NADA PRLJA ARTIST STATEMENT & BIOGRAPHY

Nada Prlja, photographed in front of the hand written sign ‘Уметник’ (‘Artist’) Photographed by Vikotor Naumovski

Artist statement

Prlja is an artist whose work deals with the complex situations of inequality and injustice in societies, ranging from political to economic issues. Through different mediums, her projects are multi-layered, site or condition-specific. She works mainly in installation, video installation, live art and public art. / links www.nadaprlja.com Prlja’s main aim is to affect society in the most direct way; it challenges www.seriousinterestsagency.com / email critical discourse around issues of politics, transition of societies, human [email protected] rights, migration, among others. At the same time, her work maintains a / address conceptual and aesthetic authenticity. Prlja’s work adopts a site’s context Strandboulevarden 97, 2.tv specific quality or a certain kind of social conditions, which may vary from DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø project to project in the choice of media deemed most appropriate. Denmark BIOGRAPHY / NADA PRLJA

Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina. Lived in , Macedonia 1981-1998 and between 2014-17. She lived and worked in London from 1998 to 2014 and currently lives between London and Copenhagen.

Prlja received an MPhil research degree from the Royal College of Arts, London (2002), after graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Skopje (1997), and previously from the National High School of Fine Art in Skopje, Macedonia. (1989)

Prlja took part in following Biennales: IV Bienal del Fin del Mundo de Arte Contemporáneo, Chile/Argentina (2015); 5th Biennale, (Film Program) Moscow (2013); 7th Biennale, Berlin (2012), Manifesta 8, Murcia (2010) and International Printmaking Biennale, (2009).

Selected solo exhibitions: Museum of Contemporary art, Skopje (2018 forthcoming), Remont Gallery, Belgrade (2017); FUTURA, Praha (2013); Lakeside Kunstrum, Klagenfurt (2010), MC Gallery, Zagreb (2009), The City Museum, Vzigalica, Ljubljana (2009), Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje (2008), National Gal- lery of Macedonia, Skopje (2007), etc.

Selected group exhibitions: Kunsthalle Krems, Krems; White Cube, London; Calvert 22 Foundation, London; Palais de Tokyo, ; Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork; Szuki Museum, Lodz; INIVA Institute of International Art, London; David Roberts Art Foundation, London; Skuc Gallery/Ljubljana Bien- nale, Ljubljana; Tina B - Contemporary Art Festival, Prague; Hong-Gah National Museum, Tai- pei; Zacheta National Gallery of Art, ; etc.

Prlja’s main interest is art in the public domain. Her recent public interventions were for the 7th Berlin Bien- nale (2012), ORF FUNKHAUS, (2009), Marble Arch Gate, London (2007), etc. The practice-based re- search thesis, entitled ‘‘Blurring the Boundaries between the Artist and the Viewer as Conditioned by the Changing Concept of Art Space’, gained Prlja a Master of Philosophy of Arts Diploma at Royal College of Art, London. (MPhil by project, thesis 27.000 words).

Selected public presentations: Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham; ICA, London; INIVA Institute of International Art, London; Tate Britain; University College of London (UCL), London; University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen; Goldsmith University, London, etc.

Lecturer: Prlja has been senior lecturer visiting lecturer at various London universities from 2005 to 2013, including Istituto Marangoni, London (Senior lecturer 2005-2013) and London Metropolitan University (Senior lecturer and visiting lecturer 2007-2009 )

Prlja initiated SERIOUS INTERESTS AGENCY (SIA gallery) with Daniel Serafimovski (architect and edu- cator) in 2013, with the intention of engaging with and supporting the local cultural scene in Macedonia. SIA Gallery remains the only independent gallery space in Macedonia, to this day. SIA has collaborated with numerous cultural workers, including established artists such as Yane Calovski, Nikola Uzunovski, Hristina Ivanovska (all repre- sentatives of Macedonia at Biennale), Gjorgje Jovanovik, Alban Muja, etc.; architects and theorists Minas Bakalcev, Martin Gulevski, Jovan Ivanovski, Vladimir Deskov, Slobodan Velevski and (curators of the Macedonian pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018); curators Ivana Vaseva, Curatorial Platform, Zoran Petrevski, etc.

Prlja was artistic director of Paratissima Art fair in Skopje (2016) and Torino (2017 - Macedonian Selection). Prlja was a Board Member of Open Space - Open System, Vienna, Austria (2010-2015).

Go to biography that includes links to specified events: www.nadaprlja.com/biography-english / links www.nadaprlja.com www.seriousinterestsagency.com / email [email protected] / address Strandboulevarden 97, 2.tv DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark