CV
Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas have established an international reputation for socially interactive and interdisciplinary practice exploring the conflicts and contradictions posed by the economic, social, and political conditions in the former Soviet countries. They develop models for social and artistic practice with the interest to design organizational structures that questions the relativity of freedom. They use art platform to render public spaces for interaction and engagement of the social groups, evoking local communities and encouraging their cultural and political imagination.
Combining the tools of new and traditional media, Urbonas’s work frequently involves collective activities such as workshops, lectures, debates, TV programs, Internet chat-rooms and public protests that stand at the intersection of art, technology and social criticism. Urbonas are the cofounders of JUTEMPUS interdisciplinary art program, VILMA (Vilnius Interdisciplinary Lab for Media Art), and VOICE, a net based publication on media culture. Their works were exhibited at the San Paulo, Berlin, Moscow, Lyon and Gwangju and Venice Biennales, Manifesta and Documenta exhibitions – among numerous other international shows, including a solo show at MACBA in Barcelona. They have been awarded a number of high level grants and residency awards, including the Lithuanian National Prize (2007); a fellowship at the Montalvo Arts Center in California (2007/08); a Prize for the Best International Artist at the Gwangju Biennale (2006) and the Honourable Mention for the national pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2007).
Gediminas Urbonas is an Associate Professor in the Art, Culture and Technology Program at MIT. Nomeda Urbonas is PhD researcher at Norwegian University for Science and Technology.
Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas
born 1968 Kaunas / 1966 Vilnius
lives and works in Cambridge, MA, USA and Vilnius, Lithuania
info@nugu.lt
345 Harvard Street 4F
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Mildos 11-13,
LT-10311 Vilnius
Lithuania
2009 GU is associate professor at ACT, MIT, Cambridge, USA;
2008 GU is professor at KIT / NTNU, Art Academy in Trondheim, Norway;
2008 NU is PhD research fellow at NTNU, Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art,
Trondheim, Norway;
2005 emanuensis at KIT / NTNU, Art Academy in Trondheim, Norway;
2005 co-founders of VOICE, net based publication on media culture:
www.vilma.cc/balsas
2000 co-founders of VILMA – Vilnius Interdisciplinary Lab for Media Art;
1997 co-founders of JUTEMPUS interdisciplinary art program;
grants/awards
2010 Fellowship at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK;
2007 Lithuanian National Prize for achievements in the arts and culture;
2007 Honourable Mention to a National Pavilion
at 52nd International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia;
2007/08 Fellowship at Montalvo Arts Center, CA, U.S.A.;
2006 Prize for the Best International Artist at Gwangju Biennale 2006, Korea;
2004/05 State grant of the Republic of Lithuania;
2003 OCA grant at the International Studio Program in Oslo;
2002 Fellowship at the Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart;
2001 NIFCA grant for IASPIS – International Studio Program, Stockholm;
1998 State grant of the Republic of Lithuania;
solo exhibitions
2011 Boston Chapter, at Disobedience Ongoing Archive project
co-curated together with Marco Scotini, MIT, Cambridge, MA;
2011 Learning and Playing, Wolk Gallery, MIT, Cambridge, MA;
2008 Devices for Action, MACBA, Barcelona. Curated by Bartomeu Mari;
2007 Villa Lituania / 52nd Biennale di Venezia, The Lithuanian Pavilion.
Curated by Simon Rees;
2004 RR: Ruta Remake / CAC, Vilnius. Curated by Kestutis Kuizinas;
2003 Ruta Remake / Substream, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo;
2002 TRANSmute, Sprengel Museum, Hannover. Curated by Inka Schube;
2002 TRANSACTION / translation, Ludwig Museum, Budapest.
Curated by Dora Hegyi;
2001 TRANSACTION / unpacked, IASPIS, Stockholm. Curated by Sara Arhenius;
2000 TRANSACTION, haus.0, Kuenstlerhaus Stuttgart. Curated by Fareed Armaly;
2000 TRANSACTION / Strangers & Paradise,
Witte de With contemporary art center Rotterdam.
Curated by Bartomeu Mari;
selected group exhibitions
2011 4th Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia.
