Born 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, Carsten Nicolai is a visual artist, composer and musician who lives and works in Berlin and Chemnitz. As a visual artist mainly creating objects and installations, Nicolai seeks to overcome the separation of the art forms and genres to sensitize human perception to the interconnection of the different sensory levels.
Nicolai received numerous prizes and stipends, such as Villa Massimo, Rome (2007), Zurich Prize, Basle (2007), Villa Aurora, Los Angeles (2003), Golden Nica, Ars Electronica, Linz (2000 und 2001), F6-Philip Morris Graphik-Preis, Dresden (2000). His works have been shown at national and international major. As well his works have been acquired by several private and public collections worldwide.
For some years now, Nicolai has released albums under the pseudonyms noto and alva noto which he has presented at live shows in national and international concert halls, clubs and museums. He has cooperated with renowned composers and musician including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Blixa Bargeld, Ryoji Ikeda, Michael Nyman, Mika Vainio, Olaf Bender + Frank Bretschneider (signal), as well as with diverse orchestras for modern music, such as Ensemble Modern, BCN 216 and zeitkratzer.
Carsten Nicolai will be speaking about his most recent works.
Today
Ongoing
Upcoming
Winter Semester 2025/26
Information, 13 October 2025 – 13 February 2026
Ana Janevski: Looping, Relaying and Echoing. Three Curatorial Strategies
Lecture, 16 July 2025, 19:00
Overture – Graduate Exhibition
Exhibition, 15 July – 10 August 2025, 19:00
Tanya Lukin Linklater: _structural_flex_
Lecture, 8 July 2025, 19:00
Florence Jung: Doing nothing?
Lecture, 24 June 2025, 19:00
Rabih Mroué: Shot/Counter Shot. Rethinking the Reverse
Lecture, 17 June 2025, 19:00
Adir Jan & Emrah Gökmen: On the Shores of the Munzur, on the Shores of the Murat
Concert, 12 June 2025, 20:00
Miloš Trakilović: Love Songs & War Machines
Lecture, 10 June 2025, 19:00
Anna Roberta Goetz: 36. Bienal de São Paulo. Not All Travellers Walk Roads / Of Humanity as Practice
Lecture, 3 June 2025, 19:00
Jimmy Robert
Lecture, 27 May 2025, 19:00
Klein: No Degree, No Budget, No Problem
Lecture (20.5.) Concert (21.5.), 20 – 21 May 2025
Julian Irlinger: Reanimation and Reconstruction
Lecture, 13 May 2025, 19:00
İmran Ayata & Bülent Kullukçu: Songs of Gastarbeiter
Music Lecture, 8 May 2025, 19:00
Enzo Camacho & Ami Lien: Langit Lupa (Heaven Earth)
Screening (5.5.) Lecture (6.5.), 5 – 6 May 2025, 19:00
Helen Marten: Animal Hours
Lecture, 29 April 2025, 19:00
Summer Semester 2025
Information, 22 April – 25 July 2025
Application: Master of Arts Program in CURATORIAL AND CRITICAL STUDIES
Application, 10 April – 31 May 2025
Semester Break Spring 2025
Information, 14 February – 21 April 2025
Water Cooler Talks 2025
Event, 8 – 9 February 2025
Rundgang 2025
Exhibition, 7 – 9 February 2025, 10:00–20:00
Trisha Donnelly
Lecture, 30 January 2025, 19:00
Kerstin Brätsch: Parasite Painting
Lecture, 28 January 2025, 19:00
Emma Enderby: Curating in and out of Place
Lecture, 14 January 2025, 19:00

Carsten Nicolai: Display
Lecture 23 May 2012, 19:00 Aula, Städelschule, Dürerstraße 10, 60596 Frankfurt am Main