Nils udo biography

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NILS-UDO ()

Leader of the "Art in Nature" movement, Nils-Udo, born in , has been conducting artistic experiments in and with nature all over the world since the s. More than any other artist, he draws conclusions with a rare coherence through two modes of expression: sculpture in the landscape, which combines art with living matter, and photography, artistic expression as much as a means of "recording" and disseminating the work. "Whatever the place chosen for his installations, in our latitudes or at the other end of the earth, whatever the scale of the work - infinitely large or infinitely small - that he patiently constructs, Nils-Udo, who was first a painter and has become one again, has always "worked with and on nature". A chiseller of moments of eternity, a sensitive, precise and rigorous author of scenes of absolute power and grace, he has tirelessly pursued this dialogue with nature, which he began in the s - following his studies of graphic arts in Nuremberg and his long stay in Paris - and which he has continued since then on all continents. Whether he is playing with huge pine or bamboo trunks, assembled to build one of these giant nests, whose shape obsesses him and which he installs everywhere, or whether he arranges one by one tiny berries, graceful flowers, fine branches or delicate roots picked up during his walks, he transforms the simplest materials into a poetic vision, which he hastens to fix by photography, before it fades away. We know Nils-Udo's passion for nests, a fundamental form that he never ceases to recreate and which marks his obsession with a lost paradise, a matrix nature, a refuge. The nest represents the shelter, the point of departure and completion of procreation. Nils-Udo's work also includes many arches, porches and doors, like those of his "water houses" or those that open onto the horizon. These doors are openings towards a beyond of the first percept

“Whatever the chosen site for his installations, in our part of the world or in far-flung lands, whatever the scale of the work – infinitely large or infinitely small – which he constructs with infinite patience, Nils-Udo, who started out as a painter as is now one once again, has always “worked with and on nature”.

As a carver of glimpses of eternity, this sensitive, precise and meticulous artist of scenes steeped in absolute grace and power has never tired of this dialogue with nature, which he first struck up back in the s following his graphic art studies in Nuremberg and the long stint he spent in Paris, which he has since built on by touring all seven continents.

Whether experimenting with immense pine trunks or bamboo, interwoven to form one of these giant nests, the shape of which fascinates him so obsessively that he erects them everywhere, or one by one arranging tiny berries, slender flowers, fine branches or delicate roots gathered during his walks, he transforms the simplest of materials into a truly poetic vision, which he hurries to capture through photography before it vanishes.

Nils-Udo’s enduring passion for nests, a fundamental form he is endlessly recreating, a symbol of his obsession over a paradise lost, a wild matrix, a shelter, is well-known. The nest represents the shelter, the start and end point of procreation.

Nils-Udo’s œuvre also displays series of arches, porches and doorways, such as in his “water houses” or those opening out onto the horizon.

These doorways are openings onto a space beyond the initial perception, towards something invisible, a depth glimpsed through beauty, the sublime and “utopia” which Nils-Udo sees “under every stone”, “on each leaf”, “behind each tree”, “in the clouds and the wind””. Chantal Colleu-Dumond, Nils-Udo, éditions Gourcuff Gradenigo

German artist from Bavaria (born )

Nils-Udo (born ) is a German artist from Bavaria who has been creating environmental art since the s when he moved away from painting and the studio and began to work with, and in, nature. He began in the s as a painter on traditional surfaces, in Paris, but moved to his home country in Bavaria and started to plant creations, putting them in Nature's hands to develop, and eventually disappear. As his work became more ephemeral, Udo introduced photography as part of his art to document and share it. Perhaps the best known example of his work for the general public is the cover design for Peter Gabriel's OVO. Nils-Udo seeks to offer a mutualist vision wherein nature as environment is an omnipresent backdrop. In revealing the diversity in a specific environment, he establishes links between human and natural history, between nature and humanity that are always there, yet seldom recognized. Nils-Udo uses natural materials, such as sticks, petals, branches, to create site-specific installations.

Selected works and projects

OVO ()

Peter Gabriel contacted Nils Udo to create an installation for the cover for his new album OVO. Udo created a nest-like structure supported by tree trunks, which made it very heavy. Inside the nest lay the child of a Real World (Studio in England where the album was recorded) employee (The child, Josh, is the son of Susie Millns at Real World’s Art department). The photograph was taken and then the installation was moved into Peter Gabriels's garden nearby. Finally due to issues of what to do with it, the gardener set the structure on fire. This did not upset Udo as his work is transient and there is a photograph that keeps the artwork still living. Its called OVO because it has an OVO form.

Rock-Time-Man ()

Rock-Time-Man is a monumental sculpture in Wittgensteiner-Sauerland, Germany. Udo creates the effec