8 x 18 7/8 x 4 3/4 in
1/2
Hater Headlight, 2015
scooter headlight, powder coated steel, 29 x 46 x 66 cm, 11 3/8 x 18 1/8 x 26 in
1/3
I'm determined and ready to be a commodity that fulfils everyone's fantasies, 2015
plastic, car paint, steel, 177 x 185 x 36.5 cm, 69 3/4 x 72 7/8 x 14 3/8 in
1/3
Original Spare Part neo, 2014-15
digital print on plexiglas, model airplanes, honeycomb panel and pedestal, 109 x 205 x 77 cm, 42 7/8 x 80 3/4 x 30 1/4 in
1/3
Original Ersatzteil, Original Spare Part, 2014
UV print on Perspex, model planes, honeycomb panel, glow-in-the-dark silkscreen on cardboard box, dome sticker, 84 x 154 x 130 cm, 33 1/8 x 60 5/8 x 51 1/8 in
1/3
HEINZERLING, 2019
cross-laminated timber (CLT), Tyrilin 200 x 200 x 30 cm, 78 3/4 x 78 3/4 x 11 3/4 ins
1/3
Horses, Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, 2018
Hater Taillight, 2019

Press

Art ReviewDiminishing Returns, 5 May 2023
KaleidoscopeScale Failure, 1 May 2022
Financial TimesMichael Xufu Huang on Opening a Private Museum in Beijing at 26, 25 May 2020
KaleidoscopeYngve Holen: Dark Future in the Present, 1 October 2019
Interview MagazineWhat is an idea? Yngve Holen has no idea, 24 May 2019
Flash ArtSymbolic Violence/Physical Violence, 1 May 2018
Artforum14 June 2016
Flash Art1 June 2016
KaleidoscopeHighlights: Yngve Holen, 1 June 2016
Frieze d/eUnder Pressure, 3 January 2016
Flash Art 1 March 2014
Kaleidoscope1 January 2013

Biography

Yngve Holen

Norwegian, born in Braunschweig, Germany, 1982 Lives and works in Oslo and Berlin

Education

2010
Meisterschüler Bildhauerei, Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künst
Städelschule, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2006
Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien
Vienna, Austria

Solo Exhibitions

2023
5G
Galerie Neu, Berlin, Germany
2022
NeuroeconomicsKaleidoscope, Spazio Maiocchi, Milan, Italy
2021
Foreign Object DebrisX Museum, Beijing, China
FOD
Neue Alte Brücke, Frankfurt, Germany
2019
Corpus Quality
Modern Art, London
HEINZERLING
Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway, travelling to: Kunsthall Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
2018
HORSESKunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
Rosetta (Decorazione)
Converso, Milan, Italy
Rose Painting
Galerie Neu, Berlin, Germany
Bagatelle
Fine Arts, Sydney, Australia
2017
New Organ St. Martincommissioned by St. Martin Church, Kassel, Germany
2016
Leichtmetallräder
Schloss, Oslo, Norway
VERTICALSEATKunsthalle Basel, Basel, Switzerland
2015
Earthling
Modern Art, London
World of Hope II
Neue Alte Brücke, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
World of Hope
Galerie Neu, Berlin, Germany
2014
ars viva 2014/15Hamburger Kunsthalle, Galerie der Gegenwart, Hamburg, Germany; Bonner Kunstverein und Artothek, Bonn, Germany;
Grazer Kunstverein, Graz, Austria
Economy Class Legs
032c Workshop, Berlin, Germany
Original Spare Part
Modern Art, London
2013
Extended OperationsRogaland Kunstsenter, Stavanger, Norway
Launch of Hater Head
Société, Berlin, Germany
2012
Deutschland Du Opfer, Gib Handy
Neue Alte Brücke, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2011
Sensitive to DetergentAutocenter, Berlin, Germany
Parasagittal Brain
Johan Berggren Gallery, Malmö, Sweden
2010
Half Asleep to the 2010 Hot 1001
Neue Alte Brücke, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2009
Bed Call
Landings Project Space, Vestfossen, Norway

