Bernhard Garnicnig (*1983, lives and works in Vienna and Lochau)
mail@bernhardgustav.com / +43 650 2130309

Bernhard Garnicnig is a research artist and lecturer.  He studied Art, Media and Performative Sculpture at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and Piet Zwart Institute Rotterdam. His current work focuses on the research of practices that emerge in the relation between artists and institutions, the digital occupation of institutionality, and conceptual narrations of emancipatory institutional and corporate surfaces as structures for learning and collaboration.

He is the founding co-editor of continentcontinent.cc, a collectively edited journal for thinking through media (est. 2011–2020), founder & former Very Artistic Director of the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien, a historic surface dedicated to the projection of past, present and future alike (est. 2014), the co-founder of the Bregenz Biennale, a festival for ephemeral public art in the town he was born (est. 2012) and the co-founder and Director of Supergood, a consulting brand in the ambiguous field between product and performance (2015-2019).

Since 2017 he lectures “New Media Art” at the Art & Education Department at the University of Art and Design Linz. In 2023 he lectured in Theory of Institutions at the University of Applied Arts VIENNA. From 2017–2021, he was a research artist for the SNF-funded research project “Institutions as a Way of Life'' at the Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IXDM) at HGK Basel. He is a member of the board of directors at Künstlerhaus Thurn & Taxis, Berufsvereinigung Bildender Künstler_innen Vorarlberg (BV:BKV) in Bregenz. In 2019 he was a visiting scholar at The New School for Social Research, New York City.

He participated in and convened exhibitions, lectures, workshops and residencies internationally, most recently What Can Artists Do Now? at Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman, Wien, MHYTNIX at WRO Media Art Biennale & Diagonale Graz, Supergood – Diálogos com Ernesto de Sousa at MAAT Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia Lisboa, The Unified Field Residency Ayoke, Philippines; Resilience Residency Serrinha do Alambari, Brazil; continent. at Technosphere 1948 Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; #vaporfolk at Künstlerhaus Palais Thurn & Taxis, Bregenz; My Holy Nacho at Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen; Free Better You at One Work Gallery, Vienna and The Open Scenarios for Non-Trivial Pursuits for Coded Cultures Festival Vienna.

Education

2005 – 2011 University for Applied Arts Vienna, Mag.art (MFA equiv.) with Honours in Digital Arts (Prof. Peter Weibel, Prof. Tom Fürstner, Prof. Ruth Schnell, Nicolaj Kirisits)
2009 – 2010 Visiting Student, networked_media, Piet Zwart Institute Rotterdam
2008 – 2009 Art and Digital Media, Prof. Constanze Ruhm, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Performative Art and Sculpture, Prof. Monica Bonvicini, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
2025 Doctor of Philosophy, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Prof. Axel Stockburger

Teaching & Academic Practice

Seminar (2 ECTS) “What makes the museum an institution?” Department for Expanded Museum Studies, University of Applied Arts Vienna

Researcher, “From Multidirectional Memory to Multidirectional Moments”, University of Applied Arts Vienna, 2022–2023

Seminar (2 ECTS) “Practices of Relation: Art Practices after Institutional Critique” Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Editor, “Annotating”, Institute for Experimental Design and Media Cultures IXDM, Critical Media Lab, 2017–2021. A series of workshops and micro-publications on contemporary concepts of institutions in art, activism and education.

Junior Researcher, Institute for Experimental Design and Media Cultures IXDM, Critical Media Lab, 2017–2021. Code of Conduct Working Group, Colloquium Planning, Curriculum Development

Workshop Seminar (2 ECTS) “New Media Art: How to teach a plant the internet?”, October 2020

Visiting Scholar, New School for Social Research, The New School, New York City, October 2019–April 2020.

Lecture: “How did we get here?” A short history of the post-digital art school, Lecture Series “Kunst und Karriere”, Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, November 2020.

Workshop Seminar (2 ECTS) Co-Teaching “Who is an Art School?” HGK Basel, October 2020

Workshop Seminar (2 ECTS) “New Media Art: memeclassworldwide #takeover”, Dept. for Art & Education, Kunstuniversität Linz, October 2019

Workshop Co-Teaching “Institutional Attitudes”, Kunstmuseum Basel, September 2019

Lecture “Institutional Studies by Artists” with Lucie Kolb, University of Neuchâtel, Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association 2019: ‘The Future of Work’,  September 2019

Performative Workshop Co-Teaching “Premises, Promises”, 10th SAR International Conference on Artistic Research, ZHDK Zürich, March 2019

Lecture “What Artists Institute: Occupational Utopias” IXDM Colloquium, HGK Basel,  June 2018

Workshop Seminar (2 ECTS) “New His?torie(s) of New Media Art, Kunstuniversität Linz, March 2018

Workshop Seminar (2 ECTS) “New Media Art in the Age of Netflix”, Kunstuniversität Linz, Nov 2017

Workshop Seminar (2 ECTS) “New Media Art: Operating System Aesthetics”, Dept. for Art & Education, Kunstuniversität Linz, Oct 2016

Selected Exhibitions, Projects, Publications

2024

I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO BREGENZ Biennale 2024, curated by Bernhard Garnicnig

Kunsttage Basel, Keck Kiosk X Unofficial Hiking Society AG

WIEN MUSEUM, Gekauft! Und dann?

Vorarlberg Museum. Mythos Handwerk. Zwischen Ideal und Alltag

2022

What Can Artists Do Now? curated_by Artist Project Group at Galerie Elisabeth und Klaus Thoman, Wien – with  John M Armleder, Artist Project Group (Bernhard Garnicnig, Lukas Heistinger, Andrea Steves), Eglė Budvytytė, Bureau Of Analogies (Jens Van Lathem, Scott William Raby, Tobias Van Royen), Thomas Feuerstein, Julia Haugeneder, Lucie Kolb, Mary Maggic, memeclassworldwide (Juan Blanco, Mateusz Dworczyk, Ramona Kortyka, Jennifer Merlyn Scherler), Walter Pichler, Peter Sandbichler, Miriam Simun, Paul Spendier, Lois Weinberger, Franz West
Das Sporadische Institut, Kunst und Bau Projekt des Land Vorarlberg an der FH Dornbirn (2020–2024)

tetatet, solo exhibition, Galerie c-art, Dornbirn

Liminal Creatures, Künstlerhaus Bregenz – with Lena-Elise Aicher, Maximilian Arnold, Dominika Bednarsky, Karin Ferrari, Bernhard Garnicnig, Gregory Hari, Stefanie Kägi, Marianne Mueller und Selina Reiterer. Curated by Marlene A. Schenk und Selina Reiterer

2021

memeclassworldwide. e-flux Education.

MHYTNIX at WRO Media Art Biennale, Diagonale Graz, Vienna Shorts Film Festival

memeclassworldwide. Co-editor with Ramona Kortyka, Mateusz Wojciech, and Juan Blanco. no-talent, Kiel, 2021

ELIA Academy 2021, with Lucie Kolb

External Jury, Akademie der bildenden Künste Corporate Redesign

Shamanic Mall Retreat, curated by Karin Ferrari, Kunst im Öffentlichen Raum Innsbruck.  

2020

MHYTNIX. Pixel, Bytes & Film ORFIII Artist in Residence.

Bregenz Biennale 2020: The Art of Hosting. Artistic Director, co-curated with Marlene A Schenk.

Visiting Scholar, The New School, New York City

memeclassworldwide, How to teach a plant the internet. Kunstuniversität Linz

The Art of Making Art Schools. Experimental Workshop, HGK Basel

Who Is an Art School? Workshop, HGK Basel

“Making It Up.” In The Critical Makers Reader, edited by Bogers Loes and Letizia Chiappini, 298–305. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2020.

“Interviews with the Swamp Thing, the Poacher and the Healer.” Edited by Rachel Mader and Signe Meisner Christensen. Passepartout Journal of Art Theory and History, Aarhus University, no. 40 (2020): 105–18.

2019

My Holy Nacho at FMR 2019, Linz 

10th SAR International Conference on Artistic Research, Zürich

Mythos Idylle Maisäß, Vorarlberg Museum

continent. publishing collective at Forms of Life, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin

continent. FRIEND / SHIPS, Centre culturel suisse, Paris

SANS ORDINATEUR, Postdigital Research Group, Ecole normale supérieure Paris

memeclassworldwide, Kunstuniversität Linz.

“The Art of Instituting.” In Digital Dynamics in Nordic Contemporary Art, edited by Tanya Toft Ag, 2019.

With Lucie Kolb and Jamie Allen. “Artwork as Institution. Stephen Willats.” In Artwork as Institution: Stephen Willats. Zürich: brand-new-life, 2019.

2018

sonic objections #2 at Bildraum Bregenz – with Bella Angora, Angélica Castelló, Faxen, Bernhard Garnicnig, Ulrike Königshofer, Albert Mayr, Ulla Rauter, Strotter Inst., Benjamin Tomasi, Mario de Vega und Thomas Wagensommerer. Curated by Alexandra Grausam & Karl Salzmann.

continent. reproducing at L'Automàtica, Barcelona

151 Allmendstrasse, initiated by Ann-Kathrin Eickhoff and Lucie Kolb, Zürich

continent. Body of Us, Swiss Pavillion at London Design Biennale

FAD, Mitgliederausstellung Künstlerhaus Bregenz

Supergood – Diálogos com Ernesto de Sousa at MAAT Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia Lisbon – with Melanie Bonajo, Rita Sobral Campos, Vasco Costa, Simon Dybbroe Møller, Jannis Varelas, Supergood com Ernesto de Sousa. Curated by Hugo Canoilas.

New Media Art: Rewriting New Media Art History, Kunstiversität Linz

Issue Editor “Palais Des Beaux Arts Wien.” continent. 7.1 (2018).

Magnusson, Jonas, Cecilia Grönberg, Tobi Maier, and Hugo Canoilas, eds. “Supergood.” In The Zero Alternative, Vol. 80/81. OEI. OEI, 2018.

Weiner, Seth, and Bernhard Garnicnig. Palais des Beaux Arts Wien: Legacy and Latency. Interview by Sarrita Hunn. Temporary Art Review, March 21, 2018. 

2017

continent. publishing collective at Technosphere 1948, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin

continent. Radio Brouhaha for the Publishing Sphere conference at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Invited by Lionel Ruffell

Secret Island Archive, Unifiedfield Nomadic Artist-in-Residence, Philippines

“Palais des Beaux Arts: Ideas worth spreading again” Pixel, Bytes & Film. ORFIII, Arte Creative, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. In cooperation with Fabian Faltin.

“#vaporfolk” Palais Thurn & Taxis, Bregenz – Lona Gaikis, Peter Moosgaard, Zsófia Keresztes, Angus McCullough, Andreas Ervik

Resilience Residence, Serrinha do Alambari, Brazil.

continent. First Encounters in the Technosphere. Public Making of the Technosphere x Knowledge at Haus der Kulturen der Welt at Freies Theater Innsbruck.

WINDOWS, Computer + Software, Basel. Commissioned Group Exhibition – Aram Bartholl, Benoît Verjat, Bernhard Garnicnig, Ciara Phillips, Constant Dullaart, Evan Roth, Geraldine Juárez, Ishac Bertran, Jamie Allen, Jan Robert Leegte, Moritz Greiner-Petter, Peter Moosgaard, Phillip Stearns, Pussykrew, Rosa Menkman, Sebastian Schmieg, Suzanne Treister, Windows93

WRONG BIENNALE, postinternet.art

Henderson, Louis. “Lettres Du Voyant.” Edited by Bernhard Garnicnig. continent. 6.1 (March 22, 2017): 36-37–37.

