Artist Berndnaut Smilde was born in 1978 in Groningen, The Netherlands.  He currently lives and works in in Amsterdam. Smilde’s work consists of installations, sculptures and photos.  Using his daily surroundings and spaces as inspiration, Smilde is interested in the temporal nature of construction and deconstruction. His work refers to both the physical state of a building as well as a moment of revelation that depicts either hope or fragility.  Smilde analyses spaces and their appearance and takes them apart to investigate their unique details and features. His artistic point of view often centers on duality. His works question: inside and outside, temporality, size, the function of materials and architectural elements.

Smilde holds an MA from the Frank Mohr Institute, Groningen.  Awards include a start stipend form The Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture. He was a resident artist at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin 2008.

Selected exhibitions include:

Out of Focus: photography, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK  (2012)

ManifestAanwezig, kasteel D’Aspremont-Lynden, Rekem, BE (2012)

Red sky at Night, Mercer Union, Toronto, CA (2012)

Kammerspiele, Mischpoke, Mönchengladbach, DE (2011)

Galerie West, The Hague, NL (2010)

Automatic, Auto Italia South East, London, UK (2009)

Process Room, Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, IE (2008)

Click here to watch a BBC feature on Berndnaut Smilde, including the making of a work in the Nimbus series.

Click here to watch a video of Berndnaut Smilde creating a cloud for the work Nimbus II.