Curated by Peter Weibel;
2011 CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago, Turku Archipelago, Finland.
Curated by Taru Elfving;
2011 Too late, too little, (and how) to fail gracefully, Fort Asperen, the
Netherlands. Curated by Bik Van der Pol;
2010 Are You ready For TV?, MACBA, Barcelona, Spain.
Curated by Chus Martínez;
2010 Fluxus East. Fluxus Networks in Central Eastern Europe,
Henie Onstad Art Centre, Oslo, Norway. Curated by Petra Stegman;
2010 Lithuanian Art 2001-2010, CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania;
2010 The Creative Act, Henie Onstad Art Centre, Oslo, Norway.
Curated by Tone Hansen;
2010 Territories of the In/Human, Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart,
Germany. Curated by Hans D. Christ, Iris Dressler;
2010 Manufacturing Today, Trondheim Kunsthalle, Norway.
Curated by Cristina Ricupero;
2010 Disobedience Archive, Raven Row gallery, London, UK.
Curated by Marco Scotini;
2010 Gender Check, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland;
2009 Gender Check, MUMOK, Vienna, Austria. Curated by Bojana Pejiã;
2009 Uniforme, espacetemporaire, Genève, Switzerland;
2009 Live Art, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo, Norway;
2008 italia italie italien italy wlochy
ARCOS – Museo di Arte Contemporanea del Sannio, Benevento, Italy;
2008 Archive Fever: Uses of the Document in Contemporary Art,
International Center of Photography. Curated by Okwui Envezor;
2007 Forms of Resistance. Artists and desire for a social change.
Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven. Curated by Marco Scotini;
2007 Fluxus East, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin. Ludwig Museum, Budapest.
Bunkier Stuky, Krakow. CAC, Vilnius.Curated by Petra Stegmann;
2007 9th Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art,
Curated by Stephanie Moisdon, Hans Ulrich Obrist;
2007 Progressive Nostalgia, Center for Contemporary Art “L.Pecci”, Prato, Italy.
Curated by Viktor Misiano;
2007 2 Moscow Biennale of contemporary art. Special projects, Moscow, Russia.
Curated by Lolita Jablonskiene;
2006 All our tomorrows: the culture of camouflage, Kunstraum
der Universitaet Lueneburg. Curated by Shaheen Merali;
2006 Gwangju Biennale 2006, Korea. Curated by Cristina Ricupero;
2006 Face the Unexpected. Museum am Ostwall and the PHOENIX
Halle Dortmund. Curated by Dr. Inke Arns and Dr. Kurt Wettengl;
2005 Populism. Curated by Cristina Ricupero, Lars Bang Larsen,
Nicolaus Schafhausen; CAC, Vilnius. National Museum for Art,
Architecture and Design, Oslo. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
Frankfurter Kunstverein Frankfurt a.M.;
2005 Madonna, Kunsthaus Dresden, Germany. Curated by Christiane Mennicke;
2005 Culturas de Archivo 4: Representaciones, Valiadolid, Spain.
Curated by Jorge Blasco Gallardo;
2004 Extended Views, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Curated by Jan Schuijren;
2004 ISEA2004, Kunstihoone Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia;
2004 3rd berlin biennial for contemporary art, Berlin. Curated by Ute Meta Bauer;
2004 Auf Sendung, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig.
Curated by Julia Schafer;
2003 VJ7 / Verbindingen/Jonctions, Constant vzw, Brussels;
2003 Neue Freunde, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart;
2003 The Labyrinthine Effect, ACCA, Melbourne. Curated by Juliana Engeberg;
2003 Fate of Alien Modes, Secession, Viena. Curated by Constanze Ruhm;
2003 Money for Nothing, Artspace, Auckland, New Zealand.
Curated by Tobias Berger;
