Micol Assaël
b. in 1979, Rome, Italy
lives and works in Athens, Greece and Rome, Italy
Her work investigates the characteristic of the matter, physical phenomena and forces and their interaction with the human being and his experience. Assaël’s background in philosophy combines her fascination with natural phenomena, technological theories and machineries (she uses electricity, sound, and organic materials like wood and water to evoke nature’s unexpected dangers and discomforts). Her work acts upon the cognitive and sensory response of the viewer, generating, unpredictable and uncomfortable situations which involve physical and psychological reactions.
Assaël’s most recent solo exhibitions include Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan (2014); Museion, Bolzano (2010); Secession, Vienna; Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel; Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2009); Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome (2008); Basel Kunsthalle, Basel (2007).
Micol Assaël participated in group exhibitions at MAXXI, Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome (2017); Bozar, Brussels (2014); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2013); Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham (2010); Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; MADRE, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina, Naples (2009).
Her work was included in the Rome Quadriennale 2020, Sydney Biennale and São Paolo Art Biennial (2008); Berlin Biennale (2006); Moscow Biennale (2005); Manifesta (2004); and the Venice Biennale (2003 and 2005).
EDUCATION
Philosophy, Università La Sapienza, Rome, IT
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
“Dusty Landscapes”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
2021
“Converting Words”, Plato, Ostrava, CZ
2020
“Converting Words”, Sprovieri Gallery, London, UK
2018
“On Zone”, Zoo Zone Art Forum, Rome, IT
2017
“Lettura di un’onda”, curated by Bruno Corà e Valentino Catricalà, Museo Riso, Palermo, IT
2016
“Stone Broken Circuit”, König Galerie, Berlin, DE
2015
“Eddy Current”, ZERO… , Milan, IT
2014
“Asymmetry of Probability”, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York City, USA
“ILIOKATAKINIOMUMASTILOPSARODIMAKOPIOTITA”, curated by Andrea Lissoni, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, IT (catalogue)
2013
“Maybe Tomorrow”, international artist-in-residence program, Artpace, San Antonio, USA
2010
“Фомушка (Fomuška)”, curated by Letizia Ragaglia, MUSEION, Bozen, IT (catalogue)
2009
“Фомушка (Fomuška)”, curated by Annette Sudbeck, Secession, Wien, AT (catalogue)
“Inner Disorder”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“Inner Disorder”, Johann König, Berlin, DE
“Фомушка (Fomuška)”, curated by Rein Wolfs, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, DE (catalogue)
“Gdzie indzej”, Foksal Gallery Foundation, Warsaw, PL
“Chizhevsky Lessons”, curated by Marc Olivier Wahler, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, FR (catalogue)
2008
“Altrove/Elsewhere” (in collaboration with Mika Vainio), curated by Daniela Cascella, GNAM, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome, IT
Edicola Notte, Rome, IT
2007
(Mindfall – in collaboration with Mika Vainio), Galerie Johann König, Berlin, DE
“Chizhevsky Lessons”, curated by Adam Szymczyk, Kunsthalle Basel, CH (catalogue)
2005
“Free Fall in the Vortex of Time”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
2004
“D-segni”, curated by Ilaria Bonacossa, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Sleeplessness”, Galleria Bonomo, Bari, IT
2002
“La Folie de la Villa Médicis”, curated by Chiara Parisi, Villa Medici, Accademia di Francia, Rome, IT (catalogue)
2001
“Galleria Studio 34″, Salerno, IT
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
“Artists making books”, curated by Ilaria Puri Purini, American Academy in Rome, IT
“Angels”, curated by Marcello Smarrelli, Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Roma, IT
