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Sommerer & Mignonneau

Sommerer & Mignonneau

Christa Sommerer (*1964, Austria) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Laurent Mignonneau (*1967, France) at the Acedemy of Fine Arts Angouleme, Fance. Between 1992- 1993 they studied together under Peter Weibel at Städelschule Institut of Media in Frankfurt am Main. Today both are professors at the University of Art and Design, Linz. There works have been shown in solo shows in different institutions like MOT Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo; ISEA International Symposium of Electronic Arts, Vancouver; Hermès Shanghai, Hermès Madison, New York; Slick Art Fair, Parus; or Museum of Screen Culture- Moscow  among others. At ARCO Madrid, 2016, they have been awarded with the Premio ARCO madrid/ BEEP prize.

Their newest interactive installation, Portrait on the Fly, consists of a monitor that shows a swarm of a few thousand flies. When a person positions himself in front of it, the insects try to detect his facial features. They then begin to arrange themselves so as to reproduce them, thereby creating a recognizable likeness of the individual. Posing in front of the monitor attracts the flies. Within seconds they invade the face, but even the slightest movement of the head or of parts of the face drives them off. The portraits are thus in constant flux, they construct and deconstruct. Portrait on the Fly is a commentary on our love for making pictures of ourselves (Selfie-Culture). It has to do with change, transience and impermanence.

 

Congratulations to Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau!

Their newest interactive installation, Portrait on the Fly, consists of a monitor that shows a swarm of a few thousand flies. When a person positions himself in front of it, the insects try to detect his facial features. They then begin to arrange themselves so as to reproduce them, thereby creating a recognizable likeness of the individual. Posing in front of the monitor attracts the flies. Within seconds they invade the face, but even the slightest movement of the head or of parts of the face drives them off. The portraits are thus in constant flux, they construct and deconstruct. Portrait on the Fly is a commentary on our love for making pictures of ourselves (Selfie-Culture). It has to do with change, transience and impermanence.

14.10.2022
BEN AWARD
BEN für herausragende Leistungen in der Bildenden Kunst
B3 Biennale des Bewegtes Bildes
Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach am Main
Schlossstr. 31
63065 Offenbach am Main

02.09.2022 – 26.02.2023
The Artwork as a Living System
OK Zentrum Linz
OK Platz 1
AUT – 4020 Linz

07.05.2022 – 31.07.2022
The Artwork as a Living System
ZKM Karlsruhe
Lorenzstraße 19
76135 Karlsruhe

18.02.2022 – 26.06.2022
World Machine Art and Science – An artistic homage to Johannes Kepler featuring „Anthroposcope“ ©1993
Schlossmuseum Linz
Museumstraße 14
AUT – 4020 Linz

18.12.2021 – 28.08.2022
BioMedia featuring A-Volve ©1994 
ZKM Karlsruhe
Lorenzstraße 19
76135 Karlsruhe

04.11.2021 – 06.12.2021, 5-7 pm
ANTopolis“ Media Facade Artwork
Museum Quartier Vienna
Museumsplatz 1/5
AUT – 1070 Wien

November 2021
Digitalos 2021 Pinoeer Award 

August 2021
Östereichischer Kunstpreis 2021 / Medienkunst

08.02.2019 – 25.05.2019
Sommerer and Mignonneau’s first US retrospective show
BEALL Art Center
712 Arts Plaza
USA – CA 76135 Irvine

14.07.2018 – 10.02.2019
Art in Motion 100 Masterpieces with and through Media – An Operative Canon
ZKM I Zentrum für Kunst und Medien
Lorenzstraße 19
76135 Karlsruhe

29.06.2018 – 05.08.2018
BIAN Internationl Digital Art Biennale
Arsenal Contemporary Art Museum
2020, rue William
CAN – Montreal (Quebec) H3J 1R8

09.03.2018 – 08.07.2018
Sommerer and Mignonneau show an updated and restored version of their original installation “IntroAct” (c), 1995, CNAP Laurent Mignonneau & Christa Sommerer from the Collection Musée d´Art Contemporain, Lyon
Musée d’Art Contemporain
81 quai Charles de Gaulle
FRA – 69006 Lyon

03.03. – 04.03.2018
2 – 6 pm
Fête du Code Créatif
Portrait on the Fly (interactive) and Coleoptera (new interactive software for teaching programming)
Centre Pompidou
Place Georges-Pompidou
FRA – Paris