2002 Re-direct, haus.0, Kuenstlerhaus Stuttgart. Curated by Fareed Armaly;
2002 Voice Session/Karaoke, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart;
2002 Fundamentalisms of a New Order, Charlottenburg, Copenhagen.
Curated by Charlotte Brandt, Lars Bang Larsen, Cristina Ricupero;
2002 documenta 11, Kassel. Curated by Okwui Enwezor, and co-curators
Carlos Basualdo, Ute Meta Bauer, Susanne Ghez, Sarat Maharaj,
Mark Nash, Octavio Zaya;
2002 Manifesta 4, Frankfurt a.M. Curated by Iara Boubnova, Nuria Enguita Mayo,
Stéphanie Moisdon Trembley;
2002 The Music In Me, GAK, Bremen. Curated by Octavian Esanu;
2002 Learning And Singing, Hansapanga Galerii, Tallinn.
Curated by Kestutis Kuizinas; Contemporary art center, Moscow;
2001 Self-Esteem, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius.
Curated by Anders Kreuger;
2001 Out of Money, Kulturhuset, Stockholm;
2001 Presence Balte, BAC Visby. Curated by Johan Pousette,
Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center, Athens. Metronome, Barcelona;
2000 Innocent Life, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius.
Curated by Lolita Jablonskiene;
2000 Duchamp’s Suitcase, Arnolfini, Bristol. Curated by Lolita Jablonskiene;
1999 NL-LT, Begane Grond Contemporary art center, Utrecht;
1999 Lithuanian Art: 1989-1999, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius;
1999 Apartment 99, project in private spaces, Vilnius;
1998 Twilight, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius;
1997 jutempus lounge, Lithuanian Art’97, Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius;
talks / presentations / workshops
2011 Bunker Guided Tour Performance, at Archipelago Logic: Towards
Sustainable Future. CAA Symposium, Turku Archipelago, Finland;
2011 Kukarkin Seminar, research and seminar at 4th Moscow Biennale;
2011 First International Pigeon Race for the Cup of Fort Asperen,
opening performance at Fort Asperen, the Netherlands;
2011 artists in public – interfering with reality: the yes men and
nomeda & gediminas urbonas. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam;
2011 Workshop on Art & Research in Public Sphere at Visual Arts
and Curatorial Studies, NABA – Italian Design Academy, Milano, Italy;
2010 Symposium on Contemporary Art and Visual Culture in Education,
Nordic Research Fund – Stockholm, Sweden;
2010 Conference on Art & Research in Public Sphere,
Center for Contemporary art, Chisinau, Moldova;
2010 Lecture by Urbonas and Michel Verlaine, economist,
Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart, Germany.
2010 Artist’s talk, Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, UK;
2010 Workshop on Art & Research in Public Sphere at Visual Arts
and Curatorial Studies, NABA – Italian Design Academy, Milano, Italy;
2010 De-schooling Society Conference,
Serpentine Gallery and Hayward Gallery London, UK;
2010 Seminar Public Art and New Media, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA;
2010 The “Motor” of the Artist, Department of Visual and Environmental Studies,
Harvard University, Cambridge, USA;
2009 Whatever Happened to Net Art?, Conference at IASPIS,
Stockholm, Sweden;
2009 Protest City, lecture at MIT Visual Arts Program Lecture Series, MIT,
Cambridge, USA;
2009 Sensuous Knowledge 6: Reflection, Relevance and Responsibility,
conference by Bergen National Academy of the Arts, Solstrand, Norway;
2009 Cities and the New Wars, Conference at the Columbia University, NY, USA;
2009 Research by Design, biannual seminar by Faculty of Architecture
and Fine Art, NTNU, DokkHuset, Trondheim, Norway;
2009 Children Of The Revolution – SOLIDARITY/Solidarities,
Conference at the University College London, UK;
2009 Workshop at Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies,
NABA – Italian Design Academy, Milano, Italy;
2009 The Next Step. Conference on art museums,
Moderna galerija, Ljubljana, Slovenia;
2009 Socially engaged collective activities and self-organization,
workshop at Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Finland;
2009 Bio-diversity, Collision – VAP lecture series on science, technology
and contemporary art, MIT, Cambridge, USA;
2008 Participatory Strategies. Conversations européennes,
Jeu de Paume, Paris, France;
2008 Lo que nos queda / What’s left, what remains? VI International Symposium
on Contemporary Art Theory (SITAC). Mexico City, Mexico;
2008 Manufacturing Today. Vilnius Workshop, conference and workshop
on radical pedagogy with partner network between KIT, NTNU –