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024
Modern Art
London
2022
Ghostscript
Modern Art, London
The Brain in Art and Science
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany
My Reflection of You
The Perimeter, London
2021
Reassembly
Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm, Sweden
It’s Just a Phase
K-U-K, Trondheim, Norway
Galerie Noah Klink, Berlin, Germany
2020
Re-Art. Readymade recycelt
Overbeck-Gesellschaft, Lübeck, Germany
Studio Berlin, Berghain, Berlin, Germany
Metamorphosis OverdriveKunstmuseum St. Gallen, Switzerland
Down To Earth
Gropius Bau, Berlin, Germany
Al filo de la navaja
Museo Jumex, Mexico
2019
Flesh and Bone
PS120, Berlin, Germany
Up for More. New Items from the Collection Würth on Art Since 1960
Kunsthalle Würth, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
You | Works from the Lafayette Anticipations CollectionMusée de l’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO
curated by Rhea Dall, Kistefos-Museet, Oslo, Norway
How the Universe WorksKunsthall Oslo, Oslo, Norway
2018
The Street. Where the World is MadeMAXXI – Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome, Italy
Picture Industry: A Provisional History of the Technical Image, 1844-2018
curated by Walead Beshty, Luma Foundation, Arles, France
Culture Wear
SPACE_31, Berlin, Germany
Nothing Will Be As Before: Ten Years of Tanya Leighton
Tanya Leighton, Berlin, Germany
For Good
GOODROOM, Munich, Germany
Fences & Windows
Modern Art, London
Optik Schröder II: Works from the Alexander Schröder Collection
mumok, Vienna, Austria
2017
How It’s Made
Carl Kostyál, Stockholm, Sweden
The Trick Brain
Aïshti Foundation, Antelias, Lebanon
Bunker #3
Sammlung Boros, Berlin, Germany
Mystification of the Everyday
Delmes & Zander, Cologne, Germany
Future EatersMonash University Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Das Auto in Der Kunst
Kunsthalle Emden, Emden, Germany
EuroVisions: Contemporary Art from the Goldberg Collection, The National Art School Gallery, Sydney, NSW; travelling to Heide Museum of Modern Art, VIC (2018); Canberra Museum and Art Gallery, ACT (2018); Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, NSW, Australia (2019)
Heart of the Tin ManM WOODS, Beijing, China, travelling to The Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE (2019)
Picture Industrycurated by Walead Beshty, Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, USA
Hybrid LayersZKM Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany
Wholesome Environment
Lundgren Gallery, Mallorca, Spain
Our words return in patterns (part 1)
Galerie PCP, Paris, France
Avalanche, ELEVATION
a Luma Foundation exhibition, Gstaad, Switzerland
2016
grabt tiefer, ihr Schönen
Galerie Neu, Berlin, Germany
Joining Forces with the UnknownFondation Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France
III Seen III SaidWhite Flag Projects, St Louis, MO, USA
Take Me (I’m Yours)Jewish Museum, New York, NY, USA
WAR GAMES
curated by Benjamin Godsill, Moran Bondaroff, Detroit, MI, USA
Theories of Modern Art
Modern Art, London
Quiz 2, based on an idea by Robert StadlerMUDAM, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
2015
Good for Nothing (Cracks in the Mirror)
GOODROOM, Munich, Germany
System of a Down
Ellis-King, Dublin, Ireland
Life. Within Such Limits
Carl Kostyál, Stockholm, Sweden
Digital ConditionsKunstverein Hannover, Hanover, Germany
The Noing Uv ItBergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway
2014
REFRACTION. THE IMAGE OF SENSE
Blain|Southern, London
Galerie Neu à La Douane
Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris, France
Works from selected collections
