Artists > Nikhil Chopra

Nikhil Chopra

Nikhil Chopra’s artistic practice ranges between live art, theatre, painting, photography, sculpture and installations. His performances, in large part improvised, dwell on issues such as identity, the role of autobiography, the pose and self-portraiture, reflects on the process of transformation and the part played by the duration of performance. Taking autobiographical elements as his starting point, Chopra combines everyday life and collective history; daily acts such as eating, resting, washing and dressing, but also drawing and making clothes, acquire the value of ritual, becoming an essential part of the show.

The artist has exhibited and performed globally since 2005. Participation in important solo and group exhibitions include One Water, Many Lands, Gropius Bao, Berlin, Germany (2023); Lands, Waters, and Skies, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA (2019); Fire Water, 2nd Yinchuan Biennale, China (2018); Drawing a Line Through Landscape, documenta14, Athens, Greece & Kassel, Germany (2017); Blackening VI, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, UK (2017); Bhairav, New Art Exchange, Nottingham, UK (2017); The Black Pearl: the city from the river, Alchemy, Southbank Centre, London, UK (2016); La Perla Negra, La Bienal de Habana, Havana, Cuba (2016); Use Like Water, Sharjah Biennial 12 (2015); Give Me Your Blood and I Will Give You Freedom, Singapore International Festival for the Arts (2014); Inside Out, Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Italy (2012); Yog Raj Chitrakar: Memory Drawing X, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai and the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai (2010). The artist has also performed at Performa, New York (2008); the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009); and the Yokohama Triennale (2008). Chopra lives and works in Goa.

 

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b. 1974

Education:
2003                MFA Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
2001                BFA Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
1997-1999        BFA M.S. University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, IN
1995                 B.COM N.M. College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai, IN

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2024     From Water to Fire (Solo Performance), SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2024     Line of Fire, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2024     Line of Fire: Live + Blackening VI: Engine No. 3157 Installation, 47-A Design Gallery, Mumbai, IN
2023     Interpreting Drawing #797 by Sol LeWitt, Sunaparanta Centre For Arts, Goa
2023     One Water, Many Lands, Gropius Bao, Berlin, Germany
2022     What’s love got to do with it?, Commissioned by The Well Being Summit, Bilbao, Aldama Fabre Gallery, Spain
2022     Lands, Waters, and Skies, Residues of Nikhil Chopra’s
2019      Solo Performance ‘Lands, Waters, and Skies’ at The Met, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2019     Lands, Waters, and Skies, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
2018     Lands, Waters, and Skies, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2018     Fire Water, 2nd Yinchuan Biennale, China
2017     Blackening VI: Engine No. 3157, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester
2016     Drum Solo at The Mill, Galleria Continua, Les Moulins, France
2015     La Perle Noire: Jarry Park, Jarry Park, FOFA Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal
2014     La Perle Noire: Le Marais, Level One, gb agency, Paris, France
2012     Inside Out, Gallery Continua, San Gimignano, Italy
2012     Blackening IV: Bay 19, Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia
2010     Yog Raj Chitrakar: Memory drawing X, Chatterjee & Lal, and Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, IN
2010     Drum Solo, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN

2009     Yog Raj Chitrakar: Memory drawing IX, Performa 09, New Museum, New York
2009     Yog Raj Chitrakar: Memory drawing IX, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2007     Yog Raj Chitrakar: Memory drawing II, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2005     Sir Raja III, Supported by Chatterjee & Lal The Fourth Floor, Kitab Mahal, Mumbai, IN.
2003     Sir Raja II, Kinnear Warehouse, Columbus, Ohio, USA
2002     Sir Raja I, 105 West Prescott Street basement, Ohio, USA

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024      Simple Tales: Attend, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2021      Head in the Clouds, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2020      Outside, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2018      Sensorium, Goa, IN
2017      The 10 Year Hustle, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2017      Drawing a Line Through Landscape, documenta 14, Athens-Kassel
2017      Bhairav, New North and South, New Art Exchange, Nottingham
2016      The Black Pearl: The City From the River, Alchemy, Southbank Centre, London
2015      Use Like Water, Sharjah Biennial 12, Sharjah
2015      La Perla Negra: Plaza Di Armas, La Bienal de Habana, Havana
2014      La Perle Noire: Aspenwall House, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi, IN
2014      Give Me Your Blood and I Will Give You Freedom, Singapore International Festival for the Arts, Singapore
2013      Rebirth of Detail, Sunaparanta Center for the Arts, Panjim, Goa, IN
2012      Frieze Art Fair, Focus, Chatterjee & Lal, London, UK
2012      fiVe ,Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai, IN
2012      Inside Out: As the stars view the Palace, Palace Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, USA
2012    Tenth Parallel North Contemporary Photography from India and South America, Fondazione Fotografia, Modena , Italy
2011      Act // ing, Meinblau – House of Arts Berlin, Germany
2011      The Matter Within: New Contemporary Art of India, Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts, San Franscisco, California, USA
2011      H Box Artsonje, Seoul ; Today Art Museum, Beijing ; Guandong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
2011      Crossroads: India escalate (India Pavilion), Prague Biennale 5, Prague, Czech Republic
2011      In India and Far Beyond: Khoj International Artists Association, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen IFA Gallery, Stuttgart and Berlin, Germany
2011      Genaration in Transition: New Art from India, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland
2011      Liberalis, Projecte Sindelfingen, Galerie der Stadt Sindelfingen, Germany
2011      Beyond the Self, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2011      Paris, Delhi, Bombay, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2010     Production Site: The Artist’s Studio Inside Out, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
2009     Kunstenfestivaldesarts 09, Brussels, Belgium
2009     The Self & the Other: Portraiture in contemporary Indian photography, ARTIUM Centro-Museo Vasco de Arte Contemporaneo, Spain
2009      The Self & the Other: Portraiture in contemporary Indian photography, La Virrenina Centre de La Imatge, Barcelona, Spain
2009      Marina Abramovic presents: Manchester International Festival 09, Manchester, UK
2009      53rd International Art Exhibition, Making Worlds (curated by Daniel Birnbaum), La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy
2009      Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels, Belgium
2009      Indian Highway, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, Norway
2008      Indian Highway, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
2008      CHALO INDIA!, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2008      Time Crevasse, Yokohama Triennale 2008, Yokohama, Japan
2008      Chatterjee & Lal @ Thomas Erben Gallery, New York, USA
2008      Live Art 08, Khoj International Artist’s Association, New Delhi, IN
2007      Khoj International Artist’s Association, Kashmir, IN
2007      Posing (curated by Joelle Jenson & Andrea Cote), Abrons Art Center, New York, USA
2007      House of Mirrors (curated by Deeksha Nath), Grosvenor Gallery,London, UK
2007      Performance Art Residency, Khoj International Artist’s Association, New Delhi, IN
2007      Beings and Doings (curated by Emma Ridgeway), British Council, New Delhi, IN
2006      Asian Contemporary Art week (curated by Leeza Ahmady), Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA
2005      The Taste of Others (curated by Leeza Ahmady), Apexart, New York, USA
2004      Contemporaneity: International Video Art in Kyrgyzstan (curated by Leeza Ahmady),Central Asia Biennale, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Residencies:

2012        Fremantle Arts Centre, Western Australia
2012        Asialink, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
2012        Blackening III: Bay 19, Performance Space, Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia
2011-12   Broken White II, Frei University, Berlin, Germany
2010        Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle, France
2009        Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels, Belgium
2007        International Performance Art Residency, Khoj, IN
2007        Khoj Kasheer, Srinagar, Kashmir, IN

C & L Shows

Line of Fire: Live
Line of Fire: Live
10 January - 15 February
2024
Line of Fire
Line of Fire
12 January - 28 February
2024
Drum Solo
Drum Solo

2010
Lands, Waters, and Skies
Lands, Waters, and Skies
8 November - 15 November
2022
Head In The Clouds
Head In The Clouds
14 January - 27 March
2021
OUTSIDE
OUTSIDE

2020
Lands, Waters & Skies
Lands, Waters & Skies
15 November 2018 - 5 January 2019
2018
Memory Drawing Series
Memory Drawing Series
22 March - 10 April
2010
Yog Raj Chitrakar : Memory Drawing II
Yog Raj Chitrakar : Memory Drawing II
December 11 - December 14
2007
Sir Raja III
Sir Raja III
23 November - 25 November
2005
fiVe
fiVe
10 August - 22 September
2012

Other Shows