Nicky Murmann (they/them) West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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Biography and approach I am born in 1983 in Lausanne (Switzerland). Living and working in Leeds (UK), since 2016. Achieved a BA in Fine Art at the HKB in Bern (CH) and an MA in Fine Art in 2014, at HEAD in Geneva (CH). In 2018, I achieved an MA in Performance Art at Leeds Beckett University, in the UK. I work as an artist individually and collaboratively on projects or in collectives.

I create safe environments in private, public or art spaces in order to facilitate conversations and storytelling. These spaces are developed linked to subjects and material treated in projects, who can be physical spaces or life art. In fixed or manipulated framework if it is on screen as final result, for example as video or installation work. My working process combines a variety of media including text, sound, and visual material (for example drawings) – to produce performances, sound pieces, or videos.

I embrace the power of vulnerability and intimacy to link humans in different kinds of dialogue – through active listening or through the sharing of opinions. Consent is an essential part of my practice when I am creating a one-to-one performance. The audience member is always free to leave at any point and share with me as little or as much as they are comfortable doing. In videos and sound work I use text, a song, a poem or a fake interview using my own life experiences of the everyday, queerness, mental health, emotions, trauma, or identity-ies.

Artwork

Ça ira mieux demain (It will be better tomorrow), Video, 2021

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Time lies, Video, 2021, -

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Corps non sportif (No-sporty body), Performance, 2014

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Letzter Schluck (Last Swallow), Video, 2016

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Duel Moite (Sweaty Duel) , 2017

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1400 Ways of closeness, Performance, 2018

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Listen Through My Ears , Performance, 2018

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What is your definition of queer?, Sound piece, 2018

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Cis men: roots aren’t sweet, installation, video and sculpture, 2019

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Muscle Your Heart, Performance, 2019

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Kiss In, Video, 2019

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Match Percentage, Sound piece, 2020

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Hand Washing, Video, 2020

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Projects and exhibitions

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Micro-commission, Transform Festival 23, in response to the work: PUMPITOPERA TRANSATLANTICA, Mexa collective, "Tell me of a complicated...animal"

19/10/2023

In this performance, Athena takes you on a journey of Discovery into what it means to live in a queer body. An unexpected learning through the bones, skins, and blood of people’s identity as disabled or chronically ill. Athena is guiding you back to your body, your house, your home.

Synopsis: A figure coming on the stage, wearing a grey...

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The Warehouse in Holbeck, Leeds Details

Scratch Night, "One-human show"

21/06/2023

A Performance between story telling and stand-up comedy.

Synopsis: A person coming on the stage, wearing a green jumpsuit, a golden jacket and T-Rex latex mask. They will put on the floor an i-pod and a portable speaker. From the speaker you can hear the GP voice message followed by classical music. Nicky will share with you their life...

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Grand Opera Theatre, ATG, York, UK Details

HERE & QUEER, "Senses of being", as part of Queerology Colletive

20/04/2023 — 22/04/2023

"Sense of being" features three queer people sharing their experience of intersectionality through their intimate relationships to significant objects and the spaces in which they feel connected to their multiples identities. The collection of golden animals are belong to the artist. They symbolise important stages of live and people who...

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Assembly House, Leeds, UK Details

Price, film awarded: " Ça ira mieux demain, (it will be better tommorrow)", Honorable mention

01/11/2022 — 30/11/2022

Synopsis: A conversation between two artists and friends (in French) drawing links between romantic relationships and art collectives.

Materiality: video

Duration: 16.52 minutes

Award winner, Special Mention, Global Shorts,, Los Angeles, USA (online) Details

Price, film awarded: "Time lies", Honorable mention

22/10/2022 — 31/10/2022

Materiality: video Duration: 12.38 minutes

Seoul short film Festival, 2022 (online), Seoul Details

CLOSE TO HOME, Assembly House studio holders, "Put your feet up"

14/06/2022 — 14/08/2022

Hyde Park Art Club (HPAC), Hyde Park Book Club (HPBC), Leeds, UK Details

Sonic Stimulus, "What is your definition of disability?", "Match percentage", "Cis Men: Roots aren't sweet"

07/06/2022 — ongoing

A live show on the 7th June 2022 at 15.00 GMT called Sonic Stimulus. Sonic Stimulus is a radio broadcast created in partnership with an audio education project launched at CCW (Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbeldon colleges of Art, UAL).

Rounded Radio, project by Roshni Bhagotra, London, UK Details

Price, film awarded: "Kiss In", Category: Other, Best film experimental

29/05/2022 — 04/06/2022

Mumbai 17th Entertainment International Film Festival 2022, India, Mumbai Details

Scratch Night, "Remember your taste", performed by Kp Culver, Orange Ibreck and myself

29/01/2022

Synopsis:It is an exploration of the different links between a body and its onlookers, how the audience experiences intimacy and connectivity through the language of the body. This work aims to test communication between bodies and space through movement and music.