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Finish Academy of Fine
Arts, Malmo Art Academy, Goldsmiths University of London,
Vilnius Academy of Arts;
2007 Art Institutions as Catalysts or Indicators, LCCA, Riga, Latvia;
2007 Land of Human Rights – Artistic and Activist Strategies
of Making Human Rights Visible, Rotor, Graz, Austria;
2007 Vilnius Media Seminar, Vilnius University, Vilnius;
2007 Fluxus is not dead, it just smells funny … conference
„Fluxus – Networks Between West and East”. Berlin Art Forum, Berlin;
2007 Urban festival, Zagreb, Croatia;;
2005 Shifting Boundaries, KKH, Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm;
2005 Soft Freedom,
Trondheim MATCHMAKING festival of electronic art, Trondheim;
2005 Appendix.Kiss the Frog! Seminar with Tone Hansen,
The National Museum,the National Gallery, Oslo;
2005 Role of the museums of contemporary art,
International conference, MOCA, Belgrade;
2005 Navigating Globalisation, NTNU, Norway;
2004 Who If Not We, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
2004 RAM6: Social interaction and collective intelligence,
VILMA, CAC, Vilnius;
2004 Art. What is it good for? Dartington College of Arts, UK;
2004 A New Deal, AICA, Stockholm, Sweden;
2003 Gender and Cinema, GAP, Vilnius;
2003 Verbindingen/Jonctions, Constant vzw, Brussels
2003 artist’s talk, Secession, Viena;
2003 Absence of voice is recovered, artist’s talk,
OCA – International Studio Program in Oslo;
2003 workshop at Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, NTNU;
2002 lecture at Fachhochshule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences;
2002 artist’s talk, platform program at Charlottenburg, Copenhagen;
2002 creative session at AWID’s 9th International Forum, Guadalajara, Mexico;
2002 artist’s talk at Transmediale salon, Podewil, Berlin;
2002 Djembe session, workshop, documenta 11, Kassel;
2002 TransMute, artist’s talk at Manifesta 4, Frankfurt a.M;
2002 presenation of http://www.transaction.lt/
at Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius;
2002 Transaction, creative session at Ludwig Museum Budapest;
2002 The Power of Communication, workshop,
The Cube/KTH Royal Technical University, Stockholm;
2001 Transaction workshop, Valand school of art, Goteborg University;
2001 Money – A Commentary On the New Economy, seminar,
Kulturhuset Stockholm;
2000 Art + Communication 3, new media art festival at E-LAB, Ryga;
2000 Minsk Connection, new media art conference at CRAC, Stockholm;
2000 Presence, media art conference & workshop, Atelier Nord, Oslo;
1999 TEMP, tactical media project at Kiasma Contemporary Art museum, Helsinki;
1999 Changing The System?, symposium, NAI Rotterdam;
1998 XU-BIN conference of art and communication, Architects Union, E-LAB Riga;
screenings
2007 Still Here: humour in post-communist performative video. Art Space, Sidney;
2006 Sex and Sadness, Platform Garanti, Istanbul, Turkey;
2006 Sex and Sadness, Exploding Television – Satellite of Love /
Witte de With, center for contemporary art /
International Film Festival Rotterdam;
2005 Femme Totale, International Film Festival, Dortmund, Germany;
2004 Klangraum, Festival of Contemporary Music, Stuttgart, Germany;
2004 Social Affairs, Den Haag, The Netherlands;
2004 Gender & Media, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig;
2004 Show Unit, Riksutställningar, Sweden;
2003 Moving Territories, Merz Akademie / Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart;
2003 Baltxploitation, NY University, NY;
2003 It is hard to touch the real, Kunstverein Munich;
2002 Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media, Canada;
2002 Transat video, Caen, France;
2002 48th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen;
projects
2011 Boston Chapter, at Disobedience Ongoing Archive project
co-curated together with Marco Scotini, MIT, Cambridge, MA;
2011 UTO-PIA, project for Contemporary Art Archipelago,
a respond to and a reflection on the environmental challenge,
fragile ecosystem and biosphere of the Baltic sea;
2010 Splitnik: rereading of the book,
translation project of the book “Beyond Welfare” (1974) by A.Kukarkin
on cultural criticism and analysis of the culture and ideology
of the capitalist world in the later twentieth century;
2010 River project, a study at river Thames
to rethink culture of sport and art;
2008 GVS (Guggenheim Visibility Study), an experimental pedagogy group
conducting case studies, field trips, documentation and archive