“Ambienti 1956-2010. Environments by Women Artists II”, curated by Andrea Lissoni, Marina Pugliese, Francesco Stocchi, MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome, IT (catalogue)
2023
“The Cargo Cult and other certainties”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
2022
“This Current Between Us”, curated by Panos Giannikopoulos and Georgia Liapi, Historic Steam Electric Station of Neo Faliro, Pireaeus, EL
“What a Wonderful World”, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome, IT
“The Dream of Ulysses”, curated by Francesco Stocchi, Fondation Carmignac, Hyères, FR
“Des futurs désirables”, curated by LABO148, Frac Grand Large – Hauts-de-France, FR
2021
“Ulisse lineare”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“The Earth is flat again”, curated by Jakub Gawkowski, Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź, PL
“Mines and Minerals”, curated by Alexandros Tsiannis, Serifos old mines, EL
“Le FRAC s’invite au Musée”, Musée des Maisons comtoises, Nancray, FR
“La vita nova”, curated by Alessandra Mammì, Museo di scultura antica Giovanni Barracco, Rome, IT (catalogue)
2020
“Fuori”, Quadriennale di Roma, curated by Sarah Cosulich and Stefano Collicelli Cagol, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, IT
“Insieme”, curated by Gianni Politi, Mura Aureliane, Rome, IT (catalogue)
2019
“La Plage”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“On the edge of the Blade we run”, curated by Alexandros Tsiannis, PLYFA Factory, Athens, EL
“The Source”, curated by Chiara Parisi, Fondation Carmignac, Porquerolles, FR (catalogue)
2018
“Take Me (I’m Yours)”, curated by Christian Boltanski, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Chiara Parisi, Villa Medici, Accademia di Francia, Rome, IT (catalogue)
“Mapping Sounds”, Goethe Institut, Rome, IT
2017
“The place to be”, curated by Margherita Guccione and Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome, IT
“Take me (I’m yours)”, curated by Christian Boltanski, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Chiara Parisi and Roberta Tenconi, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, IT (catalogue)
“Le Paradoxe de l’Iceberg”, curated by Keren Detton, Frac Grand Large, Hauts-de-France, Paris, FR
“Trigon 67/17”, curated by Jürgen Dehm, Grasz Kunstlerhaus, Grasz, AT
“The act of drinking a Coke by yourself is the lowest form of art”, ZERO…, Fonderia Artistica Battaglia, Milan, IT
“Good Boy – Bad Boy”, curated by Keren Detton, Kunstencentrum Ten Bogaerde, Koksijde, BE
2016
“Partoftheprocess7 (Imitatio Christe’s II)”, ZERO…, FuturDome, Milan, IT
“The Milky Way 3”, Fondazione Marconi, Milan, IT
“Scarecrows”, Sigalas Vineyard, Santorini, EL
“The Picture Club”, curated by Ilaria Gianni, American Academy in Rome, Rome, IT
2015
“519+40”, curated by Marcello Smarrelli, Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Rome, IT (catalogue)
“Andy Warhol sul comò”, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce, Genoa, IT (catalogue)
“Collecting for Tomorrow: New Works at Museion”, MUSEION, Bozen, IT
2014
“The Yellow Side of Sociality”, curated by Nicola Setari, Bozar, Brussels, BE (catalogue)
“Intenzione Manifesta. Il disegno in tutte le sue forme”, curated by Beatrice Merz, Castello di Rivoli, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Sculpture Unchaperoned” – contemporary international positions selected by artist Michael Kienzer”, Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman, Wien, AT
“Imitatio Christie’s (partoftheprocess6)”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“Video screening 25″, ZERO…, Milan, IT
2013
“Des Mondes Possibles”, curated by Sylvie Zavatta, Frac Franche-Comté, Besançon, FR
“New works #1”, curated by Lorenzo Benedetti, Sprovieri, London, UK
“Have you seen me before?”, curated by Francesco Bonami and Achim Burchardt-Hume, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (catalogue)
“Dread – Feart in the age of technological acceleration”, curated by Juha van’t Zelfde, De Hallen Haarlem, NL
