Erkka Nissinen / Mellors-Nissinen

The Aalto Natives, before and after...

20/01/18 - 31/03/18

Opening: Sat 20/01 17-19h

Ellen de Bruijne Projects is proud to present “The Aalto Native, Before and After...” Coming from the recent presentation by Nathaniel Mellors and Erkka Nissinen during the Venice Biennial at the Finnish Pavilion, this exhibition includes new work originated from this successful collaboration, and a presentation of early works by Nissinen.

Mellors and Nissinen share an interest in narrative fiction, and employ an irreverent and often transgressive form of satire to critique power structures, morality and the status quo. The Aalto Natives brings together Nissinen’s intuitive, do-it-yourself attitude to digital animation and his penchant for naïve musicality, with Mellors’ writing-based approach to filmmaking, and integration of sculpture, and explores themes such as the invention of the nation state and the origins of culture by way of absurdist satire. Dressing its intellectual ambitions in deceivingly comical gear, the work addresses the complex challenges our globalized world faces today, like neoconservative nationalism, intolerance, and class polarisation." (Xander Karskens, e-flux, 05.2017)

To put this collaborative piece by Mellors and Nissinen in perspective, the exhibition will also include earlier works by Nissinen and more recent video installations. With video’s as: “Night School” (2006) “Rigid Regime“ (2011) and the more recent work “what is community” (2016), that consist of a video and a series of unique hand made drawings. Though absurd to the point of nonsense and often obscene, Nissinen’s work is far from being meaningless. Rather, it discloses a critical take on the difficulties of social interaction, on philosophy, and on the language of media -such as children’s television, educational programs, or porn, often all mashed up into one. Nissinen’s body of work contains video’s, performances, music scores, sound tracks and installations.

Erkka Nissinen (Jyväskylä, Finland, 1975) lives and works in Amsterdam, Helsinki and New York. He studied at The Slade School of Fine Art in London and gained an MFA degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, Finland. In 2007-2008, he was resident at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. He had exhibitions at The Finnish Pavillion – Venice Biennial (2017), de Hallen, Haarlem (2015), Art Parcours/Art Basel (2015), Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam (2012/2009), M+ in Hong Kong (2012), Helsinki City Art Museum’s Kluuvi Gallery (2011) and, 1646 in The Hague (2009). During the 2011 Rotterdam Art Fair Nissinen won the acclaimed Illy Prize for his video Rigid Regime. In 2013 he won the AVEK award for media arts, Helsinki.

Erkka Nissinen / Mellors-Nissinen - The Aalto Natives - Before and After...
Opening 20/01 17-19h
Exhibition 20/01 - 31/03/18