Mehringdamm 72, Berlin, Germany
Chat Jet (Part 2) Sculpture in ReflectionKünstlerhaus KM, Graz, Austria
Platform
Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Shattered Preface
OSL contemporary, Oslo, Norway
And Life Goes On…
curated by Karl Holmqvist, Between Bridges, Berlin, Germany
Surplus Living
KM Temporaer, Berlin, Germany
Second View
Johan Berggren Gallery, Malmö, Sweden
Archeo
High Line Art, New York, NY, US
2013
Open Shape, Fall, curated by Jasper Spicero
Eisenhower Park, Long Island, NY, USA
Speculations on Anonymous MaterialsFridericianum, Kassel, Germany
Unstable Media, curated by Anne de Vries
Martin van Zomeren, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Open Shape, Spring, curated by Jasper Spicero
Waterside Park Playground 11th Ave & W 23rd St, New York, NY, USA
Smiler’s Delicatessen
Times Square, New York, NY, USA
___340&CA NNOT&DINNER&782___
No5A, New York, NY, USA
Out of Memory, curated by Eleanor Cayre
Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY, USA
False OptimismCrawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland
Open Shape, Winter, curated by Jasper SpiceroGeneration Works, Wichita, KS, USA
2012
PhotoshopTroll (with Ilja Karilampi)
HinterHaus des Meerens, Vienna, Austria
Shell-Reflexives, curated by Agatha Wara
Downtown ArtHouse, Miami, FL, USA
Neue Alte Brücke and Real Fine Arts @ Valentin
Galerie Chez Valentin, Paris, France
Domino Effect
Catherine Bastide, Brussels, Belgium
Standard Operating Procedures, curated by Piper Marshall
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Pinot Noir, curated by Jason Alexander
Tomorrow, Toronto, Canada
Nicolas Ceccaldi / Yngve Holen
Pro Choice, Vienna, Austria
Oil On Water Calming Effect
Skur 2, Stavanger, Norway
Entourage VIP Backstage Pt.1
Gasmesserhaus, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Zürcher Bildhauer, Schlieren, Switzerland
Images Rendered Bare. Vacant. Recognizable
Stadium, New York, NY, USA
2011
FREEBIES
Emanuel Layr, Loos Bar, Vienna, Austria
Grouped Show
Tanya Leighton Gallery, Berlin, Germany
TruEYE surView
W139, Amsterdam, Netherlands
based in BerlinKW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
2010
The Smart Frrridge. Chilly Forecast for Internet Fridge
Kunstverein Medienturm, Graz, Austria
Absolventen der Städelschule 2010: GeschmacksverstärkerMMK Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
The Garden of Ilja
AfE Turm, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Something Blue
Neue Alte Brücke at Archive Kabinett, Berlin, Germany
Act IX: Let Us Compare MythologiesWitte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Enchanted, curated by Juliette Bonneviot
School of Development, Berlin, Germany
Kiss-You-Through-The-Phone
Paloma Presents, Zürich, Switzerland
21st CenturyChisenhale Gallery, London
2009
What is not but could be if (Part 2)
Neue Alte Brücke, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2008
The Line is a Lonely Hunter
New Jerseyy, Basel, Switzerland
Approximately Infinite Universe, New Jerseyy, Basel, Switzerland
2007
For a Blank Implies Space
Torstrasse 165, Berlin, Germany

Awards & Grants

2020
Overbeck Prize
2017
12th Robert Jacobsen Prize
2014
ARS VIVA 2014/15, Kulturkreis Prize for Fine Arts

Selected Collections

Aïshti Foundation
Antelias, Lebanon
Danjuma Collection
Esher, Surrey
Lafayette Anticipations
Paris, France
Museo Jumex
Mexico City, Mexico
Moderna Museet
Stockholm, Sweden
Public Art Norway
Oslo, Norway
Sammlung Boros
Berlin, Germany
The SEB Collection
Stockholm, Sweden
The SYZ Collection
Geneva, Switzerland
Würth Collection
Künzelsau, Germany
Zabludowicz Collection
London