Khaikin, Lital, and Bernhard Garnicnig, eds. “Interview with John Tresch and Claire Pentecost.” continent 6.3: The Technosphere Dialogues II(2017).

Lyons, Steve, Jason Jones, and Bernhard Garnicnig. “The Occupation of Institutionality and Institutional Liberation – Interview with Not An Alternative.” continent. 7.1 (July 26, 2017): 74–81.

2016

Performance: Premierentage Innsbruck, with Supergood & Medien.Kunst.Tirol at Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen

Installation & Publication: continent. at the Atlanta Biennial, Atlanta Contemporary

Curated Exhibition: Bregenz Biennale 2016 – Jamie Allen, Albert Allgaier, Simone Borghi, Sean J Patrick Carney, Martin Chramosta, Claude Closky, Constant Dullaart, Fabian Faltin, Karin Ferrari, Alec Finlay, Peter Fritzenwallner, Michele Gabriele, Bernhard Garnicnig, Thomas Geiger, Katharina Höglinger, Barbara Anna Husar, Lisa Kainz, Lital Khaikin, Rick Lins, Romain Mader, Maria Maeser, Fernando Mesquita, Marco Rios, Lina Rukevičiūtė & Lina Zaveckytė, Driton Selmani, Lena Sieder-Semlitsch, Benjamin Tomasi, GRUPPE UNO WIEN, Noburo Watanabe, Seth Weiner and Arnaud Wohlhauser declare the sunset on the 14.08.2016 as a work of art

Performance & Exhibition Contribution: Palais des Beaux Arts at L’Exposition Imaginaire, Kunsthalle Wien

Interview & Publication: continent. at the “Technosphere, Now” Campus at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin

Exhibition & Performance: SECTIONING MY HOLY NACHO – With Jamie Allen, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen

2015

Group Exhibition: APPENDIX – With Eva Egermann, Karine Fauchard, Benjamin Grodin, Ludwig Kittinger, Bernd Kräftner, Christoph Meier Martyn Reynolds, Hans Schabus et al. Curated by Phelim McConigly – Atanas Petrov Foundation, Pleven, Bulgaria

Curated Exhibition: #vaporfolk #hollyvoodoo. Sponsored by Amazon Readymades. – With Zsófia Keresztes, Angus McCullough, Alexandra Hackett (A.L.C.H.), Andreas Ervik, Stephanie Syjuco, Michele Gabriele, Pau Sampera, Peter Moosgaard  – Lust Gallery, Wien

Group Exhibition: THE FLOATING TRANSPARENT EYEBALL – With Salvatore Viviano, Alfred Lenz, Lukas Heistinger – Curated by Max Lust, Donaufestival Krems

Performance & Exhibition Contribution: SOCIAL GLITCH – With Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Harun Farocki, Thomas Feuerstein, Ayesha Hameed, Mathias Kessler, Mark Lombardi, Jennifer Mattes, Godofredo Pereira, Axel Stockburger, Technopolitics, UBERMORGEN.COM, et al. – Curated by Sylvia Eckermann, Gerald Nestler, Maximilian Thomann – Kunstraum Niederösterreich, Wien

Group Exhibition: NEUE MITGLIEDER – Künstlerhaus Palais Thurn & Taxis, Bregenz

Group Exhibition: UNSAFE+SOUNDS – With Karin Ferrari, Hyo Lee, Magda Tothova – Bar du Bois, Wien

Group Exhibition: ONE WORK GALLERY – Vienna Contemporary Artfair

Artwork Commission: Order My Holy Nacho http://myholynacho.net/order/ – With Jamie Allen, Kunsthal Aarhus

Performance & Publication, Media Production: UNBOXING MY HOLY NACHO – Kunsthal Aarhus

Performance & Project Space: SUPERGOOD – Temporary project space focusing on the reflection of health, food and self-optimisation related practices of life with daily interdisciplinary, performance and educational program. With Lukas Heistinger, Wien

Extra-disciplinary practice

2020 Bregenz Biennale 2020 “The Art of Hosting” (Co-Founder and Curator with Marlene A. Schenk). With Danja Burchard, Gregor Legeland, Nour Shantout, Benjamin Tomasi, Marie Vermont.