Duration: 20 minutes

LIVE HOLLBECK, Slung Low, Leeds Details

Artist development and bursary, Mentoring with Orrow Amy Bell and Ali Pidsley

20/12/2021 — 28/01/2022

LIVE HOLBECK, Barrel Organ, at Slung Low, Leeds Details

Not going anywhere, "What is your definition of disability?" in collaboration with Vickie Orton

01/12/2021 — 13/02/2022

Synopsis: The aim of this art work was to explore people’s perception of disability. We took it in turns to stand in the middle of a busy shopping street in Leeds over two weekends, holding a large cardboard sign saying ‘what is your definition of disability? ‘. We stood there for up to three hours. Nicky has a hidden disability and...

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Explore Library, York Details

Price, film awarded: "Time Lies", Category: All about cities

01/11/2021 — 30/12/2021

Rome Short Film Festival, Rome, Italy, Rome, Italy Details

To be continued, "Print of actions"

01/10/2021 — 16/10/2021

Jewerly by Nicolas Christol Sculptures by Nicky Murmann

BORAX, Vevey, Switzerland Details

"Inner Child"

17/07/2021

Synopsis: “Inner Child” is a one-to-one performance, where the audience member is invited to talk with me – and I with them – about our childhoods, through memories, through one or a few chosen subjects, printed on cards. There are 38 cards representing the 38 years of my life, and 38 subjects linked to my childhood. On the reverse...

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Hyde Park, Leeds Details

YSI Sculpture Network 2020

01/06/2020 — 30/09/2020

The YSI Network was a four months programme, who addressed an urgent need to connect with peers, develop an artist network, share conversations about our practice and hear from national and international artists talks/seminars and workshops.

YSI Network is supporting artists to developp their practice and their exchanges, Leeds, UK Details

COANTIVIRUS, "Hand washing"

20/03/2020 — ongoing

Online exhibition ongoing till the day when Cornavirus is fully under control, NY20 , CHINA

Online exhibition ongoing till the day when Cornavirus is fully under control, NY20 , C, NY20 CHINA Details

NEWK’ed, Performance Festival, "Muscle your Heart"

15/12/2019

NEWK’ed, Performance Festival and talks, CLAY

NEWK’ed, CLAY, Leeds, UK Details

Artist Development Bursaries 2019, Compass

01/07/2019 — 30/11/2018

As part of their 2019 programme, Compass offered six months artist development bursaries to four artists with an emerging interest in socially engaged and/or participatory arts practice.

offerd/ supported by Compass Festival, Leeds Details

Heavy Souls, " Cis men: Roots aren’t sweet"

22/03/2019 — 14/04/2020

Queerology collective: Kit George (he/him), Naomi Gilby (she/her), Luna Morgana (she/her), Nicole Murmann (they/them)

as part of Queerology Colletive, Emergency Art Space, Vevey, CH Details

Queer Ways of Being, "What is your definition of queer?"

01/02/2019 — 16/02/2019

Queer Ways of Being, 35 Chapel Walk, Sheffield, UK Details

Listen Through My Ears

12/09/2018 — 14/09/2018

Soundwalk and text reading.

Landing Party, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK Details

Heritage Open Days, Heritage weekend, What is your definition of queer?

06/09/2018 — 19/09/2018

Curated by Rhian Cooke Artist Involved: Jessica Wheeler Paula Chambers Izzy Brittain Sylvia Winnington Zoe Barber Nicole Murmann Alexi Marshall Rhian Cooke

Heritage Open Days, Heritage weekend, All Souls’ Church, Leeds, UK Details

TF18, Tempting Failure, Performance Festival, "1400 Ways of closeness"

01/05/2018 — 31/07/2018

Mentoring programme, May-July, with the artist: Rhiannon Armstrong, TF18, Festival, TF18, Tempting Failure, East Croydon, London, UK

Performance Festival, TF18, Tempting Failure, East Croydon, London, UK Details

What have you done for me lately?, "What is your definition of queer?"

08/03/2018 — 30/03/2018

In the exhibition: What have you done for me lately?, as part of Queerology collective. Artists: Kit George (he/him), Naomi Gilby (she/her), Luna Morgana (she/her), Polly Spanner (she/her), J.J William (they/them), Nicole Murmann (they/them)

SERF, artist led-community and art space, Leeds, UK Details
Interested in
Art Walk/TrailArtist TalkCommissionCompetitionConferenceContemporary art fairExhibitionJournal/PublicationParticipatory projectResidencyStudio spacesWorkshop
Media
DrawingFilm / VideoInstallationLive artSculptureSoundText
Other keywords
EnvironmentExperimentalFeminismIdentityMemoryParticipatorySite-specific