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EMIK — Multidisciplinary Art Showcase
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EMIK — Multidisciplinary Art Showcase

Postwerk Tegel, Berlin, Germany

25 March – 2 April 2022

Exhibiting Artist; Performance Artist

EMIK brought together painting, photography, performance, music and digital art in a multidisciplinary exhibition at Postwerk Tegel in Berlin. Initiated by Culture.Room and Abstract.Projects, the exhibition challenged linear modes of presentation and created an experiential environment in which contemporary art could be encountered across multiple sensory channels.

Marlon Nikolai participated as one of eight exhibiting artists, presenting the paintings Sakura and Unleashed in Montreal. Alongside the exhibition, he collaborated with pianist Roman Nagel on a live action painting performance. During Nagel’s piano performance, Nikolai painted directly onto the instrument, bringing sound, movement, gesture and material intervention into a simultaneous process.

Following the performance, the transformed piano was auctioned as a benefit project in cooperation with CancelCancer. One hundred percent of the proceeds were donated to the initiative. The piano was acquired by a private couple and was intended to become part of their wedding celebration through a subsequent musical performance.

Seen within Nikolai’s broader practice, EMIK marks an early manifestation of an investigation that continues through his work today: perception beyond the purely visual and the translation between auditory and visual information, bodily action, material, movement and experience.

Sakura was acquired by Glockenweiß during the exhibition and subsequently installed within the company’s Berlin office environment.

Partners: Culture.Room; Abstract.Projects; Roman Nagel; CancelCancer

Documentation
Installation views and moments from the presentation.

Exhibition and installation documentation from EMIK at Postwerk Tegel, including the presentation of Sakura and Unleashed in Montreal and documentation of the Live Action Painting performance developed with pianist Roman Nagel.

Works Shown
Sakura
Oil, acrylics and spray paint on stretched canvas, 200 × 160 cm, 2021
Unleashed in Montreal
Oil, acrylic and spray paint on stretched canvas, 200 × 160 cm, 2021

Nikolai presented Sakura and Unleashed in Montreal within the group exhibition. Alongside these works, his contribution extended into live performance through an intervention developed with pianist Roman Nagel. Painting and piano performance occurred simultaneously, turning the instrument itself into both a source of sound and a material carrier of the artistic process.

Sakura was acquired by Glockenweiß during EMIK and subsequently installed within the company’s Berlin office environment.

Placement Context
The work in relation to space, light and collector environment.

Presented within EMIK’s multidisciplinary exhibition architecture at the historic Postwerk Tegel, Nikolai’s works formed part of an environment bringing painting, photography, performance, music and digital art into direct relation. Rather than separating individual disciplines, the exhibition was conceived as a shared experiential space extending perception beyond exclusively visual reception.

Selected Images
A selection of photographs from the presentation, shown below.

Selected installation views of Sakura and Unleashed in Montreal, together with documentation of the Live Action Painting performance with Roman Nagel and the multidisciplinary environment of EMIK.

Related Work
Related paintings and works.

Sakura, 2021 — exhibited at EMIK and acquired by Glockenweiß during the exhibition.

Unleashed in Montreal, 2021 — presented as part of the EMIK group exhibition.

Live Action Painting with Roman Nagel, 2022 — interdisciplinary performance combining painting and live piano performance at Postwerk Tegel.

Press & Links

ArtRabbit — EMIK: Multidisciplinary Art Showcase
Exhibition listing documenting EMIK at Postwerk Tegel, its multidisciplinary concept, programme and participating artists, including Marlon Nikolai.
https://www.artrabbit.com/events/emik-multidisciplinary-art-showcase?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Kunstleben Berlin — EMIK: Multidisciplinary Art Showcase
Berlin art and culture listing documenting EMIK and its multidisciplinary approach combining painting, photography, performance, music and digital art.
https://www.kunstleben-berlin.de/event/emik-multidisciplinary-art-showcase/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Presse-Blog — Kunst, Kultur, Coworking: Finissage und neue Mieter im Postwerk
Contemporary coverage of EMIK at Postwerk Tegel, documenting the interdisciplinary exhibition programme and the cultural activation of the former post hall.
https://www.presse-blog.com/2022/03/30/kunst-kultur-coworking-finissage-und-neue-mieter-im-postwerk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com