“Future Generation Art Prize 2013”, curated by Bjorn Geldhof, Palazzo Contarini Polignac, Venice, IT
“Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt (Then Farewell, My Beloved, ‘til It’s Freedom Day)”, invited by Alice Conconi and Antonio Scoccimarro, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“Extra Large”, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, MACR, Testaccio, Rome, IT
“Jorge Peris, Micol Assaël, Nunzio”, Galleria Bonomo, Bari, IT
2012
“Future Generation Art Prize 2012”, curated by Bjorn Geldhof, Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, UKR
2011
“Space Ship Earth”, curated by Dobrila Denegri, Centre of Contemporary Art Toruń, Toruń, PL (catalogue)
“Out of Storage”, Maastricht, NL
2010
“Spazio. From MAXXI’s collections of Art and Architecture”, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome, IT (catalogue)
‘’Press Art – Sammlung Annette und Peter Nobel“, curated by Christoph Doswald, Museum der Moderne – MdM Rupertinum, Salzburg, AT (catalogue)
“Director’s Choice”, Arken Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishøj, DK
“Mutiny seemed a probability”, curated by Adrienne Drake, Fondazione Giuliani, Rome, IT (catalogue)
“21×21”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Star City”, The Future Under Communism, curated by Alex Farquharson, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, UK (catalogue)
“Arrivi e Partenze Europa”, curated by Andrea Bruciati e Walter Gasperoni, Fondo Mole Vanvitelliana, Ancona, IT (catalogue)
2009
“Aspects of collecting”, Essl Museum, Wien, AT (catalogue)
“Barock – Arte. Scienza. Fede e Tecnologia nell’Età Contemporanea”, curated by Eduardo Cicelyn and Mario Codognato, MADRE, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina, Naples, IT (catalogue)
“Italics. Arte italiana fra tradizione e rivoluzione, 1968-2008”, curated by Franceso Bonami, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA (catalogue)
“Chasing Napoleon”, curated by Marc Olivier Wahler, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, FR (catalogue)
“1989 – 2009.” Overview, Celebration, Critique”, curated by Andrea Viliani, Galleria Civica, Trento, IT
“Espellos = Espejos = Mirrors”, curated by Gyonata Bonvicini, MARCO, Vigo, ES (catalogue)
“Life Forms”, curated by Sara Arrhenius, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, SE (catalogue)
“Second Hand”, curated by Jasper Sharp, Engholm Engelhorn Galerie, Wien, AT
“Short Circuits”, Peter Blum, New York, USA
“Italian Open”, Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam, NDL
2008
“In living contact”, 28a Bienal de São Paulo, curated by Ivo Mesquita, Bienal Pavilion, São Paulo, BRA
“Italics. Arte italiana fra tradizione e rivoluzione”, 1968-2008”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, IT (catalogue)
“Partoftheprocess3”, ZERO…, Milan, IT
“When a clock is seen from the side it no longer shows the time”, Johann König, Berlin, DE
“After Nature”, curated by Massimiliano Gioni, New Museum, New York, USA (catalogue)
“Revolutions” – Forms That Turn. 16th Biennale of Sydney”, curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Power House – Cockatoo Island, Sydney, AU (catalogue)
“… 5 minutes later”, curated by Susanne Pfeffer, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, DE (catalogue)
“Ad Absurdum – Zeitgemäße Apparate”, Städtische Galerie Nordhorn, Nordhorn, DE
“Impronta globale”, curated by Daniele Arzenta, Ex Magazzini Generali, ISA Istituto Superiore Antincendi, Rome, IT
2007
“Marta Schweight. Garde le silence, le silence te gardera”, curated by Jan Hoet, Marta Herford, Herford, DE (catalogue)
“La parola nell’arte. Ricerche d’avanguardia nel ‘900. Dal Futurismo ad oggi attraverso le Collezioni del Mart”, Mart – Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Rovereto, IT (catalogue)
“Schmerz”, curated by Eugen Blume, Hamburger Bahnohf, Berlin, DE (catalogue)
“Oú? Scenes du Sud: Espagne, Italie, Protugal”, curated by Françoise Cohen, Carré d’Art Musée d’Art Contemporain de Nimes, Nimes, FR (catalogue)