2018 – ongoing
memeclassworldwide (Contributor). Ongoing work on a curriculum with a focus on digital-native art practices, aesthetic and political discourse. Development of formats of hosting, teaching and learning that support a new generation of art students. Workshops at Kunstuniversität Linz and Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel.

2016 Bregenz Biennale 2016 (Co-Founder and Curator). Thirty-two artists declared the Sunset on August 14, 2016 as a work of art. With Jamie Allen, Simone Borghi, Sean J Patrick Carney, Martin Chramosta, Claude Closky, Constant Dullaart, Fabian Faltin, Karin Ferrari, Alec Finlay, Peter Fritzenwallner, Michele Gabriele, Thomas Geiger, Katharina Höglinger, Barbara Anna Husar, Lisa Kainz, Lital Khaikin, Rick Lins, Romain Mader, Maria Maeser, Fernando Mesquita, Marco Rios, Lina Rukevičiūtė & Lina Zaveckytė, Driton Selmani, Lena Sieder-Semlitsch, Benjamin Tomasi, Gruppe Uno Wien, Noburo Watanabe, Seth Weiner, Arnaud Wohlhauser.

2016 Open Scenarios for Non-Trivial Pursuits: A three day workshop program at the intersection of Pedagogy and Performance. Curated for continent. and Coded Cultures Festival, The University in Ruins. With Julia Hölzl, Fabian Faltin, Seth Weiner, Karin Ferrari, Peter Moosgaard, Jamie Allen.  

2011 – 2020         Co-founder of continent., a collectively edited journal for thinking through media. We published 20+ issues and convened events and workshops at various partner institutions and sites, like the Technosphere 2015–2018 Project, Publishing Sphere (both Haus der Kulturen der Welt), University  of Basel, documenta14 Athens A-Letheia Project, Coded Cultures Festival Wien, Fundació Antoni Tàpies and Index Foundation.

2014 – ongoing

Founder and Very Artistic Director of the Palais des Beaux Arts Wien, a wireless conceptual art space and digital art commissioning programme. With Joe Hamilton, Museum of Internet, Pussykrew, Jamie Allen, Rosemary Lee, Fabian Faltin, Karin Ferrari, Peter Moosgaard, Seth Weiner. Commissioned writings by Jamie Allen, Maren Mayer-Schwieger, Fabian Faltin, Eva Maria Mandl, Erik Born.
www.palaisdesbeauxarts.at

2014 bregenz/biennale/2014 (Co-Founder and Curator)

with Rainer Ganahl, Philipp Leissing, Maria Anwander, Ruben Aubrecht, Philipp Preuss, Svetlana Heger, Alexander Fuchs, Mathias Garnitschnig, Tim Hartmann.  www.bregenzbiennale.com

2014 Making Places – A imaginary map of historic artist run institutions. Commissioned by the Arts Program at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen

2014 on_offspaces - a series of exhibitions and a publication mapping an informal history of artist run spaces in Vienna (Archiv für Gegenwart, Wien)

2014 Anonymous & Others - with Constant Dullaart, TRAUMAWIEN, Peter Fritzenwallner and Emilie Gervais (Nomadenetappe, Linz)

2012 bregenzbiennale (Co-Founder and Curator)
with Markus Proschek, Salvatore Viviano, Andrea Lüth, Peter Fritzenwallner, Maria Anwander und Ruben Aubrecht, Philip Hanich, Paul Landa, Albért Bernàrd. Project development grant by Austrian Federal Chancellery and Regional Government.   www.bregenzbiennale.com