to research and underprop the planned Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in
Vilnius;
2007 VILLA LITUANIA, research on deprivation, occupation and privatization
of a territory;
2005 pro-test lab, a generator and archive of all available forms of protest
against the situation/disappearance of the biggest cinema theater
in Lithuania, called LIETUVA, focusing on the discourse of public space
vs corporate privatization;
2003 DRUZBA(friendship), a study of psycho-geography of the network;
2002 Ruta Remake, study of voice;
2002 RAM: Re-Approaching New Media, – the crossing networks of
CRAC (Sweden), Atelier Nord;(Norway), E-Media Center (Estonia),
Olento (Finland), RIXC (Latvia), VILMA (Lithuania);
2002 http://www.transaction.lt/
ongoing web-documentation for TRANSACTION;
2000 TRANSACTION, interdisciplinary study of script of the victim;
1998/99 tvvv.plotas, interdisciplinary project: television, videoconference,
net-cast;
1997 Ground Control, technology and utopia: a book, website and exhibition,
a collaboration between Beaconsfield, London and jutempus, Vilnius;
audio/video/publications/production
2008 Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas. Devices For Action. / book [in English,
Spanish, Catalan], Barcelona: Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona;
2008 Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas. VILLA LITUANIA. / book [in English],
Berlin, New York: Sternberg Press;
2007 AMBASSADOR IN EXILE.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 11’26”;
2007 DEFENDING THE LOFT.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 7’48”;
2007 REHEARSAL AT THE PALACE OF CULTURE AND SPORTS.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 7’31”;
2007 DEFENDING THE VILLA. GRAFFITI.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 5’48”;
2007 DEFENDING THE VILLA. THE LATVIANS.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, B&W, sound, 1’58”;
2007 ARCHITECTURE WORKSHOP (HEART & HEARTH).
Mini DV transferred to DVD, B&W, sound, 1’18”;
2007 CALLING THE RUSSIANS.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 1’37”;
2007 AMBASSADOR’S SONG.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 3’32”;
2006 LIETUVA. SOLD OUT.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 17’;
2005 Cinemas disappeared.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, 5’;
2005 VIP market.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 3’;
2005 pro-test lab slide show.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, 20’27”;
2005 SOLD OUT.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 14’20”;
2005 America will help us.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 2’;
2005 Dogs barking will not disturb the clouds.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 2’;
2005 Human-chain of Swimming Enthusiasts.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 3’;
2005 TV bridge: Oslo—LIETUVA.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 15’;
2005 tvvv.plotas. TV space. A set of 10 DVDs, 30’ each, Vilnius: jutempus;
2005 Ruta remake. Dresden mix. CD, 40’, Kunsthaus Dresden;
2004 Ruta Remake voice archive mix live. CD, 46’, Vilnius: CAC;
2004 Image of women. Documentary film program.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 55’’;
2002 TRANSACTION. Psychiatrists’ Session.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, English subtitles, 27’;
2002 TRANSACTION. ANIMATION. psycho session .
BETA transferred to DVD, colour, sound, English subtitles, 32’;
2002 TRANSACTION. Interviews With Women About Voice.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, English subtitles, 23’;
2001 KARAOKE. Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, 15’;
2001 Media and Gender Order. Lithuanian Peculiarities. CD-ROM [in English],
Vilnius: jutempus;
2001 TRANSACTION. notebook [in English], Vilnius: jutempus;
2000 TRANSACTION. CD-ROM [in English], Vilnius: jutempus;
2000 TRANSACTION. Psychiatrists’ Session.
BETA transferred to DVD, colour, sound, English subtitles, 27’;
2000 TRANSACTION. Film archive (compilation used at the psychiatrists’
session).
Mini DV transferred to DVD, b/w, sound, English subtitles, 27’;
2000 TRANSACTION. Interviews With Women About Films.
Mini DV transferred to DVD, colour, sound, English subtitles, 30’;
1999 tvvv.plot’as archive. Interactive video, quicktime, colour, 150’;
1999 tvvv.plotas. TV program in 10 parts 30’ each, BETA, colour, sound;