“Silence. Listen to the Show”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Luce di pietra”, curated by Henry-Claude Cousseau e Marcello Smarrelli, Palazzo Farnese, Rome, IT (catalogue)
2006
“My Private escaped from Italy”, curated by Barbara Casavecchia and Anna Daneri, Centre International d’art et du paysage, l’île de Vassivière, Vassivière, FR (catalogue)
“Inaugural Exhibition”, Johann König, Berlin, DE
“Of mice and men – 4th Berlin Biennale”, curated by Maurizio Cattelan, Massimiliano Gioni and Ali Subotnick, Former Jewish School for Girls, Berlin, DE (catalogue)
2005
“T-1 La sindrome di Pantagruel”, curated by Carolyn Christoph-Bakargiev and Francesco Bonami, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Sempre un po’ più lontano”, curated by Rosa Martinez, The 51st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Arsenale, Venice, IT (catalogue)
“Bidibibobidiboo”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Material Time/Work Time/Life Time”, curated by Jessica Morgan, Reykjavik Art Festival, Vestmannaeyjar, IS (catalogue)
“Radio Days”, curated by Claire Staebler, CTP of The Appel Foundation, Amsterdam, NL
“«Non Toccare la Donna Bianca»”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Castel dell’Ovo, Naples, IT (catalogue)
“Dialectics of hope, 1st Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art’’, curated by Joseph Backstein, Daniel Birnbaum, Nicolas Bourriaud, Iara Boubnova, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Rosa Martinez, Former Lenin Museum, Moscow, RUS (catalogue)
2004
“Rendez-Vous, La Jeune Creation Contemporaine’’, curated by Hauviette Bethemont, Isabelle Bortolotti, Yves Robert and Dirk Snauwaert, Museé d’Art Contemporain, Lyon, FR
“Non Toccare la Donna Bianca”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“With all due Intent… Manifesta 5”, curated by Massimiliano Gioni and Marta Kuzma, Donostia, San Sebastián, ES
“Sleeplessness”, Galleria Marilena Bonomo, Bari, IT
2003
“Sogni e Conflitti: La Dittatura dello Spettatore”, curated by Francesco Bonami, The 50th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Sezione: La Zona, curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Giardini della Biennale, Venice, IT (catalogue)
“Sub-Real-Reality Survival Strategies”, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, Smart Project Space, Amsterdam, NL
“Micol Assaël, Nico Dockx, Rirkrit Tiravanja”, Museum in Progress, curated by Chris Dercon and Hans Ulrich Obrist, San Gimignano, Siena, IT
“Great Expectations!”, curated by Chiara Parisi, Marcello Smarrelli, Charlotte Laubard, Fuori Uso, Pescara, IT (catalogue)
2002
“Fatamorgana”, ZERO…, Piacenza, IT
“Exit. Nuove geografie della creatività italiana”, curated by Francesco Bonami, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT (catalogue)
“Fullcontact”, curated by Sergio Risaliti, Salvatore Lacagnina and Caroline Corbetta, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Siracusa, IT
2001
“Prototipi 0.1”, curated by Stefano Chiodi and Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, Fondazione A.Olivetti, Rome, IT (catalogue)
2000
“Affinités Électives 2”, invited by Koo Jeong-A, Galerie du Jour-Agnes B., Paris, FR
“Offered Spaces-Spazi Offerti”, curated by Simonetta Lux e Chiara Parisi, San Casciano Dei Bagni, Siena, IT
1999
“Young International Artists”, Palazzo Rialto, Rome, IT
AWARDS AND RESIDENCES
2012
Future Generation Art Prize, Kyiv, UKR, Special prize
2013
ArtPace, San Antonio, USA
2020
Krasner Pollock Foundation, New York, USA
MONOGRAPHIC PUBLICATIONS
“λ (Lambda)”, NERO Editions, 2020
“ILIOKATAKINIOMUMASTILOPSARODIMAKOPIOTITA”, curated by Andrea Lissoni, texts by Jens Hoffmann, Andrea Lissoni, Luca Lo Pinto, Mousse Publishing, 2015
“Фомушка (Fomuška)”, Massimiliano Gioni, Olesya Turkina, Rein Wolfs, Kunsthalle Fridericianum Kassel, Secession Vienna, Museion Bolzano e Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König Cologne, 2010
“Chizhevsky Lessons”, Ester Coen, Adam Szymczyk, Electa, 2007
