Born in 1978 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Nika Zupančič graduated in painting and obtained an MA degree in printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. She received the Student Prešeren Award twice, and as a student co-edited an anthology of essays by prominent theoreticians on contemporary visual art entitled Prostori umetnosti (Spaces of Art). On scholarships awarded by Slovenian and international state institutions, Nika furthered her studies in Amsterdam (historical painting techniques), Berlin and Paris (academic drawing at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière). Some of her most noteworthy solo and group exhibitions are: 10 Essl Award Nominees (2005 at the Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana) Sosledja (Sequences, 2009 Bežigrad Gallery Ljubljana) and Les Images de la présence absente (2012 at the Cité internationale des arts, Paris). In 2013 Zupančič was a Henkel Art Award nominee. Curator René Block selected a series of her paintings entitled Fugue for the Vehbi Koç Foundation in Istanbul, while her works have been included in the contemporary art collections of the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg bei Wien, recently transferred to prestigious Albertina museum in Vienna.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education

  • 2003
    • Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana
  • 2006
    • Historic Painting Technique: 17th Century Oil Painting on Canvas, The Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, course, Ernest van de Wetering – Rembrandt Research Project
  • 2008
    • MA Fine Art, Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana
  • 2010
    • Atelier Re-Naissance, Paris, study of classical painting techniques
  • 2011
    • Study of classical drawing techniques (Shane Wolf class), Paris
- Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Section Dessin, Paris

Awards, scholarships, residences

  • 2001
    • Awarded the Prešeren Student Prize in the graphic arts, University of Ljubljana
  • 2003, 2005
    • Scholarship funded by Slovenian Ministry of culture
  • 2005
    • A 10 Essl award nominees, Moderna galerija, Ljubljana
- Awarded the Prešeren Student Prize in painting, University of Ljubljana
    • Scholarship funded by Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
  • 2007
    • Artist-in-residence (funded by Slovenian Ministry of Culture) in Berlin, Germany
  • 2010
    • Cité internationale des arts – artist in residence, atelier Slovenian Fine Artists Society, Paris, France
    • Nominated for the Vordemberge – Gildewart foundation award, Civic Gallery Ljubljana
- Scholarship (working grant for 2010) funded by Slovenian Ministry of culture
  • 2011
    • Cité internationale des arts – artist in residence, Paris, France
  • 2013
    • Nominated for Henkel Art. Award
  • 2014
    • Cité internationale des arts – artist in residence, Paris, France
  • 2015
    • Cité internationale des arts – artist in residence, Paris, France
  • 2016
    • Laureat 2016 – Institut français – residency programme, six months, Atelier de Ministère des Affaires étrangères, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
  • 2017
    • Cité internationale des arts – artist in residence, Paris, France
  • 2018
    • Artist-in-residence, Leeuwarden, Rotary club, The Netherlands – June 2018
- Artist-in-residence (funded by Slovenian Ministry of Culture) in Vienna, Austria –
      September 2018
  • 2018 – 2021
    • Artist-in-residence, Leipziger´s Baumwollspinnerei, Germany

 

Private and public collections

    • Albertina, Vienna
    • Arter, Istanbul, paintings selected by René Block

 

Solo exhibitions

  • 2007
    • Dipinti, solo exhibition, galerija Contra, Koper
· Likovni kritiki izbirajo (Fine Arts Critics’ Choice), solo exhibition, selector: Nadja Zgonik, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana
  • 2009
    • Sosledja, Slike 2002 – 2009 (Sequences, Paintings 2002 – 2009), solo exhibition, Bežigrajska galerija 1, Ljubljana
· Slike – Nika Zupančič (Paintings – Nika Zupančič) – solo exhibition, Varaždin, Croatia
  • 2012
    • Images de la presénce absente, solo exhibition, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
  • 2015
    • Prélude à une exposition, curator : Azad Asifovich, open studio, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
  • 2016 – 17
    • Enigme des ombres, solo exhibition, Galerie Mansart, Paris, France
· Night – Day Paintings, Gallery Loža, Koper, Slovenia, solo exhibition, dec 2016 – jan 2017

Group exhibitions and projects

  • 1998–2002
    • Initiated and organised a series of lectures on contemporary art under the title “Spaces of Art” (“Prostori umetnosti”) at the Academy of Fine Arts
(among lecturers were Marina Gržinić Mauhler, Igor Zabel, Marjetica Potrč, Ami Barak, Maria Hlavayova, group De Geuzen, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Claude Closky)
  • 2002
    • Coedited the book Spaces of Art (Prostori umetnosti), a collection of papers by 15 authors treating issues of contemporary visual art from various perspectives
  • 2005
    • A 10 Essl award nominees, group exhibition, Moderna galerija, Ljubljana
· Rock music, international group exhibition, Galerija P 74, Ljubljana, curator: Igor Zabel
· The 7th biennial of Slovene graphic arts, group exhibition, Otočec, Novo mesto
  • 2007
    • Group show (Yuzheng Cheng, Gregory Crewdson, Zoran Mušič, Salomé, Nika Zupančič), group exhibition, Gallery Contra, Koper
  • 2008
    • Membership in Ljubljana Fine Artists Society
· Potajenost vid(e)nega (The Overshadowed) – Castrumphoto 2008, international group exhibition, Pilonova galerija, Ajdovščina
  • 2009
    • Lebdeči spomini (Floating memories), group exhibition of ceramics, ZDSLU, Ljubljana
· New spirit in painting, international group exhibition, galerija Contra, Koper
  • 2010
    • Likovne dimenzije poezije (Visual dimensions of poetry), international group exhibition, Gallery Kranjska Hiša, Kranj
· Druga Narava – Slovenija odprta za umetnost (Other Nature – Slovenija open to Art) – international art symposium, Sinji vrh, Slovenija
  • 2012
    • Artistes du Monde (Festival Estival du Scribe Cosmopolite 2012), international groupe exhibition, Galerie le Scribe l´Harmattan, Paris, France
  • 2013
    • 32. art week Malerwoche SPD Kočna, international art colony, group exhibition, Gallery Gorše, Suetschach, Austria
  • 2014 -15
    • Contemporary Slovenian Painting in the 3rd Millennium: First generations after the year Zero, group exhibition, Gallery Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana
· Gefangen im Schleier, group exhibition, Berufsvereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs, Klagenfurt, Austria
· Water – May salon 2014, group exhibition, Ljubljana Fine Artists Society, Slovenia
· Contemporary Slovenian Painting: First generations after the year Zero, group exhibition, Civic gallery Piran, Slovenia
· Back to black, group exhibition, Gallery Equrna, Ljubljana
· Our Ljubljana 2015, group exhibition, National museum of Slovenia
  •  23. 9. 2014
    • Multimedia performance: concert Iris for viola and large ensemble by Nina Šenk (performed by Ensemble Intercontemporain,
conducted by Matthias Pintscher), accompanied by streaming of a video presenting painting process in my atelier (directed by Matic Maležič), Paris, France
  • 2016
    • Architecture of the Heart, Body and Soul, Andrej Medved´s Curator selection, group exhibition, Nova Gorica City Gallery, Slovenia
· Expatrioti, group exhibition, Ribnica, Slovenia
· Realising two editions of lithographs at A fleur de pierre – ancient Edition de Champfleurry, Paris, France