2009 – 2013 SOUNDWWWALKS. Commissioned artists to create works for this browser based sound performance format. Performances and lectures at Experimenta Int. Biennial of Media Art , Melbourne Australia; Code Of Contingency, 319 Scholes Brooklyn NY; NIMK, Amsterdam; iMAL Brussels; WORM Rotterdam; Laboratoria, Moscow; Science Friction, Copenhagen; ISEA2011 Istanbul – www.soundwwwalk.net

05 2012 One is the loneliest number (Google confirms), Kunstraum Glockengasse 9 Wien
with Albért Bernàrd, Claude Closky, Hennessy Youngman, Jesus Papichulo and Salvatore Viviano

05 2009 Sound/Time/Space – c17, Wien

with Mamoru Ukonu, Valerie Lange / Benjamin Tomasi, Daniel Lercher, Peter Kutin, Nicolaj Kirisits, Michael Fischer, Tim Blechmann und Albért Bernàrd

01 2009 The machine becomes the idea that makes the art  – c17, Wien

with Florian Waldner, Marketta Seppälä, Gordan Savicic, UBERMORGEN.com, Peter Moosgaard, Guthrie Lonergan, Franck Lays, Gottfried Haider, Luc Gross, Bernhard Garnicnig, Albért Bernàrd

Grants, Residencies, Acquisitions

07 2021 Impact Academy Studio Resident

03 2020 Palais des Beaux Arts Wien digital collection acquired by City of Vienna

2017–2021 Swiss National Science Fund Research Project “Institutions as a Way of Life”, Co-Applicant

06 2018 Mythos Idylle Maisäß, Gargellen, Montafon, Austria

08 2017 UNIFIEDFIELD Nomadic Artist in Residence, Davao/Ayoke, Philippines

02 2017 Resilience Artist in Residence, Serrinha do Alambari, Brazil

10 2016 Visiting Artistic Researcher, Critical Media Lab, School for Design and Art Basel

08 2016 IFK International Research Center for Cultural Studies, IFK_Akademie 2016

09 2015 BilbaoArte Artist in Residence Stipendium, Vorarlberger Landesregierung

05 2015 Acquisition to Collection of the Austrian Federal Chancellery (BKA)

05 2014 Artist in Transit – Research and production of 2 Real, Brasilia, Funded by BKA and Land Vorarlberg

02 2014 Berlin Artist in Residence Stipendium, Vorarlberger Landesregierung

09 2012 Christiania Researcher in Residence, Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark

08 2012 Triptych Tripping – Lust Gallery New York, Los Angeles, Wien

06 2012 Startstipendium Medienkunst, Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture (BMUKK)

05 2012 Acquisition to Collection of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture (BMUKK)

03 2010 Artist in Resident Culture Lab, Newcastle University, Great Britain

Presentations of Media Art Research

06 2013 Net Acoustics Workshop with Jamie Allen – STRELKA Moscow

04 2012 Sound Research Summit, Eyebeam New York City

03 2012 Net Acoustics Workshop with Jamie Allen – STEIM Amsterdam

11 2011 Soundwwwalks at If Not Now – Royal College of Art, London

09 2011 Conference Panel Chair: Soundwwwalks – ISEA2011 Istanbul

06 2011 Net Acoustics Workshop with Jamie Allen  – Mullae Art Space, Seoul

10 2010 Public Interfacial Gesture Salon II mit Ubermorgen, Constant Dullaart, Monochrom – MQ Wien

09 2010 Public Interfacial Gesture Salon with Constant Dullaart, Jon Rafman, Artie Vierkant – Berlin

08 2010 “Craving” (mit Gottfried Haider) – ISEA2010 Ruhr

05 2009 “Craving” (mit Gottfried Haider)  – Coded Cultures, Wien

05 2008 “Craving” (mit Gottfried Haider) – 5th Mobile Music Workshop, Wien

05 2007 “Craving” (mit Gottfried Haider) – 4th Mobile Music Workshop, STEIM Amsterdam